Little modern India

Last month, I had the bright idea of going to visit Little India on the eve of Deepavali. What ever possessed me to do that, I have no idea. But we braved the crowds, soaked in the atmosphere & even managed to do a bit of shopping ourselves.

I bought some string lights & sparklers for Christmas (already planning ahead) & a cute little sari for The Girl (complete with matching bracelets & bindi). I was tempted to buy some Bollywood DVDs but that would have to wait till we go there again when it's less crazy.

I remember years ago when Christmas was the only time there was a light up & only along Orchard Rd. Now there are lights for all the major religious occasions - Chinese New Year, Hari Raya & Deepavali. Given what I saw last month, they most definitely do not fall short of Christmas. The lights along Serangoon Road were spectacular.

This was the shop where we bought The Girl's sari. I will have to post a photo of her wearing her new outfit soon.

Although most of Little India has remained pretty much unchanged all these years, the temples, Tekka market & the shops along Serangoon Road, some seemed to have made a big leap into the 21st century. For starters, there is The Verge with the hugely popular Sheng Shiong where even my Japanese neighbours frequent.

And have you been to Muthu's lately ?

I've been going to Muthu's for years. It was my favorite Indian restaurant. Admittedly I haven't been there in a while. So imagine my surprise when I headed over to the familiar address along Race Course Rd to find that they have gone all contemporary. I had to do a double take to make sure I was at the right place. Gone were the plastic chairs & canteen like tables. Replaced by willowy curtains from the ceiling, designer tables & chairs, beautiful food counter with naan oven etc.

I miss the old Muthu's even though the food is still good. Maybe I'm just sentimental. Change is good right ? By the way, I just read that they are opening up a branch in Dempsey Hill.

I finished an order of curry fish head by myself cos X only had one bite & even managed to coax the little one to try some prawn 65 (that was a new one).

Another example of little india going modern is a shop called Chellas. Looking at the desserts on display, one could have mistaken this to be a patisserie in Paris. Everything was beautifully laid out. We had no idea what there were so we told the server to give us a sampling of their most popular items.



The desserts were too sweet for my liking & I could taste too much condensed milk in them. The next time, I go there, I'm going for their vegetarian meal instead. The dosai at the next table looked absolutely delicious.