When it comes to Indian food, most of us associate it with heavy curries that tend to be greasy. However, Indian cuisine is far from that and Podi & Poriyal is living proof that vegetarian South Indian fare can be elevated, contemporary and a delicious delight.
Vegetarian South Indian Restaurant in Singapore
Located a short walk away from Farrer Park MRT, Podi & Poriyal is a restaurant serving up contemporary vegetarian South Indian cuisine. Unlike the familiar prata supper spots, we were greeted with a modern interior and atmosphere. Additional points for a great first impression because the place smelled amazing.
From what we know, the restaurant uses lots of specially sourced ingredients and a lot of the items, sauces and dips are made from scratch to ensure freshness whenever possible. Their cocktails also feature a twist by incorporating spices into their concoctions, like a Curry Leaf Gin Fizz.
Food at Podi & Poriyal
The menu is split into snacks, small plates that are perfect starters along large plates that are great for sharing.
We started the meal with an Edamame Sundal ($12), a dish that’s usually made with legumes. Podi’s version is made with edamame, freshly grated coconut, and roasted cashew nuts. It’s very addictive, very dangerous.
Next was the Avocado Jackfruit Papad ($12) which features a jackfruit poppadum topped with sliced avocado, tomato, onion, coriander leaves and house-made masala spice. The infusion of jackfruit into the poppadum left a slight sweetness, which paired amazingly with the spice and tangy flavours of the entire dish.
If you’re dining at Podi & Poriyal, you mustn’t miss out on the Signature Podi Idli, ($16) which features bite-sized idlis tossed in the restaurant’s podi of the week. If you’re new to Indian cuisine like us, Podi is a spice blend that is commonly found in South Indian cuisine.
What Podi & Poriyal does is they change their spice blend weekly so customers can experience new flavours. This is possible because they make the spice blend in-house! When we visited, the Podi featured kaffir lime leaves, but we heard it can feature anything from fruits, herbs, and spices.
This can be paired with an assortment of chutneys that are made in-house, specifically the Ridge Gourd Chutney (our favourite!), Coconut Chutney and Tomato Chutney – all covering an assortment of flavours: creamy, spicy and tangy.
Poriyal on the other hand, is a South Indian side dish commonly made from dry stir-fried vegetables, lentils and spices, and here, they had a Cabbage Poriyal ($10) stir-fried with dried button chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds and freshly grated coconut.
For mains, we opted for the Double Decker Parotta ($26), which is a layered Malabar parotta with gravy cooked in banana leaves, almost like an Indian version of a lasagna. The dish features 2 layers of parotta, layered with curry before it is wrapped with banana leaves, steamed, and then cooked on the griddle.
Ending the meal on a sweet note with their Black Sesame & Palm Jaggery Halwa ($15). Halwa is a dessert made from flours and is first melted and cooked with coconut milk and thickened with rice flour. It’s warm, which paired perfectly with the cold vanilla ice cream.
Authentic South Indian Food in Singapore
Podi & Poriyal is a great spot for date nights, especially if you want something more unique. We would also recommend this spot for family dinners as their menu is perfect for sharing, allowing you to try a bit of everything.
It was a great insight into South Indian cuisine, and it was eye-opening to see how well-executed the food items were. The staff were hospitable as well. A great experience overall!
Podi & Poriyal
486 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218151
Mon, Wed-Fri, 11am-2:30pm, 6:30-9:30pm, Sat-Sun, 11am-3pm, 6:30-10pm
*This article is based on a media-tasting event, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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