The Banana Leaf Apolo

We had fish head curry L, big portion. My husband loved it a lot, I thought it was good, but craved some tikka masala. The food came with free papatam (on an oily side). Rice, veggie and cabbage for extra 6 dollars for two.

This place is somewhat of a tourist trap and there are other banana leaf joints for Indian food in Little India. Overall though, it was not bad.
You eat on a banana leaf. They dump some sides on your plate. The fish head curry wasn’t as amazing as all the hype was about. Spicy but not enough flavor? Small size was pretty big for two people. Somewhat disappointed.
The Masala Prawns were good.
The butter chicken was just okay.
They have many locations so it’s not bad if you want a quick Indian fix.

I was warned by a local that this is somewhat tourist trap or «Little India» newbie’s place. But so what?! My overall experience was quite good here. I came out with full stomach and big grin on my face.
Chicken tikka was nice and juicy, mutton biryanis was flavorful as I expected and its lamb wasn’t too dry. Not sure which curry I had (because I let my friend make her ‘executive decisions’) but it was rather sweet than spicy. It was so sweet that I can consider it a desert! But don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed the curry.
Good came out fast and hot which I find it rare in Singapore. LOL
That alone deserves 4 stars.

This place is featured on all the travel programmes for a reason — the fish head curry is fantastic! It’s nothing like a typical Northern Indian curry… although it does use the typical curry spices (curry leaf, cumin, garlic, chili), it also uses South Indian spices such as tamarind, pineapple, ginger and lime leaves, which give it a sweet-​and-​sour flavour. I don’t know what species the fish heads are, but they’re delicious. A «small» portion is more than enough for one person. The meat falls off the bones and is superbly tender. You get rice for free, but I paid extra for an order of plain naan to sop up the sauce and I think I made the right choice.
Bring hospital gloves: the sauce does stain your fingers, and if you have a hangnail or a paper cut and the hot sauce gets in it, it hurts like no one’s business.
The place is always crowded and there can be a wait out the door, but the staff are good about turning tables around quickly.

Total tourist trap. Avoid. Decent food because it’s hard not to get good Indian food in little India but not spectacular. I couldn’t figure out why this place was packed. Briyani was disappointment. Just yellow rice, not even flavored. Fish curry was good. Mutton curry was good. Small portions. $ 100 for 5 of us for lunch and ordered fish curry, mutton curry, fried okra, and drinks. Decent Indian food but a rip off for where u are. Would be better to pay a lil more and step it up to Muthus if ur gonna pay that much. Or if ur just about the chow, head over to Tekka food centre down the street for way better food at a fraction of the cost.

I was told that it is one of the best Indian food restaurant in town. So I came here and ordered a set lunch. I love how they server you food on a piece of banana leaf. I didn’t know you should use your hand to eat the food to get the most out of your meal but being the tourist that I am, I asked for utensils. :) The curries and all sides were amazing. Rich layered flavors! The staffs are extremely attentive. This place is delicious and you must try it if you ever get a chance to visit Singapore!

Felt like eating back home — Tamil Nadu, India. — Eating in Banana Leaf is wow. Missing home!
Sambar for after noon lunch was fantastic and i repeated again and had few.
Rasam could have been bit spicy with more tomato taste.
Vegetables they served is excellent and cooked well.
Payasam — is not that great, they should work on it, too much of kesar powder in it.
Ambiance is good and I see lots enjoying the food and Indian Tender Coconut water never thought they will provide like this. — in One word — Fantastic.
Will come back here soon with my Dad and he will definitely enjoy!

Beforehand you should know: a free table on a weekend day is like winning the lottery, because The Banana Leaf Apolo is often hopelessly crowded and does not really appear romantically charming, as the arrangement of the tables kind of make you feel like visiting a canteen. If you have however managed to get a table, a visit to this restaurant with its northern Indian cuisine is the absolute jackpot. In the back of the restaurant you will find the daily offered displayed in a glass cabinet. It’s damn hard to make a decision and you will even receive an additional menu at the table. Heaven help!
The restaurant is above all famous for their signature dich: fish head curry, slowly cooked in a curry based spicy sauce. If you are lucky and finally made up your mind, you can order the main dishes at the table. Sides, such as rice and vegetables will be refilled «automatically». The waiters will come in regular intervals, carrying large pots with yummy treats asking you, if you would like another serving. Oh happy land of milk and honey!
The food literally swept me off my feet. Granted, I have never been a huge fan of Indian cuisine. So accordingly, I did not have high expectations. But: the flavors that my taste buds may experience today, would even exceed the highest expectations. The spicy grilled mutton is provided with a touch of cinnamon. The squid is buttery soft and simply melts in your mouth. I can taste a vast number of different spices that unify to an outstanding taste experience.

This place was always the «GO TO» place for me and my parents whenever we felt like some South Indian food since I was young! (This place has been here for quite awhile indeed!)
This place sets the standard for a wholesome Indian dining experience, both foodwise as well as the dining environment.
If you’re looking for something «upscale» or of posh restaurant feel that you can impress your date with then I have to say look elsewhere NOW! But if you’re looking to have a comfortable time and not having to mind the volume of laughter and voice levels of yours or others, eating in a very long communal table with your hands (optional) along with strangers, this may very well be the place for you!
Many tourists and locals alike come here for dinner indulging in their famous curry fish heads where caucasian tourists seem very amused with! Their menu is extensive and food quantities are huge!
Everything on the menu is tasty! From the Northern Indian Tandoori Chickens, to their yummy butter chicken, chicken 65, naans, free flow of rice and vegetable sets… the tasty list goes on and on!
Prices are reasonable and while there are many other places to go where the food and environment may be even nicer, like I mentioned, this place definitely sets the standard where indian food should at least be! Definitely still a «GO TO» place if you’re visiting Singapore and feeling like some hearty indian food without extremely hurting your wallet in a mediocre indian food place in let’s say, hmmm. somewhere like MBS perhaps? :P
P.S — Service can be a bit iffy at times although there seems to be many staff pacing around, so my advice is try to remember ordering all your stuff the first time round so you dont have to try to get the attention of the workers walking around so fast and «missing you out». Ask for the extra ice waters to come first, more veg/​rice if you need while they dish it out for you, that extra small free bowl of fish curry you wanna dip your papadums in all the first time round — then sit back, relax and watch them all come!
3.9 Stars

Sri Lanka crab is the best. Fish head curry is just ok. To me, it is a little bit sour. We love the food here. Nice and fast service.

Delicious, authentic food. There is a reason why so many locals eat here. Every time I visit singapore this place is on my list of restaurants to dine at. You will become a repeat customer too and that is not a bad thing.

This is by far one of the best Indian food restaurants I’ve ever been to. I had the chicken Tikka, briyani with prawns, and my sweetheart had the Lamb Coconut fry. We also shared some garlic Naan and garlic with onion kulcha. This is a must try restaurant, you won’t be disappointed with the good food, and the service is also very good. I definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to enjoy a real Indian cuisine! Oh, a really cool thing is that you are actually going to eat on a banana leaf. Love this place!

it’s pricy for indian food. but you come here for their famed fish head curry. my wife thought it was too spicy but i enjoyed the flavor and the heat. the other stuff (e.g. biryani, naan, vegetable entrees) were also excellent.
service can be a bit lackadaisical.
definitely come in a group so you can try everything.

This is a review of a dinner with a friend at The Banana Leaf Apolo on Race Course Road.
This is the second Banana Leaf Apolo I’ve visited. I’ve also been to and reviewed the one on Serangoon Rd. The experience at the Race Course Road outlet was similar but not exact. I actually consider it slightly better.
Quick comparison between the two — The Race Course Road outlet was much busier. I like this. It makes a meal feel more like an event. The ambiance, while not upscale, at Race Course Road did not feel as much like a food court. Overall, I would also give a slight nod to my enjoyment of the food there. The samosas were completely different. The Serangoon outlet serves smaller ones. I prefer the larger style offered at the Race Course shop.
The ambiance is pretty basic. There are some art accents on the walls. There was a muted television. The tables and chairs are very basic and functional. They are also packed in. If you are a smaller group, you can expect that you will be sitting very close to another group. This is not a place for a romantic date or arranging illicit business deals. While we were there, they were taking full advantage of all that packed in seating. The restaurant was hopping.
The service is based on efficiency. They have a lot of staff on hand. I think the goal is to get your order, bring your food, and get you out the door as quickly as possible. Don’t get me wrong, the staff is not rude. But there are no pleasantries. We were quickly seated. Our order was taken soon after. Right after that, the rice and some condiments were placed on our banana leafs. Before we could say, «bring us some great Indian food» the remainder of our meal starting flowing onto our «almost too small to hold it all» table.
A note: There is always a lot made of eating with your hands at Banana Leaf Apolo. I did not see anyone eating with their hands at either shop. I’ve actually seen this a lot more at some other Indian restaurants I’ve visited. At both outlets, we were provided with forks and spoons.
The food ranged from good to very good. One note, none of the food was very hot. It was all kind of warm. This did slightly detract from my enjoyment of some of the dishes.
Dinner Collage:
Vegetable Samosa — This was a good samosa. It ticked off the basic boxes. It was crisp on the outside. It was tender and flavourful on the inside. However, as samosas go, it did not really stand out.
Gobi 65 — This is a cauliflower starter. It is fried cauliflower with a ginger and chilli sauce. I expected it to have more spicy zip. The cauliflower was almost perfectly cooked and their was a nice balance of flavours. This dish would also have been better if it had been hotter. When it was brought to the table, it was luke warm. I still enjoyed it though.
Chilli Fish — First, the fish was perfectly cooked. It was tender and flaky. The flavour of the fish was very delicate. This is another dish that I expected to have more kick to it. After all, there is chilli right there in the name. But, it was actually a very mild dish. I enjoyed it. Out of all the dishes, this is the one that had that just prepared taste to it. I would not hesitate to order it again.
Aloo Gobi Mattar — Aloo Gobi has truly became one of my mainstays of an Indian meal. This has only really developed in the last year. This was a nice rendition of the dish. The cauliflower and potatoes were cooked well. They each still had a nice «bite» to them. The sauce was flavourful. The portion was generous. This is another dish though that would have benefited from being served a little hotter.
Butter Chicken — This was a pretty standard butter chicken. It was creamy. The chicken was tender. It was rich and yes, buttery.
Receipt (Dinner for 2): $ 68.48
Overall — This was a enjoyable Indian dining experience. The ambiance and service are both based on function and efficiency. The restaurant has a nice buzz because it is full of people enjoying their tasty Indian food. The food had some inconsistencies but overall was well prepared and flavourful. They could improve by serving their food at a slightly higher temperature. I also wouldn’t mind a little more spicy zip, where applicable. As with the other Banana Leaf, I am doing a little rounding up to get to the fourth star.

Little India, neben Chinatown eine weitere Stadt in der Stadt.
Quirlig, nicht ganz so auffallend sauber wie Singapur City, mit vielen Läden, Hindutempeln, Restaurants und Indern halt
Eines der krassesten Einkaufszentren, das Mustafa Center erstreckt sich über 6 Stockwerke und Du kannst dort wirklich ALLES kaufen und dazu noch Dinge die Du noch nie gesehen hast. Der Laden hat fast 1300 Angestellte und alle Tüten, die Du mit hinein nimmst oder nach dem Kauf mit nimmst werden mit einem Kabelbinder verschlossen. Effektiver Diebstahlschutz auf indisch.
Der Lunchhunger trieb uns ins Banana Leaf, ein very busy Restaurant mit indischer Küche, die Du in Europa nicht findest. Es gibt im Übrigen eine Unzahl von sehr kleinen Restaurants, wo selbstverständlich mit der Hand gegessen wird. Da unsere Darmflora aber noch auf Neuseelandniveau war, liessen wir diese Erfahrung saussen.
(Siehe Foto unten)
Das Essen wird auf einem Bananenblatt serviert und teilweise mit dem Topf an den Tisch gebracht und mit dem grossen Löffel auf das umweltfreundliche Blattwerk geschöpft. Auch die Sossen kommen aus dem grossen Topf in die kleine Schüssel am Tisch.
(Siehe Foto unten)
Unser Essen war sehr lecker und preiswert. Ein fettes Tigerbier, das hier aus der 660 ml Flasche kommt rundete die Mahlzeit ab.
Preiswerter kann man keinen Stopover in Indien machen, wenn man in Singapur ist