I've been back in the gym lately and I'm so glad I've been able to join the spinning classes again. I remember 3 years ago when I lost 54 lbs (yes you read it right, 24.5 kg), it was mainly because I did so much cardio. Sometimes, I would join 2 consecutive spinning classes then I'll do tae-bo or kickboxing, then I'll do an hour of weights. However, when I stopped going to the gym and slipped back on eating fatty food, what do you expect right, I gained sooo much weight again. Anyway, no use in crying over spilt milk. From now on, I just try my best to eat healthy (at least during weekdays) and try to get as much exercise too (I've also been climbing the stairs 11 storeys to our flat after work).
We decided to go to this place at the Little India Arcade called "The Banana Leaf Apolo". There were a lot of people so they must be serving real good food.
They actually had quite a lot on the menu and I was a bit confused on what to order as I'm also not that familiar with Indian food. Anyhow, I decided to have the "Apolo Chicken Briyani Set" (S$8) since Briyani is my all-time indian favorite food - it comes with Briyani rice, 2 kinds of vegetables, pappadum, chicken gravy and chicken masala.
I love the idea of eating on a banana leaf since it adds that casual and picnic-like way of eating and I'm sure they save tons on dishes and dishwashing - which is good both for their business and the environment.
They gave me sooo much rice it was probably good for at least 2-3 people. Of course I didn't finish it, else my workout would have been put to waste. Zach finished it, hehe. Despite the overwhelming look of this meal, I wasn't as overwhelmed with the taste. It was a bit too spicy and the chicken was quite tough and not so meaty. The "Chicken Briyani Set" down my street is only S$5 and their chicken is huge.
I also had their "Teh Tarik" (S$ 2), it was quite different from the malay version of teh tarik as this one had regular milk instead of condensed milk, therefore you need to add the sugar yourself.
Zach had the "Rava Masala Dosai" (S$2.70) - indian crepe with 3 kinds of dip, his all-time favorite. It was ok and quite interesting, the crepe had sunny-side up egg inside.
All in all, we had to pay around S$17.30 (including tax) for the 2 dishes and 2 cups of tea. Quite expensive for indian food but probably because it was in a restaurant setting. I do like indian food but I think I need some time to get used to it especially when it's too spicy.
Outside the resto, we grabbed some indian snacks from this stall. They looked really interesting, some even looked like bars of gold or silver as they were "silver or gold-plated". Problem is I find it too sweet, it tasted like a block of sugar :-P.Here is my rating-
Ambiance - 3.5
Service - 3.5
Food - 2.5
Presentation - 3.0
Value for Money- 2.5
OVERALL - 3.0
Address: #01-32, 48 Serangoon Road
Little India Arcade, Singapore 217959
Reservations 62971595
Opening Hours 7.00am to 10.30pm - Daily
"Live, Love & Eat!"
Read more on "The Banana Leaf Apolo, Little India Arcade"!
Raj is an all-vegetarian restaurant but surprisingly they had so much items on the menu. It was quite pricey actually and since it was only lunch on a work-week, I normally wouldn't want to spend more than $5 (yeah call me a cheapskate, hehe). 
Naveen and I both chose the "South Indian Thali Set Meal" ($6.50) - consists of rice, sambar, rasam, 3 vegetables, 2 chappatis, papad, fried chili, special chutney, butter milk, daal and dessert of the day.
Ok, I did say I wasn't going to eat buffet anymore for my b'day dinner but Zach said I should really try out Straits Kitchen at the Hyatt Hotel near Orchard. We actually first went to Chimes to look for a nice decent restaurant to eat at but realized for the price of a la carte in a place like Chimes, then might as well go to Straits (hehe reasons reasons..). 
The Indian Buffet Station
The Malay Buffet Station
The Fruit & Drink Station
Then I went for the Indian buffet spread. Indian food is usually loaded with spices and flavour. I love the chicken and the shrimp, though the shrimp was a bit overcooked as it was tough.
I was so happy to find out they have Durian Ice Cream! Eversince I tasted the Durian mooncake, I have learned to appreciate the taste & infamous smell of this pungent fruit.
Lastly, some fruits to wash away the guilt, haha who am I kidding. The dessert in the bowl is "Chendol", something like "Halo-halo" in the Philippines.
I just had to take a picture of their chopsticks. Very nice wooden authentic chopsticks.
So I was a happy fat bloke on my birthday, hehehe. The interior of Straits Kitchen is really impressive. The detail and intricate design of the walls were visually captivating (too bad I wasn't able to take a picture). The staff were also very efficient and friendly, they always make sure you have drinking water (unlike some restos that wouldn't bother to refill your water unless you order a paid drink). They also cleared the plates as soon as you stood up from your table and they even picked up my table napkin when I dropped it on the floor while seated. The only thing I don't like was after clearing your plate, they leave your utensils on the table, it would have been better if they put them on a saucer.
Zach introduced me to this fruit called "Snake Fruit" from Indonesia. I have never seen such a fruit and it was really interesting. The skin really felt like snake skin, I was wondering if someone ever thought of making them into shoes or bags haha.
This is how it looks like in the inside. Too bad I didn't quite like it, too bland and tough for a fruit for me.