The Banana Leaf Apolo, Little India Arcade

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).

So anyywwaayyy, after the gym last Friday, we decided to go to Little India since Deepavali is just around the corner. From Cali Fitness in Bugis, we walked all the way to Little India to scout for a nice place to eat at.

Little India is very festive during this season. The lighting and decor is a sight to behold. It reminds me of the "fiestas" in the provinces in Manila. I especially love the night market and the hole-in-the-wall cafes and shops that we saw while walking around. I really felt like a tourist again as it was my first time in Little India.

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!"