THE Tandoor at Holiday Inn Park View is quite a culinary gem.
It serves North Indian cuisine and has been a force in the Indian food scene here since 1985.
Younger prettier restaurants have emerged and stolen the thunder from it, but that may change soon.
Tandoor has undergone the equivalent of a botox shot - there are new colours on the cushions, walls and table cloths.
But one thing remains - the good food at affordable prices.
From now till the end of January, you'll pay even less.
On weekdays, the restaurant usually offers a set lunch at $25; for the promotional period, you'll get it at half price.
Choose either the vegetarian or non-vegetarian set, which comes with a soup, a main course, dessert and tea or coffee.
The meal starts with a spinach and corn soup. This light soup has a kick, thanks to the chopped ginger.
The vegetarian meal platter is made of paneer ka soola (cottage cheese marinated in spices), shabnam ke moti (mushrooms stuffed with cheese, ginger, green chilli and coriander) and makai seekh (poached corn blended with ground spices, cashew nut and cheddar cheese).
I preferred the non-vegetarian platter of mahj rai (grilled sole fillet cubes), malmali seekh kebab (minced mutton smoked in spices) and bhatti murgh (tandoori chicken).
The fish was delicious, as was the chicken.
The dessert is gulab jamun (deep-fried milk balls) with ice-cream, for those with a serious sweet tooth. The lunch is filling but light enough so that you are not drowsy post-meal.
For the price you pay, and at a restaurant with such a sterling reputation (even though the service needs improvement), it's well worth it.
For reservations, call 6730-0153.
Tandoor North Indian Restaurant 11 Cavenagh Road
#B1 Holiday Inn Park View
Tel: 6730-0153
