Phoenix Indian Restaurant

My family has always been fond of Indian food. I think our liking for Indian food increased when LPP and GT started to buy nasi briyani and its accompanying dishes back home from this relatively famous no-frills Indian Restaurant near Bukit Panjang called Karu's.

A couple of months ago, LPP found out from the people at Karu's that they have expanded and opened a new air-conditioned restaurant at Phoenix Park called Phoenix Indian Restaurant. Being supportive patrons, my parents decided to take us there to pay a visit to their new premise as well as to sample some good Indian food.

Phoenix Indian Restaurant is located at a corner of a row of shop houses in Phoenix Park, which is near Chua Chu Kang. If I'm not wrong, there is a LRT station near to this restaurant so people who don't drive can also make their way to this restaurant.

Apparently, the owners of Karu's and Phoenix Indian Restaurant are quite proud of the interior decoration at their new place. The walls of the Phoenix Indian Restaurant are white with a tinge of blue and there are Indian drawings/ sculptures plastered on the wall. On the whole, I think these interior decorations give the restaurant a more authentic feel and they gave us something to look at while waiting for our dishes to arrive.

Since I've a soft spot for nice table settings, I couldn't help but take a photo of their simple but pleasant looking cutlery set. I love the blue serviette! (:

We had three glasses of their famous lime juice ($2, on left), a glass of orange juice ($3, on right), a glass of mango juice ($2.50, not featured) and soft drinks. Their lime juice is thick and full of flavour. I highly recommend this if you want a change from the usual drinks.

While waiting, we were served complimentary crackers with green paste. The crackers are always a favourite amongst my family members because it is light, non-greasy, slightly salty and very addictive! You can dip your cracker into this green paste, which I think is made of some kind of vegetable/ spice, and you'll have yourself a lovely appetizer!

I can safely say that all the dishes ordered that day were hits and there really wasn't anything unsatisfactory about our entire meal. If you're clueless as to what to order at an Indian Restaurant, perhaps you would like to refer to the information below for some guidance.

Tandoori Chicken ($10). To my knowledge, most chicken lovers who do not take to spicy food like tandoor chicken! The chicken meat is soft and fragrant and it just makes you want to have more of it!

Fish Tikka ($10). This is probably the fish version of tandoori chicken. I really like fish tikka because I think the seasoning complements the tender fish meat very well. I like adding some of the green paste to my fish slices to give them an extra zing!

Garlic Naan ($2.50 per serving, there are two servings in this basket). This was absolutely delightful. So far, we've been to this restaurant a couple of times and this dish always gets annihilated very quickly! It's definitely a must-try!

Briyani rice ($2.50). I think it is necessary to have some rice to go with the rest of the dishes. Otherwise the flavours from the different dishes may prove to be a tad too overpowering.

Mixed vegetables kurma ($6.50). In this bowl lies chopped up long beans, peas, some cauliflower, bits of carrot and some other bits of vegetables swimming in curry broth. The curry isn't very spicy so it makes a good dip for garlic naan, especially for those who cannot take spicy food.

GT wanted to try something mushroomy so we ordered mushruoom mutter masa ($6), which is essentially sliced button mushroom in curry broth. This curry tastes different from the vegetable kurma but I can't exactly pinpoint the difference. I guess you just have to try it to know which you prefer!

This bowl of fish head curry ($22) contains possibly the yummiest dip for naan! The sour and spicy gravy will wake your tastebuds and give them a much desired curry bath. The fish meat is fresh and well-cooked. There's really nothing to dislike about this dish unless you detest fish and your tolerance for spicy stuff is very low. Since the portion is quite big (even though this is the smallest portion they serve), it is wise to order this only when you're in a group or when you are extremely ravenous.

Finally, a bananaboatbowl of mango kulfi ($6), which tasted like extremely rich mango icecream. The sweetness of this dish was a stark contrast to all the savoury and spicy food that came before it and was a great way to end the meal (:

I am pretty sure that my family will be back for more Indian food in the near future. LPP already said that we'll be there in two weeks time to celebrate Nette's homecoming! (: Do drop by Phoenix Indian Restaurant if you would like to have affordable Indian food at reasonable prices! (: