[ Food Review – When better to have Indian cuisine than during CNY? ] Since yours truly isn’t celebrating the festive season this year, we got to be a little more flexible with our food choices. As much as I adore Chinese food, having a whopping 6 reservations at Asia Grand before the holidays was taking a bit of a toll.
Since we wanted something fairly casual but didn’t want to contend with the heat, we ended up at Karu’s Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant. (If they sound familiar, they used to be one of my fam’s staple to-go places, and I’ve covered them multiple times prior!)
Managing to get into the queue before peak dinner hour, our wait time was only around ten mins. Which was a relief because as soon as we were seated, the queue grew to a half-hour wait, meaning that already sparse parking was just non-existent, yikes.
Dining at Karu’s means that regardless of your order, you will be served with free flow rice, papadam (dangerous, I know), curry sauce (chicken/fish), and two veg (this round’s was cabbage and pumpkin). So even if you’re fine with a small protein, you can still easily eat your fill with their “complimentary” options!
The one dish my fam always needs to get here is their Curry Fish Head ($28/$38/$41). A long-time signature, their fish head curry takes inspiration from the dish’s origins – here’s a fun fact: it’s a dish invented in SG, brought over by a Keralan! – and thus retains a thinner, tangier sauce. The fish is always fresh, and they actually serve you both sides of the head! (I never knew some places only serve half?!)
Typically, a small would be fine for two, but if you’ve ravenous dining companions, skip the medium and go for the large. You’re welcome!
To supplement our main, we ordered a serving of Chicken 65 ($7/$12/$14), and finally decided to try their Prawn Masala ($8.50/pc)!
Not a fan of C65 in general, but I appreciated how theirs wasn’t lathered in thick batter, and had a nice mix of spices to alleviate and elevate the fry. The tiger prawns were pretty good too – for their size alone, I’d give them the green light despite the prawns not being the freshest; but add on the hearty, rich masala, the dish really shines!
