The Banana Leaf Apolo (Farrer Park)

This long-serving brand was established in October 1974 by Chellappan Sankaranathan, who named the casual restaurant after the Apollo 11 moon landing, with the hope that the restaurant would 'take-off' like a rocket.
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Their plain version is amongst the best around, with smoky bready sweet savoury flavour and crisp chewy fluffy texture, with decent char-brown colour from high heat in the tandoor oven. By contrast, their garlic version is amongst the more straightforward around, with smoky bready savoury spice flavour and crisp chewy fluffy texture.
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Naan
The Banana Leaf Apolo
@ 56 Race Course Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2026/01/best-of-singapore-hawkers-naan.html

This long-serving brand was established in October 1974 by Chellappan Sankaranathan, who named the casual restaurant after the Apollo 11 moon landing, with the hope that the restaurant would 'take-off' like a rocket.
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They've given their rendition a South Indian flair, slow-cooking the deboned mutton chunks in a karahi wok, with a hot blend of mustard oil and spices, including cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and Kashmiri red chili. Enhanced with red onions, tomatoes, whisked plain yoghurt, and fresh coriander.
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The result is a thick creamy oily yet mild curry gravy, carrying yummy meaty savoury vegetal tangy sour sweet earthy spice flavour. The meat is tender chewy and comes apart beautifully.
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Mutton Rogan Josh
The Banana Leaf Apolo
@ 54 Race Course Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2025/11/best-of-singapore-hawkers-mutton-rogan-josh.html

They've toned down the spicy notes on this over the years, so their current rendition has more of a natural taste and less fiery heat.
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The large boneless chunks of monkfish fillets are flaky soft juicy in texture, with a mild yoghurt and spice marinade. Has lovely smoky meaty sweet savoury salty spice flavour.
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Served with fresh salad on the side.
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Fish Tikka
The Banana Leaf Apolo
@ 56 Race Course Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/03/best-of-singapore-hawkers-fish-tikka.html

this meal set us back around $120

free refill of the papadum.

butter chicken was good!!! we paired it with garlic naan and butter naan. i prefer the latter tho

fish curry was good, sizable chunks of the flesh doused in curry!! went well with the biryani rice

Among the most luxurious with a generous serving size, their rendition of dhal tadka is yummy.
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The texture is creamy smooth with grainy chunks bits, enhanced with dried red chili, fresh coriander, and chili oil.
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Has a bright earthy savoury salty sweet spice flavour, with a slight lingering heat that entices.
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Dhal
The Banana Leaf Apolo
@ 56 Race Course Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/09/best-of-singapore-hawkers-dhal.html

Their version has seen the base recipe change and improve over the years. This means the dish I had here recently is different from the version I had 10+ years ago in my original list.
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It now has a thicker, more chunky texture to the curry gravy, and the use of a greater range of spices lends well to its savoury sweet salty spice flavour.
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The boneless chicken chunks are marinated in yoghurt and tandoor roasted, then immersed and finished in the curry gravy.
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This gives the chicken a tender chewy texture, with smoky meaty savoury sweet salty spice flavour, yum.
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Pairs well with rice or bread, but it feels more shiok with rice.
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Chicken Tikka Masala
The Banana Leaf Apolo
@ 56 Race Course Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/08/best-of-singapore-hawkers-chicken-tikka-masala.html