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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
The 4 large fist shaped pieces of boneless chicken are juicy and tender with a medium chew to texture.
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Light on spices but with more yoghurt in the marinade, the chicken holds meaty sweet savoury spice flavours. A drizzle of lime juice lends zesty tangy sour notes for contrast.
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Actually more filling than it looks.
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Chicken Tikka
The Banana Leaf Apolo
@ 56 Race Course Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/07/best-of-singapore-hawkers-chicken-tikka.html
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