[Review] Contemporary South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant Podi & Poriyal Undergoes Refresh with New A La Carte Menu

South Indian vegetarian restaurant, Podi & Poriyal (Podi), located at the edge of Little India, has launched an all-new a la carte menu as part of a refreshed contemporary direction. Since its opening in 2019, Podi has built a loyal following for its elevated vegetarian fare, adhering to time-honoured techniques. The refreshed menu seeks to introduce new renditions of fresh, flavoursome classics served alongside thoughtfully crafted beverages.

“Since we started, our vision was to showcase elevated home-style recipes from South India that are less well-known in Singapore,” shared Kavitha Chakravarti, co-founder of Podi. “These updated iterations of well-loved classics will offer a uniquely delicious experience for our guests.”

With the relaunch, the restaurant remains committed to showcasing South Indian cuisine, from its decor to its dishes and ingredient sourcing. Housed in a restored pre-war heritage building inspired by Chettinad mansions, Podi offers a dining experience enhanced by a subtle fragrance evocative of South India, vintage cooking tools, and pictures of the region.

The new menu continues to focus on consciously sourced, market-fresh vegetables, catering to allium-free, gluten-free, and vegan diets. It aims to redefine South Indian cuisine with dishes that are not typically served in Singapore, due to the labour-intensive processes and uncommon ingredients involved.

“Quality and freshness are integral to our cooking,” Kavitha emphasised. “That’s why it’s extremely important to us that dishes are made from scratch daily, using fresh produce that we hand select from trusted local purveyors and artisanal producers across India.”

The a la carte menu features small and large plates, beginning with a selection of snacks. We were invited for a dinner tasting and. these were the items we sampled:

We were impressed by the high level of service and the meticulous attention to detail from the wait staff, taking effort to explain the heritage and concept behind each dish that was served to diners.

Food wise, the experience was equally on point. We have dined at several contemporary Indian fine dining restaurants across Singapore and Podi hits the sweet spot between an elevated dinner experience while keeping things casual and a little more wallet-friendly. While there are some adjustments to classic dishes, the culinary team at Podi were cognisant not to go overboard with their experiments.

We particularly enjoyed the two starters featuring Edamame and avocado, two ingredients not typically associated with Indian cuisine, but tastefully integrated into classic cooking methods to present something fresh.

The main, the double decker Parotta is an elevated take of the humble parotta or prata in Singapore. Wrapped and cooked in banana leaves and served, dripping with curry gravy, it’s as sinful as you can get. The presentation is awesome and we love the aroma that fills the air when the banana leaves are unwrapped.

Other than their wide range of food items available on the menu, Podi’s menu is further complemented by a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, using fresh ingredients for unique takes on classic drinks. We sampled the following:

“Food and drink come together at Podi for an experience that everybody can appreciate,” said Kavitha. “We look forward to sharing with our guests the different and unexpected flavours of South Indian cuisine.”

I was feeling a little under the weather that day during dinner and a hot cup of Podi’s Paati’s Remedy was a welcome relief to make me feel better and enjoy my dinner more. The Kokum Soda is another must-try. It comes recommended by a stranger who was dining at the table beside us when he saw that we couldn’t decide on which drink to try. Sweet and sour at the same time, it is a refreshing combat to the sweltering heatwaves in Singapore recently.

Overall, the experience was fantastic at Podi and we will be back for more. This is an excellent dining option if you need to cater for vegetarian diners, but would like to try something different from the usual.

Podi & Poriyal

Address
486 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218151

Parking Information

Street-side parking:
Along Serangoon Road and Beatty Road.

Carparks:
Perumal Temple parking
Public parking on Serangoon Road. (Carpark S0049, 590 Serangoon Road, S218204)

Contact Number & Email

+65 9711 2400
[email protected]

[Review] Indian fine-dining at Yantra in Tanglin Mall with an Exclusively Curated Menu by an Indian Culinary Historian