Vintage India

Samarkand prawns

I think my life is kinda delicious. No, make that scrumptious, or better yet - fingerlickin' good!

My job revolves around food, my interests are culinary and ever so appetising, and sometimes, I dream about food! Even in ministry, I'm all about food, especially with our cafe Eden.

And of course, this blog makes sure I never forget what I've eaten and the recipes I've tried.

Then there are times where I get to taste new things at new places.

Perhaps I should add another 2 words to my blog name: she bakes and cooks and she eats ALOT. haha.

So you know that I eat and I enjoy my food and will always be here to introduce to you only the yummiest things. Today I have some place new to talk about.

Vintage India at Dempsey Hill. They invited me for lunch recently and I have to say that the challenge was more to do with getting there. It's just too bad I don't drive. So I had to take a cab up.

Most of you might have been to Dempsey at least one or have heard about the enclave. The restaurants lean more towards fine dining and are perfect for dates. Vintage India is no different. The ambience is impeccable and it's not difficult to feel like royalty when you're dining there. You'll know what I mean when you see the interior shots I took. But first, let's talk about the food shall we?

I tried two starters that were cooked in the tandoor, the Samarkand prawns and the Adraki Panje.

The prawns were really big. Why, that's because they used jumbo prawns and stuffed it with minced crab meat and nuts. Very satisfying I'd say. The stuffing went well with the crustacean. Something different for once, but a bit surprising too. I never thought prawns could taste as good this way.

Ah then there's the lamb chops which I love:


Adraki Panje

The highlight was the spices. The oh-so-tender chops were marinated in indian spices and herbs, which added to the smoky and delectable flavour. This is a clear favourite.

Vegetarians do not fret because Vintage India has their non-meat specials which taste just as good. And I do mean that - even I was equally surprised. Their Malai Broccoli was lovely. I've never ever eaten broccoli this way. The chef had marinated the florets in fresh cream, and white pepper and roasted it in the tandoor. You'd expect a dried-out broccoli but no, that didn't happen, instead, we were presented with a tender, warm yet slightly juicy broccoli which had the right amount of spice. Now if only I had a tandoor at home too!


Murg Makhani

With such delish starters, I knew the main courses were definitely going to be good and I'm glad I was right. There were two gravy dishes - the Murg Makhani and Fish Malabar curry. Murg Makhani's actually butter chicken. Prepared with a butter based gravy, the Murg Makhani was a sure winner. Buttery is good and goes well with me. Butter always adds a tasty edge to any dish. Loved the gravy and was glad I had garlic naan to mop it up.

The Fish malabar curry is prepared with coconut milk and spiced with a variety of spices. The fish was really fresh and did not have that fishy taste which I so dislike. I'm not sure if I'm just easy to please or if the food was really good. Perhaps I'll just stick to the latter because I have eaten some very bad fish curry and hated it. I am just happy to report that Vintage India sure knows how to cook a good fish curry.


Fish malabar curry

Our table also had some pappadums:





And you can never really go wrong with garlic naan. Garlic is one of my favourite aromatics and this naan was super.

For dessert, there was Malai Kesar Pista Kulfi (saffron flavoured Indian ice cream made with pistachios and milk) and Ras Malai (cottage cheese dumplings dipped in milk and garnished with dry fruits.


Ras Malai


Malai Kesar Pista Kulfi

The Ras Malai had an interesting texture. It tasted like sweet sponge and was quite light. The kulfi was good too - I could taste the saffron and other spices.

And as promised, here's how the interior looks like:






Fit for a Raja don't you think?

Vintage India is a great place to dine at especially if you're looking for good Indian food with a grand ambience. It also helps to know that their chefs are all from India and each one specialises in certain dishes to ensure quality.

Dempsey hill sure is a classy food paradise and Vintage India just upped the hill's cool factor with its exotic appeal.

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Vintage India
10 Dempsey Road
#01-21 Dempsey Hill
Phone: 6471 3100
Lunch: 12pm - 230pm
Dinner: 6pm - 1130pm