The Place It has been in Singapore for more than a decade but it was only recently that I managed to visit the reopened Yantra restaurant in Tanglin Mall. The Indian restaurant closed for a massive renovation for months, before it reopened this month. The interior design is meant to take you on a journey through India where there are five distinct designed spaces, with dining rooms inspired from parts of India like Rajasthan. There is a stylish bar, botanical theme dining room and a walkway gallery with artwork like photography. 

The Food The revamped menu with the new space is an exclusively curated menu by Indian culinary historian, Pritha Sen, and executed by Executive Chef Pinaki Roy. It is quite extensive with options across vegetarian and non-vegetarian small and large plates. 

My meal started with the Chaat Banarasi (S$18) which looks a big pillow on a cloud. The ‘cloud’ is in fact Aerated yoghurt, along with potato and chana chaat and homemade crisps garnished with pomegranate seeds, fresh coriander, and crunchy sev. The overall flavour of the dish is refreshing yet slightly spicy. 

Another starter I had was the Royalla Vepudu  (S$24) which showcases Andhra-style spiced prawns cooked in traditional clay earthenware and served on crispy appams with a tomato chutney sauce by the side. 

One of my favourite starters here is the Mappillai Tharavu Fry (S$24). This is the Moplah spicy duck generously coated in a thick blend of curried spices, served with rice flour shoru chakli (soft, crêpe-thin pancakes), and a fresh fruit salsa. The way to eat it is to open the shoru chakli and spread the duck meat and salsa on the pancake, roll it and enjoy. It reminds me a little of an Indian version of Peking Duck? The duck meat is very flavourful. 

Served in bamboo, the Kong Shop Chicken (S$24) is a bamboo-skewered chicken in black sesame paste cooked over binchotan. I was expecting more flavour from this chicken dish but it turns out to be quite singular in taste. 

For something easy to share as a light bite, try the Taka Luchi Alu Dum (S$16) which is curried baby potatoes wrapped in miniature flaky, puffed flatbread. 

For a soup course, the Ema Datshi (S$18) is quite interesting. This is a classic Bhutanese and Tibetan chilli-cheese soup made with seasonal produce, and is served with Tibetan steamed bread by the side. It is not that spicy, and taste like a rich cheesy soup which is surprisingly moreish to have. There are also slices of carrot and onion in the soup. 

You also can’t miss out on the Purani Dilli Murg Makhani (S$30), Old Delhi butter chicken where the boneless tandoori chicken is served with tomato gravy. The chicken is quite tender and that gravy is delicious. Mop it with some Naan (S$3) and that makes a great combination. 

For rice, there is the Hyderabadi Chicken dum Biryani (S$36), a classic chicken biryani from Hyderabad, cooked in purdah with flavours of mint, coriander and saffron. The portion is quite huge and is good to share for even 4-5 people.  

Rants It gets very cold in the dining room and I regretted being in a short sleeve shirt and berms. Be warned.

Will I Return Again? If you love Indian cuisine, Yantra is a worthy option to consider where the reasonably priced dishes are generally well-executed. The contemporary and revamped interior is also another reason to check it out. 

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Yantra 
163 Tanglin Road 
#01-129/130/131 
Singapore 247933 
Tel: +65 6836 3088 

Opening Hours 
Tuesday to Sunday: 12pm to 3pm; 6:30pm to 11pm 
Closed on Monday 

Ranted by The Ranter