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Introduction
Annalakshmi is the culinary arts section of Temple of Fine Arts (TFA), an artistic and cultural organization dedicated to serving the society through arts, music and dance. They offer a buffet spread for both lunch and dinner and aim to make vegetarian dining a cultural experience for everyone.
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Opening Hours
Mon - Sun
11:00 - 15:00
Above information is for reference only. Please check details with the restaurant.
Signature Dishes
Eat all you want, pay as much as you wish! Does this sounds too good to be true? It is right here, at Annalakshmi! This is their buffet range, neither too much nor too little, just enough to fill your stomach to the brim.After we were seated, we were asked by the polite service staff for the choice of our drink. There was no menu, no price list. We were a little bit disappointed that mango lassi was not available, but this blueberry lassi pretty much made up for it.The buffet line started with tomato rasam soup. The light texture, slightly sour soup easily stimulated our appetite.Next in line was nuts pilav. The basmati rice was cooked in well seasoned broth, enhanced with spices and nuts.A friend once told me that yoghurt was commonly used in Indian cuisine as it has cooling properties, which balance out the heatiness from curries. This yoghurt has a consistency similar to yoghurt drink, it was not very sweet but more on the sour side. Lemon pickle has an intense sour and bitter taste, a little bit is enough to flavor your dish. Once I put a spoonful in my mouth and I learnt it the hard way.Avial, originated from Kerala, is a mixture of vegetables, curd and coconut. The texture was rather thick without much gravy. Curry leave rice was fragrant, with a tad of spiciness from dried chilli. Kheema was traditionally made with meat, but this vegetable version does not lose up to the meat version at all! Right beside kheema was alu jeera, where the potato chunks were tossed with cumin seeds, turmeric and other spices.When I first saw the word 'drumstick' on the tag, the first thought came into my mind was 'chicken drumstick'. However, this is an vegetarian restaurant, hence no meat served here. I later found out that drumstick is a kind of long shaped vegetable which possesses medicinal value.Furthering down the buffet line, there were mee goreng, medu vadai, coconut chutney, fresh watermelon and parrupu pradhaman. Personally, I love the mee goreng, it was spicy and flavorful. Wished I had a bigger stomach to fill them all in. The medu vadai was crispy on the outside while remain soft inside. An addictive snack indeed. I didn't really had much of the fruits and dessert as I was already full from the main course. Overall, the food here were tasty and the environment was cosy. It was spacious so that we could easily move around, which is an important factor for having a comfortable buffet. We were there without any reservation, and we were advised to do so in the future. For a full review and all the photos taken on the buffet range, please visit http://gingybite.blogspot.sg/2014/01/annalakshmi.html
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This place is something different. when i have been here for the first time i was shocked to look at the menu. None of the items there had price details. You can pay what ever amount you feel like to pay for the dishes you have ordered for. But since you know what would be the rough price estimate for the dish so you can pay it.The food tastes very good you can find only vegeterian items there. I just loved the kulfi which i had over there.
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This weekend go Indian for it is Deepavali. We recommend Annalakshmi, a South Indian restaurant in Chinatown. The social enterprise of a restaurant will definitely be value for money as diners can eat as much as they want and then, pay as much as they wish.THE FOOD:The cooks at Annalakshmi are volunteers, mostly housewives with cooking skills honed to perfection with day-to-day practice, who serve homely South Indian food like naan breads, masala dosai (fried rice pancake stuffed with spiced potatoes), bhatura (deep-fried puffed up bread with chickpeas or lentils), and several curries to choose from. As food is served buffet-style here, you get to take more of whatever you like.Popular dishes are its palek paneer (cottage cheese with spinach), dhal (dried beans and lentils) and kulfi (Indian version of frozen milk pudding). The mango-flavoured Kulfi, a popular frozen milk dessert somewhat similar to ice-cream in texture and taste, is a favourite here but is not often available. Still, do try asking - you might be lucky.THE MOOD:South Indian restaurant cum social enterprise Annalakshmi functions on an interesting philosophy of "Athithi Dhevo Bhava" which means “the guest is God”. Like the cooks, service staff are also volunteers who serve as an act of giving and loving. Freshgrads spoke to a few of them and was surprised to find volunteers from all sorts of professions from doctors to clerks. But polite and friendly as they are, the service at Annalakshmi has still a long way to go if the volunteers were to fulfill their aims of making their customers feel treated like a "God".Besides a devoted staff, the restaurant is elaborately furnished with statues and artworks reflective of the South Indian origins its founder and cuisine it serves. And for the whole cultural experience, people usually pay about S$10 per person.The restaurant also provides packed lunch ($5) and catering services.Images are available here: http://www.freshgrads.sg/index.php/articles/lifestyle/food/550-annalakshmi-.html
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