Not to sound mildly racist or to box cuisines into categories, but you’d usually assume that dishes like nasi briyani and tandoori chicken are sold by an Indian—am I right? Swing by de’ tandoor at Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre, and you may rethink that when you spot 58-year-old Danny selling a variety of Indian food.
The ex-property agent decided to venture into the F&B world, as he felt he was hardly spending any time with his family, especially his kids. “It’s a highly stressful career, and we’re especially busy on weekends,” Danny shared. He now goes to the stall at 8am daily to start prepping his misc en place for the day and finishes within 4 hours.
Just like how otakus are obsessed with their manga, you could consider Danny to be a different kind of ‘otaku‘ — one who’s deeply invested in Indian history books. It all started about 10 years ago when he got to know a Malay makcik who sold the food he’s currently serving in a canteen stall at Tanjong Katong Girls’ School. She offered to teach him the ropes, and even headed to his house kitchen to provide personal lessons.
Danny added, “She’s already 70 plus and doesn’t really have the means to withstand long hours, if not, she wanted to be my stall assistant!”
Fun fact, I actually reached out to him 2 years who when he had just opened his stall. At that point of time, he didn’t feel that he was ready for any kind of exposure. Fast forward 2 years later, Danny has tweaked his recipes slightly, adjusting the spice mix to make it mellower and less intense to satisfy a wider audience.
It wasn’t an easy path for him. He followed whatever methods and tricks that the makcik taught him, but whatever he cooked turned out to be entirely different. He had to rely entirely on himself, improving through endless practice and hard work.
What to order at de’ tandoor
I kickstarted my lunch with the Masala Mutton Rendang + Briyani (S$6.50). The briyani was simply served with a substantial amount of cucumber pieces. A small bowl with the mutton cubes drenched in masala gravy was served on the side.
Whenever I have briyani, it tends to be slightly oily and can sometimes feel a little cloying halfway through the meal. Though Danny’s version wasn’t oily, it came across as slightly underwhelming, in my opinion. While the basmati rice grains were nicely separated, I felt that a little more moisture would have softened them and improved the overall experience — it was a touch too al dente for my liking. Taste-wise, a more generous use of spices would’ve given it greater oomph.
The rice looked plain at first glance, but in fact, there were pieces of golden raisins subtly camouflaged among the yellow grains of basmati.
The mutton, however, was such a treat. With the exception of a couple of bigger pieces that were tougher than what I would’ve liked, the other morsels were tender and delicious, perfumed with aromatic masala spices. The meat was also barely gamey, if at all.
Danny gave me a mini lecture about the history of mee siam. He said, “Many people assume that mee siam was created by the Malays, but do you know that this dish actually originated from India?” I didn’t know that, for real.
At just S$3.50, the substantial portion of the Mee Siam made it feel value-for-money. The strands of bee hoon were topped generously with tau pok cubes, a boiled egg, chilli, then garnished with calamansi and spring onions.
The mee siam had a unique character of its own — savoury with a mild hint of tau cheo (fermented soybean) coming through. You could say it tasted like a combination of a Chinese- and Malay- style infused together. The strands of bee hoon were well-cooked and managed to soak up copious amounts of the gravy. Squeezing the calamansi took it up a notch, giving it a zesty punch.
Now, for the dish that could be better — the Tandoori Chicken + Briyani (S$7.50). The reddish-orange tandoori chicken thigh boasted a beautifully charred surface. I was glad it wasn’t marred by excessive burnt bits — a flaw some establishments are guilty of.
Before I tucked into the meat, I gave it a drizzle of calamansi to ‘wake’ up the chicken. Using the fork and spoon, I asked my dining partner to help pry the meat apart, but seeing her struggle, I already knew what was up.
As expected, the meat was dry and overcooked. Thankfully, the flavour of the skin and meat was quite good and legit. I gave my feedback to Danny and unfortunately, he had failed to lift up the cover when the chicken was ready, causing it to continue cooking for an extra 5 minutes. Hopefully, your experience will be better if you do decide to order it.
The dish also came with a small bowl of curry with a whole boiled egg. Danny managed to find the ideal ratio of various aromatics, making the curry palatable and perfectly spiced. The gravy tasted great poured over the briyani.
Who de’ tandoor is best for
This place is great for those who prefer a more subtle variation of briyani and curry. If you love mutton, I highly recommend the Masala Mutton Rendang + Briyani and Mee Siam.
How to get there?
Geylang Bahru MRT Station (DT24) is located about a 5-minute walk away from Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre. On the other hand, there are a few bus services that take you to the following bus stops: Blk 68 and Blk 73/Geylang Bahru Stn.
Do we recommend de’ tandoor?
Though there were some hits and misses, I would still recommend de tandoor if you love Indian cuisine in general. Hopefully, Danny takes in my feedback so that you’ll have an even better experience than I did. Do share with me your comments if you do visit.
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The post de’ tandoor: Chinese ex-property agent turned hawker now serves masala rendang mutton & Indian mee siam appeared first on SETHLUI.com.