little india. what a colorful and underrated territory! how many singaporeans have actually spent time exploring this area? i was there one afternoon searching for a nice north indian restaurant to lunch at. previously i have had the opportunity to visit khansama tandoori restaurant. this time round i was game for a brand new experience.
out of the corner of my eye a poster got my attention. i followed its directions to a sidewalk at upper dickson road. that’s when i discovered a restaurant, named “lagnaa”. if not for the poster i never would have noticed it.
lagnaa was a north indian restaurant that offered bare foot dining. isn’t this a very unique dining concept in singapore? k7 (kaesavan), who’s the owner as well as the head chef, coaxed me to get my heels off and brought me up to the second level of the restaurant.
i was greeted by the low round tables on the floor with cushions around the sides. soothing atmospheric music played in the background as i made myself at home on a comfy cushion. i was beginning to love this place already!
Price: $4.50 + 10% Service Charge
Drink rating:
i was still missing the taste of masala tea from my previous experience at rangoli. i knew i simply must have it! “masala” means a mixture of many spices, so this is literally a spicy tea. you don’t really taste the spices as you’re drinking the tea, but the smell does infiltrate the nostrils a little. i love it! papad (indian crackers) was served while the main dishes were being prepared.
Price: $4 + 10% Service Charge
Dish rating:
i ordered cheese naan and on k7’s recommendation, i had the chicken masala to go along. for the masala dish i was asked for my preferred level of spiciness, 1 being the least spicy and 5 the most outrageous. erring on the safe side, i went for a 2. it was already pretty hot! my tongue wasn’t burning though, but anything higher than a 2 i would have been in trouble!
Chicken MasalaPrice: $8 + 10% Service Charge
Dish rating:
the chicken was, in a word, awesome! it looked good, and tasted even better! even if the masala tea wasn’t enough to buy me over, upon tasting the gravy i was completely sold! it had this vibrant and exciting flavor that was very addictive. i’m definitely having that again the next time i visit lagnaa.
Fish TikkaPrice: $10 + 10% Service Charge
Dish rating:
the fish tikka, unfortunately, didn’t fare too well. i found it too dry and stiff for my liking, and the taste was rather bland too. it was a pity that it didn’t taste as good as it looked. a rather forgettable dish overall, but it probably would appeal to those with milder palates.
besides the food, i am also a big fan of the whole bare foot dining concept. some people may feel uncomfortable about going bare footed at first, but the moment they get down on the floor to enjoy their food, they begin to relax.
this was a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable lunching experience. all credits go to k7 and the dedicated attention from one of his staff, kumari. oh, there’s the excellent food and masala tea of course. even before leaving the restaurant i was already looking forward to my next visit!
also in little india
May 23, 2006: Khansama Tandoori Restaurant - Packed with Spices
July 12, 2007: Ananda Bhavan Restaurant - Wholesome Thosai
July 23, 2007: Sri Vijaya Restaurant - Just Plain Yummy!
July 30, 2007: Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant - Chicken Masala Shiokness!
news updates
February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Winner of “Best Hidden Gem”
- Nominated for “Best Service”
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py (4)
goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.
hi, came across ur blog a few months when i was seaching for something else..ur travel n food posts certainly got me hooked! btw u could try essential brew at holland village since u’re so into bare foot dining. they got pretty similar concept, very cosy! luv some of ur jewellery as well =) View all comments by Mel
Thanks for the recommendation. I shall consider checking this out the next time that I go to Little India. View all comments by py
Hi Mel, thanks for the kind words! Many people have urged me to pay a visit to Essential Brew but I’m not so sure about that yet. I’m not exactly a tea person! View all comments by Veron
Hey py, I think you would love Lagnaa. They have a full moon party coming up next Monday. Chit chat session with dosai on the house! You may wanna pay a visit then. View all comments by Veron
LOL… My mouth was watering as I went thru this post. And I had just dined. It certainly looks yummy. Would definitely try it sometime.
About the barefoot thing, the Japanese restaurants were the pioneers, I’m sure. Indian restaurants usually don’t do this, but it is very much a tradition. View all comments by Beni
Dear Veron,
after reading your post on the place, I’m definitely gonna check it out. I just stumbled onto your blog by chance and I think it’s fabulous. A helleuva lot better than some others i’ve seen.
Keep it up. View all comments by Jevon Louis
hi beautiful blog you have! I think bare foot dining concept is unique! Will try this one day :) View all comments by pinkie
Veron: if you are not a tea person, then better don’t go Essential Brew.
I’m a coffee person. The last time I went there, I almost died on the spot.
Okie… just kidding. View all comments by DK
actually i fell in love with Essential Brew when i went there for the first time although i am definitely a coffee person. it was cosy and the food (mixed infusion, i think) is not bad. trying out the different varieties of tea they have to offer was a pretty refreshing injection to my usual cappucino. you could give it a try! :) oh ya, and like what they all said, your travel and food reviews was what got me here in the first place. keep it up! :) View all comments by wei ting
Okay! I will check it out! Thanks! View all comments by Veron
I don’t think I suit dining in that kind of place: when my feet is bare, I will tend to rub my feet on something (the bed, cushions, or something).
Disgusting habit to even imagine of, I don’t know how often they wash the cushions, or how many people have associated their dead skin cells on the fabric.
I’ll stick to fart-filled seats, if you would excuse me :-) View all comments by pkchukiss
Uh, kind of a graphic description don’t ya think? Well I’m sure few people actually have this “disgusting habit” that you speak of. So while those cushions may not be sterile, they wouldn’t be covered in dead skin cells either. View all comments by Veron
I totally agree with your review of Lagnaa, I felt in love with the place.I was there yesterday for the first time. With the usual crap from Muthus and the rest who call fusion and fine dining whats so ever this def sticks with the tradition. But the finest comes the place which run by the middle age couple. Their hospitality level is sky high. That is one reason enough to visit that place.I LOVE IT..Better than any crap that you find in LIttle India… View all comments by Icarus
After reading all the recommendation, tonite i will try this place. Hopefully, i can post the details soon to all of you guys. View all comments by simon6726
I’ve been to this unique place many times, and brought along some of my collegues and customers, they were surprising amazed with the subtle ambience and personal services rendered. And the food comes with a personal touch. View all comments by Chandra Sekar
Actually the real thing that you should try at Lagnaa is the almond chicken. Its not on the menu, but it comes highly recommended from the friendly Indian female lady, and I’ve never been disappointed every time I order it! View all comments by wanru
Actually what you should try is Curd Rice. That is not on the menu and it was some Chinese guy who went to India before who ordered that and almost everyone I know loved it except one guy who was not bused to the sour taste. But K7, the owner, hates it whenever I order it…maybe because it’s a lot of work. The Kashmiri naan is also fantastic. My sis commented the naans were not fluffy enough. Later I learned that they do the naan the hard way without adding soda so you feel fine even when you eat a lot of it, no bloated feeling. The chicken tikka and fish curry are my favourite. View all comments by Elaine
lagnna sounds pretty cool. my favorite kind of food is indian. :) View all comments by moo
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