AromaCookery – A scent-suous Singapore food blog

Fine cuisine in opulent settings

I was invited by the Palate Vine Group to review their latest fine-dining Indian restaurant, Vintage India at Dempsey Road. The Palate Vine are also the people behind Ras The Essence of India and the Tent Mongolian Fresh Grill & Bar at Clarke Quay.

Beautiful china and crystalware

Located at laidback chic Dempsey Hill, Vintage India is an intimate, upscale restaurant serving traditional Indian cuisine. From the high ceilings, elegant chandeliers, gold-rimmed china plates, and sparkling crystalware, everything is fit for a maharajah. This is the place to wow your business clients or future in-laws.

Cigaroll poppadum

Even the poppadums, serve with mint and chutney dips, are presented elegantly rolled.

Starters (clockwise from bottom): Samarkand Prawn; Atish Kumbh; and Adrakhi Panje.

Vintage India’s chefs have all been selected through a rigorous process, each armed with unique recipes. Some of the most popular items on the menu are Master Chef Om Prakash’s signature starters pictured above.

The jumbo Samarkand Prawn – fresh tiger prawns stuffed with crab meat and nuts – was very indulgent indeed. I usually like my prawns to be juicy; here they weren’t, but not in a bad way. It’s typical of how meats cooked in the tandoori turn out. I loved how tender the Adrakhi Panje (lamb chop marinated Indian herbs and spices). But my favorite was actually the juicy Atish Kumbh – tandoori mushroom with blended cashewnuts, cheese and spices. The starters were practically a meal a light meal already!

A spread of the mains, accompanied with naans.

For the main courses, I sampled the more familiar Indian favorites, like Palak Paneer (homemade cottage cheese in spinach), Murgh Makani aka butter chicken, Fish Malabar Curry (a traditional authentic Kerala fish curry cooked with fresh fish slices prepared with coconut milk and a variety of spices), and Moghlai Biryani – lamb and basmati rice prepared with spices.

Naans

The dishes can be accompanied with basmati rice or a variety of naans, which I’m particularly biased towards. I especially LOVED the Kashmiri naan here, filled with lovely chopped dried fruits and nuts.

Compared to other Indian restaurants that I’ve been to, I find that the traditional dishes at Vintage India are prepared with a lighter touch, resulting in a refined taste without compromising on flavors. I didn’t have that rich, heavy, hard-to-digest feeling in my tummy after the meal, which is what I sometimes get after an Indian meal.

Kesar Pista Kulfi

By this time, I was totally stuffed, but I just had to manage some room for the irresistible Kesar Pista Kulfi – Indian ice cream made with milk cream, pistachios and saffron. It was fragrant, creamy, and not too sweet. Simply divine!

Alfresco area

There’s also a cosy alfresco area which is opened up in the evenings. Here, you can dine or enjoy a glass of wine (Vintage India also has an extensive wine menu) in a more relaxed atmosphere amid lush greenery.

With such grand settings, fine cuisine, and impeccable service, the prices here are, naturally, upscale to match. But if you’re looking to impress, this is certainly the place for that special occasion. If you want a taste of the exquisite without breaking the bank, Vintage India serves an affordable executive lunch set at S$38.00++.

Vintage India
10 Dempsey Road
#01-21
Dempsey Hill
Singapore 247700
Tel: (65) 6471 3100
URL: www.palatevine.com.sg