Podi & Poriyal — Restaurant in Singapore

"A Sensory Journey: Our South Indian Wedding Celebration at Podi and Poriyal"

We apologize for the delay in sharing this review. Although our celebration took place four months ago, the memories remain as vivid and cherished as ever. We hope this account of our special day still captures the essence of what makes Podi & Poriyal truly exceptional.

One of our first dates as a couple was in this 'Indian industrial' themed restaurant. As we hit a milestone on the 1000th day of our union, we decided it was fitting to hold the ceremony at Podi & Poriyal.

During the conceptualization stages, Mr. Kiran Raghavan of Podi & Poriyal made a bold claim about the floral decorations. True to his word, the sweet fragrance of jasmine, roses, and marigolds was detectable from as far as the Perumal Temple across the street. Inside, the venue was transformed into a South Indian paradise with an abundance of flowers, creating a visual and aromatic masterpiece. This floral extravaganza not only beautified the space but also infused it with the nostalgic essence of a traditional Indian wedding, setting an inviting and celebratory atmosphere for the occasion.

Our day unfolded in two perfectly orchestrated acts. The intimate solemnization ceremony marked the official beginning of our journey together. What followed was a masterclass in event management. With impressive efficiency, the Podi & Poriyal team, under Mr. Raghavan's guidance, transformed the space from a ceremony setting into an elegant dining area for our sit-down lunch.

The real magic began as our guests, seated across two levels, embarked on a culinary journey through South India. The coordination was wonderful; every guest, regardless of location, had the same high-quality service and piping hot meals. This precision in service was a testament to the team's expertise in handling complex events.

We knew we were in for a treat when the banana leaves were spread out and decked with a colourful assortment of delicacies. The carefully curated South Indian wedding menu was a culinary journey. From the sharp Nellikai thoku to the crispy Keera Methu Vadai, each dish revealed a story about tradition and flavour. The sambar, which many said was the greatest kalyana sambar they had ever tasted, became the event's talking point.

We were happy to introduce our guests to new flavours. The Kovakai and the refreshing Vilam Pazham Baanam were new experiences for many, adding an element of culinary discovery to our celebration. The Moor Kuzambu was amazing, while desserts such as the creative Kavuni Arisi Halva and the delicious Paal Adai Payasam provided a great ending to our meal.

Throughout the event, Mr. Kiran Raghavan and his team went above and beyond. Their storytelling technique in delivering the banana leaf lunch provided dimension to the event and engaged our guests culturally.

As we looked around at our happy guests, surrounded by the beauty of flowers and the aromas of exquisite food, we realized that Podi & Poriyal had given us more than just a venue for our ROM. They had designed a multisensory event that celebrated both our love story and our South Indian roots. It was a wonderful blend of tradition, culinary expertise, and an impressive orchestration of sights, aromas, and flavours that will live on in our memory.

Podi & Poriyal truly shines as a beacon of South Indian hospitality and culinary expertise, standing out in Singapore's diverse dining landscape as a place where tradition, innovation, and personal celebrations seamlessly intertwine.

Banu...

A great idea and decent food ruined by rude, condescending service and an aggressive ‘up-sell’ business model

I really wanted to like Podi and Poriyal. But i think it’s necessary to share our absolutely appalling recent experience there for others’ information - and the owner’s, if you’re reading.

So first, the good - convenient location in a quieter part of Little India, beautifully decorated dining room with nice touches (including handmade copper utensils on the wall), and a vegetarian-only menu, with handcrafted cocktails to match. Sounds great, right?

So my wife and I were convinced to go and check it out. That’s where it all started to go wrong.

First, when I tried to make a reservation, I the website wanted a $80 per person cover charge. I didn’t want to pay it so thought we’d just risk it on the night (a note to the owners: there are plenty of other food options in Little India… you don’t need a cover charge).

So my wife and I turn up to an obviously empty restaurant. When we say we don’t have a reservation, the greeter (lying through his teeth) tells us they’re ‘all booked out, but that they’ll see what they can do for us’. Sensing they’re fibbing, I suggest we go for a quick walk. 5 minutes later, a table amongst the empty restaurant has magically opened up. Okay, annoying, but a lot of restaurants in Singapore do this.

Then we sit. The waiter immediately tries to up-sell us to the ‘tasting’ menu. When it’s obvious there isn’t much value in it, we go for a couple of a la carte dishes and a cocktail each. The cocktails are glorious - inventive, playful with the right amount of punch. The food is also tasty, but a bit spicy to my wife’s taste.

This is where it really begins to go downhill. My wife asks for a bit of plain white rice to go with the eggplant curry. Our waiter then summons someone else (presumably the chef) who lectures us for about 5 minutes about how this isn’t a thali restaurant (who said anything about a thali?). I stand firm and explain the dish is a bit spicy so we just wanted some rice to mix it in. Then the waiter joins in saying that all the dishes are carefully created and if we ordered white rice it would ‘ruin the harmony’ of the dishes.

He then (surprise surprise) upsells us to order another dish with white rice just so we can have some rice to cool my wife’s palate.

We eat the rest of our meal and leave in a hurry, about $160 poorer.

Key takeaways? First, don’t make us leave and come back just to preserve some weird air of ‘exclusivity’. It’s lame. Second, if you want a proper ‘Omakase’ style tasting menu, don’t put several dishes with similar ingredients (I.e. eggplant) in it - give it some thought, and make it actually worth your customers’ while. Third, if you want customers to drop over $150 for 2 pax in Little India (where you can get a good meal for

Best Vegetarian food in Sg

Easily one of the best authentic south Indian vegetarian restaurants in Singapore. I had a memorable lunch at Podi and Poriyal in April 2022. Neat ambience with a beautiful display of traditional brass cookware adorning the walls and portraits of the yesteryear Sg.Welcomed by the courteous and wonderful staff, who were attentive and helpful throughout the lunch, I had a chef’s plate. There were multiple starters- Vada, millet balls, kunukku and kosambari. Off to a great start with a refreshing carrot and moong dal salad. The millet ball was a tasty, healthy, steamed round rice ball. Kunukku is crispy and crunchy, similar to pakoras deep-fried with the goodness of moringa leaves. The star of the starters were the vadas, deep-fried doughnut-like delicacies made with urad dal. Hot and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Heaven.

The main course included rice or millets with a variety of gravy to choose from-sambar, little finger or Vendakkai Mor kuzhambu and Rasam. Also had the delicious tamarind rice, similar to the ones you would find offered as prasadams in south Indian temples. These were served with a bowl of nutritious kothavarangai also called cluster beans paruppu usili and a yummy potato fry. Ended the main course with curd rice- a bowl of comforting, delicious goodness. There were also side of Crunchy vadams or pappad, podi, pickle and chutneys. Since it was a Tamil New Year special lunch, was also served a sweet and sour, tangy mango pachadi. Yummy. The beautiful lunch came to an end on a sweet note with a millet payasam.

What's interesting about this place is its authenticity, staying true to its roots and serving food that is simple yet clean and nutritious, made with love and passion for their work. Very few places do the food you eat transport you straight to your mum’s kitchen.The food most certainly reminded me of my Mum's food. Comforting and tasty.

So, if you want to savour a traditional south Indian vegetarian meal here in Singapore, don’t look further. Please head to Podi and poriyal; you won't be...