Eating in Komala Vilas Singapore pays homage to one of the nation’s oldest Indian vegetarian restaurants, which served meals in 1947.
In Singapore, this is my go-to place for authentic Indian cuisine.
The restaurant is in Little India, Singapore’s liveliest and most colorful ethnic enclave, where parking is a CHALLENGE.
The narrow little lanes and a bustling business community of thriving shoppers and diners.
If you’re used to orderly Singapore, Little India can be a little messy (Singapore standard)
Compared to Penang, I find Serangoon very orderly and pleasant to walk around.
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Why Eat at Komala Vilas Singapore
My friends Ais and Rauf recommended that I eat here.
Veronique Ficheux has been eating at Komala Vilas for almost 20 years.
Komala Vilas has been consistent in its food and beverages.
Veronique told me this is a national treasure for excellent Indian cuisine.
We must bring an empty stomach to eat all the good food in the restaurant!
Overall decent south Indian food especially the Chana Bhatura.
Would you mind ordering hot drinks if you can’t bear to drink from disposable white plastic cups like me?
Komala Vilas Singapore – the Cuisine
Indian food is rooted in the principle that food should provide nutrition for the body and balance life.
South Indian
South Indian food is a brilliant blend of flavors, colors, and textures. A typical traditional meal is served on a freshly cut banana leaf.
The cuisine is renowned for its delightful blend of rice and lentils, which are prepared into Sattvic meals and consist of delicious Dosais, Vadais, Idlis, and Utthapams.
Idiyappam served with grated coconut and brown sugar.
North Indian
North Indian cuisine is characterized by its thick, moderately spicy, and creamy gravies, along with Tandori roti and Naans, which are staples.
The meals are hearty and rich with dried fruits and nuts.
The variety of sweet and savory dishes will awaken all your aromatic senses.
Komala Vilas Singapore – Chana Bhatura
I could eat everything else on the menu.
No problem.
But like all fussy eaters, especially the faithful ones – if I find a dish I LIKE, I will eat it to death, literally.
So for me, Komala Vilas Singapore means Chana Bhatura.
We could chant the reverse; nothing is better than a Chana Bhatura at Komala Vilas Singapore.
The first time I had it was in Little India, in Penang.
A friend, Vee, asked, “Do you like Puri?”
My eyes widened like the twin Puri I envisioned devouring.
My eyes widened like the twin Puri I envisioned devouring.
Vee: How would you like an upsize?
Dory: As in McD meal?
Vee: As in a gigantic puffed-up ball.
The best Bhatura is a deep fried fluffy, puffed golden sphere worthy of adoration.
Chana Bhatura at Komala Vilas Singapore or any Vilas for that matter.
If you haven’t tried – let me tell you this.
Chana Bhatura or simply a Bhatura is food to die for.
Vee: Dory, you exaggerate! /ɪɡˈzadʒəreɪt,ɛɡˈzadʒəreɪt/You’ve been dead since the first meal you ate at an Indian restaurant.
Dory: That will be a Banana Leaf lunch meal in Susila Restaurant in 1983!
Vee: You file that in your multiple open tab brain?
Dory: Nods. Yesssssss
A perfectly puffed up globe-like sphere Bhatura is like having the best hair day of your life. YESSSSS
Everything in the kitchen was going well and humming.
Chef’s happy. All hands on deck.
They know Dory is coming to eat. <I wish!>
But seriously, the truth is getting the oil is sufficiently hot, OR ELSE the Bhatura won’t puff up and will absorb a lot of fat.
When you order a Bhatura – You sit facing the kitchen if possible.
When the server brings this out from the kitchen, he walks briskly.
It’s that moment in the movie when the camera pans to the giant smug ball of leavened dough in all its glory.
You can add semolina to plain flour to make it a little crispier.
Why would some even go as far as using baking powder and ENO <which explains the, err.. strange metallic taste or lemon has gone bad>
The secret ingredient is <whispers – tell you and wait for the painful, excruciating death of a torture chamber of Bhatura that you can’t eat. Muahahahaha>
It’s just dried mango powder (Amchur) which makes all the difference in the world.
I tell you this solemnly – yogurt and some baking powder may help little Bhatura become BIG Bhatura, but the real connoisseurs will know the difference. <whispers>
The best Bhatura is a deep-fried, fluffy, puffed, golden sphere worthy of adoration.
How do I know about Bhatura or any other food?
Some of you may remember stories of my librarian days when I pored over cookery books since I was 13.
I don’t cook, but I know impressive names of vegetables like Rhubarb without ever meeting one.
Bae chuckles. “You just read too much.”
Calling a Terung, Eggplant, Brinjal – Aubergine made me a weird teen.
What is the cause of this hunger for knowledge?
I once thought Anchovy was a vegetable.
If you think Anchovy is a meat or worm meal for the rest of you, please buy a book like Encyclopaedia of Cooking in 24 Volumes (1949), Hardcover, January 1, 1949.
And read it religiously like me.
Let’s try to play catch up, shall we?
Komala Vilas Singapore Menu
The menu has a good list of delicious Indian food with enough vegan options.
Recommended must-try items
- Bhatura
- Paper Thosai
- Chilli Idly,
- Ghee Masala Dosa
Ghee Dosa VS Chana Bhatura at Komala Vilas Singapore. It’s obvious who’s more popular.
If I were others (Paper Thosai, Chilli Idly, and Ghee Masala Dosa), I’d feel a little meaningless compared to the BIG ball when it shows up.
Everyone hawks at a Bhatura and can’t wait to poke at it to watch it deflate, releasing a puff of HOT steamy air.
Then the feeding gets savage,
We tear at it with gusto, using our fingers.
We got to fold as many chickpeas as we could pick up into our Bhatura wrapper.
Chana Bhatura at Komala Vilas Singapore
The Chana Bhatura is an exquisite meal of spicy, traditional Chana Masala served with puffy Indian bread called a Bhatura.
Vegan, nut-free, and soy-free, the Chana Bhatura is gluten-free.
Chana Masala’s main ingredient is a variety of chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans called Chana.
These are twice the diameter of typical chickpeas, and they have a more robust flavor and firmer texture even after being cooked.
The legume contains folate, iron, fiber, and vitamin B.
Chana Masala, robust and BIG Chickpeas – none of that tiny weeny, itsy bitsy cousins.
The tomato-and-onion sauce is blended with garlic, ginger, chilis, and good-for-you spices.
Indians eat Chana Masala for breakfast, lunch, and dinner or as a quick snack from food stalls in the local bazaar.
The Chana Masala here is as good as it gets.
Komala Vilas Singapore Review:
This place should be on your list of places to visit if you like South Indian food.
I tried Dosa, which is good.
My favorite is the puffy Chana Bhatura, a to-die-for Indian bread.
If you want perfect South Indian food without too many artificial ingredients, this is the place to go.
You cannot get more authentic South Indian food anywhere else in Singapore
I wouldn’t say I like the restaurant with good food, but it serves many plastic items, even for dine-in options.
The drinks come in a plastic cup with a lid and straw.
The restaurant is busy most of the time.
I heard that the services are mediocre if you’re not a regular. But since I was with regulars, our food came promptly.
However, I love this place, and every time I’m in town, my Singaporean friends will take me here for an authentic experience in Little India.
The Samosa from Komala Villas Restaurant looks pretty.
We usually buy a whole bunch of Samosa and take them home!
Komala Vilas Restaurant, Singapore
76-78 Serangoon Rd, Singapore 217981
Business Hours: 7 am – 10:30 pm (Daily)
Website: http://www.komalavilas.com.sg/
