Firangi Superstar - Craig Road
Firangi Superstar did not start off well. On arrival, the guy that I assumed was going to show us to our table just ran away. We started to follow him, thinking that he was taking us to where we would be eating for the evening, but when he ran into the kitchen, we just stood around in the middle of the restaurant wondering what we had done wrong. About a minute later, the manager arrived to inform us that my husband was a male and was therefore not allowed to wear his shorts and flip flops. I was wearing a playsuit (so basically shorts) and flip flops, but I got offered the chance to have a drink at the bar while waiting for my husband to spend $20 in Grab fees so that his legs and toes could be a little more covered. Why was I allowed to wear what was basically exactly what he was wearing, but my attire was considered fine whereas his was not? Of course, I did not accept the drink offer and jumped in the Grab with my shamed other half – he would have killed me otherwise.
We finally made it to a table close to an hour after our original reservation. I will take some blame for this. I had checked the website for a dress code, but didn’t see it in the second FAQ section. I would suggest making it a bit more obvious – the guy that arrived immediately after us had the same shorts and flip flops problem, so I could imagine that the turning away for wearing clothes that are generally thought of as optimal for living in a humid as fuck country such as Singapore is a common occurrence. “Hmm…this is an upmarket Indian restaurant, so I must make sure that lower legs and toes aren’t showing. Keira’s lower legs and toes can do whatever they want though,” is what I imagine was going through my husband’s head at the time.
Firangi Superstar Menu
Anyway, I’m starting to digress from the actual food review.
I had been salivating over Firangi Superstar’s Instagram photos for several weeks, and the impromptu ride back to our apartment to hide my husband’s lower extremities, and then back to the restaurant again only fermented my cravings for some top notch Indian food.
We don’t usually opt for cocktails, but rather stick with beer and wine. However, we very quickly changed our minds upon reading the cocktail menu, and we both decided to try the Indian Margarita. This drink came in at a hefty $24, so I would have appreciated it if the majority of the glass wasn’t taken up by a gigantic ice cube. The saving grace was that it did actually taste pretty good, and very strong – don’t go for this one if you don’t like tequila!
The first plate to come out was the This Is Not Aloo Gobi. It certainly didn’t look like aloo gobi, but had all the same ingredients and flavours to remind you of exactly that – aloo gobi. The crispy potato was my favourite part, but then I’m always going to say that being Irish. The florets of cauliflower along with the cauliflower couscous added some nice extra textures, and the masala compote really tied it all together. It was definitely a fantastic start to our Firangi food journey.
This is Not Aloo Gobi - cauliflower couscous, masala compote, crispy potato
The Cali Puri had the lovely citrusy notes of the orange and this blended perfectly with the beetroot masala and goat’s cheese. The crispy outer shell encasing these gorgeous ingredients made for a sensational bite, and both of mine were gone within seconds.
Cali Puri - beetroot masala, goat’s cheese, orange pani
The Holi Cow was one of the highlights of the night. The bone marrow mixed in with both crispy and masala beef danced on my mouth, and I was very upset that I had to share this dish. The marrow was incredibly moreish and the masala beef was tender, and as for the crispy beef pieces, just give me a bowl full of those for the night and I’ll be a very happy person. I just only wish that the bone had contained more marrow!
Holi Cow - bone marrow, crispy and masala beef, pickled shallots
I usually don’t like the texture of raw fish, but I have discovered that I don’t mind it as much when it has been pickled in a ceviche. The Sothi Fresh, a snapper ceviche, was one of my surprise favourites of the night. The snapper immediately melted on my tongue and the kokum, coconut, turmeric and boondi broth that it was bathing in was literally to die for. I would have happily drunk it out of the bowl it was served in if we hadn’t been at such an upmarket place (and if we hadn't already been reprimanded for being inappropriately dressed).
Sothi Fresh - snapper ceviche, kokum, coconut, turmeric, boondi
The Prata Waffle with madras fried chicken and butter chicken sauce was one of the main plates we had been talking about in the run up to our visit. Every photo that I had seen of this dish made me wish that I had been able to book a table even sooner. The fried chicken came out wonderfully crispy and the butter chicken sauce was perfect for dipping and pouring all over the waffle. However, I would have liked to taste more spice. The prata waffle was nice, but I think I had set my expectations too high for this one. Honestly, I have had much better $2-3 pratas at numerous local restaurants and stalls in Singapore.
Prata Waffle - madras fried chicken, butter chicken sauce, prata waffle
Our final dish was the Indian Lamb Saddle, and this was the definite star of the night. The lamb was cooked to a mouthwatering medium rare and was melt in your mouth tender. The combination of tandoori, confit garlic and curry leaf made for a wonderful sauce that was mopped up perfectly by the accompanying black garlic butter naan bread. It was quite pricey at $19 per 100g, and we ended up with a cut at 450g, but it was undeniably worth it. This dish alone would bring me back to Firangi Superstar.
Indian Lamb Saddle - tandoori lamb saddle, confit garlic, curry leaf
After an initial disappointing start with the whole male clothing debacle, the food more than made up for it, and we will be back again, with the husband appropriately attired this time!
