Thanks to Audra for the invite and Bala for his amazing hospitality!
The private dining scene is slowly but surely picking up in Singapore and Plate Culture, a website that brings together both the passionate cooks and equally passionate diners, hopefully giving a jab of life into this niche area. I have not tried private dining before and more often than not am hemming and hawing over the price tag of SGD 100 and above which is a price to pay for a gamble. Meals on Plate Culture are positioned a cut lower, starting from SGD 36 onwards.
All I was given was his address and contact number.
So then, it felt like a blind date I confided in the companion, filled with apprehension and excitement yet with an element of risk, what if Bala was a snoob cook? Like a Nazi Chef. What if the company was boring, think one way traffic? What if I had to find more food after dinner?
Unfounded questions all these were.
Bala threw open his house doors to welcome all of us - unlike what the website says of an intimate party of 5, it became a house party for 20 at least and people came from all walks of life.Think of it as a gala parade, almost like a snapshot out of a carnival, I met people from Ecuador, Mumbai, New York, Australia, Brazil, Turkey, Czech Republic and then my companion is from Hongkong. I realised we pretty much covered the main continents and more.
How diverse did that already sound? It was finally let slip that Bala invited his friends over and they were celebrating the success of a dancer's first performance earlier in the day and her relatives had flown in from India just for it.
It sounds almost remarkable how everyone came together, a furniture shop owner that Bala bought several pieces from, an art gallery owner which we realised later how huge it was, a trader, a barbeque pit seller and a socialite amongst others. Out of a sudden, what I did for a living was oh-so-boring but that really is not the case. It was like stepping into a social setting that had so many tales to spin, people to talk to and food to eat.
Stealing a snap of the hustle and bustle going on.
Before I digress any further, all I ever knew about Indian food was limiting and truth be told I was expecting a sit down dinner with prata, curry and yogurt.
The bottles that we started with and by the end of the night ended up with a side table filled with empty bottles and a living room full of slightly tipsy but very fun people.
We started off with rounds of appetizers, so many rounds till I thought I could just get stuffed on them.
Plates lined with banana leaves, loved these touches.
Jackfruit seeds rubbed with spices, these had an interesting texture of steamed nuts but all so lovely.
Cauliflower fritters that were quite astoundingly delicious. I am never quite a fan of cauliflower in the battle of the white and greens, but these were covered in such a delicious batter, resistance was futile.
Fried fish fritters that only appeared once! Seconds are a must for this light and crispy seafood gem.
When the first three lined the table I thought this was just a salad bar...until there was more.
Japanese root sauteed, these starchy cubes were refreshing to taste.
Traffic light vegetables with a splash of green, red and yellow.
Tofu curry that was surprisingly a beautiful balance of spicy and bland.
Masala Chicken with enough spices to set the dish on fire, an indulgence not to be missed.
Chicken curry that was tough fight for the best of two curries, loved them both.
Basmati rice for the carnivores, cooked lovingly in chicken stock, chicken and egg yolks. Just like a paella that soaks up all the beautiful flavours, this was dry but packed so much flavour it could pass off as a healthy chicken rice. The egg yolks were a tease too! A strange reconciliation with the texture and taste but this dish was sheer happiness. If I had this everyday, I would love my rice as much as I do for bread.
The vegetarian version that Bala thoughtfully included for his guests, a less flavourful version yet wonderful job done with the rice, barely oily at all!
So then another three dishes arrived.
Another vegetable dish that I cannot quite pinpoint what it is but it tasted quite like seaweed and dried spinach.
Mango curry, sounds as vegetarian as it looks but this was that one defining dish that made the evening fireworks-champagne-the-great-gatsby kind of awesome. Sweet mangoes frolicking in a golden yellow starchy gravy and then the spicy aftertaste that kicks in is beyond comprehension a seduction of the tastebuds. The most adventurous form of mangoes had to be in mango sticky rice but in a curry? Never eaten nor heard of and here is it on a random stranger's house and having what is the best curry dish in my life.
Someone hire this guy, already!
A vegetarian's playground - vegetables and fruit all tossed in, no way can this be healthier.
Prawns and egg white that he tasted just once in a chinese restaurant and replicated it with such aplomb, this man is really made for the kitchen. I could be wrong in pointing out that many a time when a non-resident attempts a resident cuisine, it ends up being influenced, case in point, indian tasting siew mais in India - as verified by a fellow Indian. Yes, he does chinese great too.
The finishing touches to the already sumptuous meal, golden snapper cooked with seven different types of herbs. The fish was incredibly fresh but was perhaps overshadowed by the more flavourful numbers.
The proud chef and his creations - which he refused to divulge how long he took to complete whipping up all courses - his wife is one lucky woman.
Just one of the several portions that we stuffed ourselves silly with.I could have wished for dessert to end this night off but it was already a perfect ten in every sense.
Corners of his place that make it so villa-ish and cosy.
Loving the wood work!
Inviting corners like these make his home so comfortable.
That's me and the sociable chef, Bala. Thank you for such a sparkling night, a night to behold and remember for a long time. For all the stories told, love put into the food...we can never quite look at Indian food the same way again. Fingers crossed he will join the culinary circle soon enough and spread his love all over. He is already overbooked for the next couple of weeks and we are so planning for a return!
A carefully thought through menu that probably took weeks to come to fruition, well executed and even if cooking for parties is in his blood, Bala has enough passion to keep this alive.
I wish him all the best and look forward to another of these mind blowing meals. So then, with the worries put to rest, it had to be one of the most enjoyable strangers' union in a long time in history and definitely the best indian meal in my life. Bala does not have a favourite indian restaurant and I can completely understand why.
Book your seat today into a culinary adventure - off the eaten path!
The private dining scene is slowly but surely picking up in Singapore and Plate Culture, a website that brings together both the passionate cooks and equally passionate diners, hopefully giving a jab of life into this niche area. I have not tried private dining before and more often than not am hemming and hawing over the price tag of SGD 100 and above which is a price to pay for a gamble. Meals on Plate Culture are positioned a cut lower, starting from SGD 36 onwards.
All I was given was his address and contact number.
So then, it felt like a blind date I confided in the companion, filled with apprehension and excitement yet with an element of risk, what if Bala was a snoob cook? Like a Nazi Chef. What if the company was boring, think one way traffic? What if I had to find more food after dinner?
Unfounded questions all these were.
Bala threw open his house doors to welcome all of us - unlike what the website says of an intimate party of 5, it became a house party for 20 at least and people came from all walks of life.Think of it as a gala parade, almost like a snapshot out of a carnival, I met people from Ecuador, Mumbai, New York, Australia, Brazil, Turkey, Czech Republic and then my companion is from Hongkong. I realised we pretty much covered the main continents and more.
How diverse did that already sound? It was finally let slip that Bala invited his friends over and they were celebrating the success of a dancer's first performance earlier in the day and her relatives had flown in from India just for it.
It sounds almost remarkable how everyone came together, a furniture shop owner that Bala bought several pieces from, an art gallery owner which we realised later how huge it was, a trader, a barbeque pit seller and a socialite amongst others. Out of a sudden, what I did for a living was oh-so-boring but that really is not the case. It was like stepping into a social setting that had so many tales to spin, people to talk to and food to eat.
Stealing a snap of the hustle and bustle going on.
Before I digress any further, all I ever knew about Indian food was limiting and truth be told I was expecting a sit down dinner with prata, curry and yogurt.
The bottles that we started with and by the end of the night ended up with a side table filled with empty bottles and a living room full of slightly tipsy but very fun people.
We started off with rounds of appetizers, so many rounds till I thought I could just get stuffed on them.
Plates lined with banana leaves, loved these touches.
Jackfruit seeds rubbed with spices, these had an interesting texture of steamed nuts but all so lovely.
Cauliflower fritters that were quite astoundingly delicious. I am never quite a fan of cauliflower in the battle of the white and greens, but these were covered in such a delicious batter, resistance was futile.
Fried fish fritters that only appeared once! Seconds are a must for this light and crispy seafood gem.
When the first three lined the table I thought this was just a salad bar...until there was more.
Japanese root sauteed, these starchy cubes were refreshing to taste.
Traffic light vegetables with a splash of green, red and yellow.
Tofu curry that was surprisingly a beautiful balance of spicy and bland.
Masala Chicken with enough spices to set the dish on fire, an indulgence not to be missed.
Chicken curry that was tough fight for the best of two curries, loved them both.
Basmati rice for the carnivores, cooked lovingly in chicken stock, chicken and egg yolks. Just like a paella that soaks up all the beautiful flavours, this was dry but packed so much flavour it could pass off as a healthy chicken rice. The egg yolks were a tease too! A strange reconciliation with the texture and taste but this dish was sheer happiness. If I had this everyday, I would love my rice as much as I do for bread.
The vegetarian version that Bala thoughtfully included for his guests, a less flavourful version yet wonderful job done with the rice, barely oily at all!
So then another three dishes arrived.
Another vegetable dish that I cannot quite pinpoint what it is but it tasted quite like seaweed and dried spinach.
Mango curry, sounds as vegetarian as it looks but this was that one defining dish that made the evening fireworks-champagne-the-great-gatsby kind of awesome. Sweet mangoes frolicking in a golden yellow starchy gravy and then the spicy aftertaste that kicks in is beyond comprehension a seduction of the tastebuds. The most adventurous form of mangoes had to be in mango sticky rice but in a curry? Never eaten nor heard of and here is it on a random stranger's house and having what is the best curry dish in my life.
Someone hire this guy, already!
A vegetarian's playground - vegetables and fruit all tossed in, no way can this be healthier.
Prawns and egg white that he tasted just once in a chinese restaurant and replicated it with such aplomb, this man is really made for the kitchen. I could be wrong in pointing out that many a time when a non-resident attempts a resident cuisine, it ends up being influenced, case in point, indian tasting siew mais in India - as verified by a fellow Indian. Yes, he does chinese great too.
The finishing touches to the already sumptuous meal, golden snapper cooked with seven different types of herbs. The fish was incredibly fresh but was perhaps overshadowed by the more flavourful numbers.
The proud chef and his creations - which he refused to divulge how long he took to complete whipping up all courses - his wife is one lucky woman.
Just one of the several portions that we stuffed ourselves silly with.I could have wished for dessert to end this night off but it was already a perfect ten in every sense.
Corners of his place that make it so villa-ish and cosy.
Loving the wood work!
Inviting corners like these make his home so comfortable.
That's me and the sociable chef, Bala. Thank you for such a sparkling night, a night to behold and remember for a long time. For all the stories told, love put into the food...we can never quite look at Indian food the same way again. Fingers crossed he will join the culinary circle soon enough and spread his love all over. He is already overbooked for the next couple of weeks and we are so planning for a return!
A carefully thought through menu that probably took weeks to come to fruition, well executed and even if cooking for parties is in his blood, Bala has enough passion to keep this alive.
I wish him all the best and look forward to another of these mind blowing meals. So then, with the worries put to rest, it had to be one of the most enjoyable strangers' union in a long time in history and definitely the best indian meal in my life. Bala does not have a favourite indian restaurant and I can completely understand why.
Book your seat today into a culinary adventure - off the eaten path!
Whoaaaa that's a lot of food! What a spread! I can totally imagine you guys having so much fun!
ReplyDelete@missuschewy: heh sure was!! :) Enjoy your experience!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words. Your words fill my heart and will encourage my hands to cook once more. It was good fun having you over at our home too. It was through my food that I have made friends all over the world. Let this be the beginning of a great friendship. All the best to your wonderful blog, your career and an exciting future ahead. Bala's Cooking
ReplyDeletethis is an amazing write-up. you have captured every nuance of the food, the man who spends hours creating it & the spirit of the party. we look forward to having you back.
ReplyDeletewow... nice!!! Bala should be running a restaurant...
ReplyDelete@bala and deepika: :) We are still reeling from that amazing meal! Definitely we will be back and please bala, never ever EVER stop cooking!
ReplyDelete@puran: yes he should!!!