Lunch at Lagnaa

Lunch at Lagnaa

Tired of the thoroughfare that Serangoon Road had to offer, I happened to chance upon a most intriguing restaurant called Lagnaa. Their promise of barefoot dining with a difference piqued my interest and I ventured in. I was greeted by the friendliest smiles as I stepped through the doors. To my great surprise, those smiles belonged to the owners of the shop.

So Mr. Kesavan guided me upstairs (sans footwear) and directed me to my table. The setting was a low table with cushions around it for us to sit on. As I made myself comfortable, he recommended some dishes to me. From their wide ranging menu, I finally settled on plain and pudina (mint) naan, chicken and mutton masala, fish tikka, ladies fingers and a bowl of saffron rice. A lot of food for one girl to eat? Well I was ordering for a party of four. One note on their gravy items, they come with a spiciness level from 1-6, with 1 being mild to 6 being too hot to handle!

I chose spice level 2 as it was a hot afternoon (Mr. K7 says spiciness level should go down on hot days but can afford to up another level on cooler days and nights). With our orders taken, we relaxed into our cushions and whiled the time away bantering with Mr. K7, the head chef and owner of the place. This gave the whole dining experience or very personalized and homely touch.

Our dishes arrived within fifteen minutes (all cooked from scratch, so freshness and quality is guaranteed.) The rich aroma of the saffron rice hit me first and I could not wait to dig in.

K-7 explained to us that the curry leaves placed on top of the masala dishes denoted their spicy level. The 2 on my mutton masala seemed to be mocking me. First up, the saffron rice comes in a wooden (bamboo?) container filled almost to the brim with fragrant rice that was not at all oily. The rice was soft, light and went well with the chicken masala. The chicken masala was spicy ( I was surprised) but very yummy. There was a burst of flavour from the first bite. The chicken chunks were tender and flavourful. My mouth and nose was however watering by my fourth bite.

The mutton masala was slightly different, spicier in fact. The mutton cutlets were tender and had a slightly smoky flavour. The masala chicken and mutton could be eaten with the rice or on its own but was best with the plain naan.

The naan was soft and had a slight smoky flavour. The pudina naan was a slight disappointment as it was drier than its plain counterpart and I could barely taste the mint.

The lady’s fingers were also not to my taste, it was a bit too sour for my liking. The fish tikka was nice though, the fish was sweet and flavourful, with the right balance of spice.

I was so stuffed from the meal but I could not turn down their famous Samarkand and
masala tea. The masala tea had the right amount of milk and spices and was not watery at all. Definitely one of the best masala teas around.

The Samarkand tea was a surprise. It was a clear tea, which was more like an herb infusion. It was a very tasty and spicy tea, and according to Mr. K-7, it has many medicinal properties. Of course he stopped short of revealing the ingredients. A master must keep his secrets to himself.

Well no meal is complete without dessert and Lagnaa has desserts ranging from Indian desserts, to Western and fusion ones. Unfortunately, I had to give them a pass due to the pleadings of my stuffed tummy.

After lunch, we chanced upon some unusual signs hanging around Lagnaa, one espousing slave labour and another promoting a full moon chat party. Just what were these intriguing notices?! Slave labour was literally that, regular customers coming down to help K-7 and his staff if they are shorthanded. The payment: good food and memorable moments. The full moon chat party is an informal party held every month on the night of the full moon with a do-it-yourself dosai session, games, lots of gossip and even more good food.

Perhaps more than the food, it is the ambience and personability of the owner and staff alike that makes Lagnaa stand out from the rest.

Going to Lagnaa is an adventure everytime and a chance to make new memories and new friends.

Itchytraveller.com gives Lagnaa 4 out of 5 scratches.

Lagnaa
Add: 6, Upper Dickson Road
S(207466)
11.30a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
tel: 62961215