MTR @ Little India

MTR is short for Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, and is a traditional South Indian restaurant located in Little India, an Indian based community in Singapore. It is one of the many South Indian restaurants in the vicinity and probably one of the best, in the area.

I felt this quaint restaurant a nice contrast from just Western and European food and I was very excited to go to this restaurant, which is extremely popular in India. The restaurant was functional and simple, and offered a variety of traditional South Indian food.

Vegetarian Pulau

The Vegetarian Pulau ($5) was a dish I was looking forward to try. I normally don't savour vegetarian food, but this pulau was extremely delicious. It was nicely spiced, which gave good heat to the dish, and the yoghurt (raita) added a sense of refreshment, which all blended in well and maximised the dish. The rice was however slightly overcooked which was definitely a bummer, but overall an enjoyable dish. 

Rating- 4.2/5

Uddina Vada

The Uddina Vada ($2) is basically a savoury Indian doughnut made up of a lentil called vigna mungo, and is meant to be crispy served with sambar, a South Indian supplemetary curry. This vada was served with a green chutney as well, which I found too salty, but the sambar was flavourful and served well with the vada. The vada itself was not as crispy as I had expected, and too oily, which would have made it soggy. However, the flavour was without doubt stunning. 

Rating- 3.8/5

Bisbele Bhath

The Bisbele Bhath ($6) was actually a dish I wanted to order, but they said they were out on it. The manager kindly gave me whatever was left of the bisbele bhath free of charge, which I really salute him for and which is why you must be wondering why the portion is so small. This is basically rice cooked in sambar, which is what I earlier mentioned as a South Indian curry. I like to call this dish the sambar risotto, as it tastes just like one! I thoroughly savoured this dish as the rice was perfectly cooked and the sambar flavours were wonderfully incorporated in this dish, therefore adding some heat and fragrance of lentils and other vegetables. Overall, an excellent dish.

Rating- 4.5/5

Sambar Vada 

The Sambar Vada ($3) is as I said an Indian donut, this time soaked in sambar. This is the first time I've ever come across this idea of soaking a vada in sambar, and I didn't find it great at all. When the vada is being soaked in the sambar, it loses its texture of being crispy and therefore making it soggy, which made it like eating plain sambar. The sambar tasted wonderful, but the vada should have been the hero of the dish.

Rating- 3/5

Honey-Saffron Lemonade

The Honey-Saffron Lemonade ($3) is one drink I really wanted to try out, especially as it had saffron in it. As you can see in the photo, there are small bits of saffron at the bottom of the drink that really elevated the flavours of the lemonade, which made this drink unique. The spice from the saffron and the sweetness from the honey contrasted well and blended well together in the drink. 

Rating- 4.5/5

Chapathi

The Chapathi ($4) is a simple Indian bread normally served with a few curries. However, I found the chapathi way to hard for my taste as it was slightly crisping when I tore a piece. The curries served alongside it was delicious. The curries included a vegetable curry and a green chutney. I felt this dish could be improved on, in terms of the cooking timings and texture. 

Rating- 3.5/5

Masala Dosa

The Masala Dosa ($6) is a traditional South Indian pancake-like dish which is very popular especially among South Indians. Inside the dosa is the masala which included potatoes which were spiced to give this dish elevating flavours. The dosa was cooked nicely and crisp on the outside, which was important for me, but however, could do with a touch more seasoning. Overall, I enjoyed this dish. 

Rating- 4.2/5

Plain Dosa

The Plain Dosa ($5) was similar to the masala dosa, but just without the masala. The Plain Dosa is usually roasted in ghee, and served alongside 2-3 curries. I found this dosa slightly burnt on one side, which made it taste slightly bitter. Neverthless, I found it wonderfully crispy in texture, which was absolutely fantastic. In my opinion, a dosa should be lightly browned to give out the best possible taste. This dish can be improved on in my opinion. 

Rating- 3.8/5

Idli

The Idli ($2) is like an Indian rice-cake served alongside a sambar and the green chutney. The idli was soft and fluffy, just as I would expect it to be; and the curries were delicious, and went hand-in-hand with the Idli. In the photo, the small bowl on the right is actually oil, which can be used to moisten the Idli if needed. I found this dish wonderful. 

Rating- 4.5/5

MTR is run with friendly service, with food coming out in a very timely fashion, therefore making our dinner easy and fast. The manager at the restaurant was very informative about their dishes and even gave us a sample of what they might implement in the menu. I enjoyed the service at MTR. 

Service- 4.8/5

In terms of the food, I generally found their traditional dishes good, but there can always be some room for improvement, especially in some dishes. Classic dishes like idlis and the masala dosa didn't fail to impress me, and I'm sure I'll be back at MTR if I can.

Overall Rating- 8.2/10

MTR Restaurant

438 Serangoon Road, Opp. Sri Perumal Temple,

Singapore- 218133

Opening Hours

Tuesday-Sunday: 8:30 am- 3 pm & 5:30- 10 pm

(Closed on Monday)

Contact- 6296 5800

Nearest MRT- Farrer Park (NE8)

Directions- Take exit (turn left) to Farrer Park Station Rd, Turn right on Rangoon Rd, Turn left on Serangoon Road and walk until MTR (4 mins- 350m).