Singh's Curry House

It was a subject of some debate amongst the Lunch in Suva group as to whether this article needed to be written at all. Singh's Curry House is famous enough without any help from us. However in the interest of full coverage of the Suva lunch scene, we've decided to write this completely unnecessary post.


The first thing one notices about this place is that it is popular. If you want to sit in for lunch you need get there before 1230. Turn up after 1245 and takeaway is probably your only option. Luckily the takeaway is well packed.


I do recommend that you make the effort to turn up early and get a seat as you get a bowl of good dhal soup (and a rather boring salad) with the sit-in meal.


We have the standard meat curries (chicken, goat, duck, lamb) and typical vegetable curries (bhindi, aloo baigan, kattar). Often prawn, fish, and kai are available as well. As vegetables go in and out of season Singh's does a good job of adjusting their menu accordingly (as the excellent Duruka curry that we ate attests).


The lamb curry is uneven, sometimes quite tasty, other times way too salty. Heartburn is almost guaranteed with the lamb curry. The other meat curries are all arse burningly excellent. The vegetable curries are probably too spicy, vegetables generally do not absorb chilli as well as meat does, but Mr. Singh insists on adding the same amount of the red stuff nonetheless.


The ambience and décor is quite bizarre. The music seems to consist of Bollywood ring tones on continuous loop. The décor is one third nautical (lighthouses, lifesavers, boats), one third Chinese, and one third 1930s art deco. The doorman is forced to wear a silly uniform with a ridiculous hat.

Note from Picky Eater: (1st May, 2008)
Kania Tiko's coverage of the lamb curry warrants further coverage. So, after yet another trip to Singh's (yes, citizen journalism requires a strong stomach), we present you with the following evidence:


Quite nice, even a little curry leaf putting in an appearance. And now, we present the leftovers:


Perhaps a larger than normal dose of cholesterol ... we still recommend Singh's, just not the lamb curry.

In Summary

Singh's Curry House

Cnr of Gordon Street and Victoria Parade

Opening Hours:

Mon - Sat: 9:30am - 9:00pm

Sun: 10:30am - 8:30pm

Spend:

$4.50 - $10 per person

Verdict:

Thumbs-up (avoid the lamb though)

Central Cuisine

Having been told marvellous things about Central Cuisine by the gang at the water cooler, Kania Tiko and I felt moved to verify some of the claims of excellence being thrown about.

Central Cuisine certainly is central, so central there is usually a substantial line trying to reach the counter, comprising lunchers from every office building in a one-block radius (read 'half of down town Suva')

The overhead menu board boasts a range superior to anything we have seen on an overhead board anywhere else in Suva ... which is quite a feat when you realise that every single dish on the board is laid out in one of the many food warmers lining the counter.

Your order is handled efficiently: "Rice or noodles?" ... "Which dish?" ... "A drink?" ... and you are handed your tray and shuttled toward the cashier to hand over money within 30 seconds of having hit the counter.

Being desirous of trying as much of the range as possible, we both ordered combo-deals, which involve a quartered tray, a serving of starch, 2 selections from the menu and a bowl of soup.

Chicken in black-bean, fried red pork, noodles.

Braised beef, chilli chicken, rice, chicken sweet corn soup.

Whilst there is much to be admired in the logistics applied by Central Cuisine in getting everything on their menu into a warmer, this McDonald's style approach to lunchtime fast-food does not translate into a good meal.

The dishes tasted mass-produced: the difference between meat dishes of the same type being nearly impossible to distinguish. We suspect the chilli chicken and the chicken-in-blackbean may have started off in the same wok before being finished with different sauces.

The starch was a little on the cold side, and the noodles were oily and slightly singed.

The soup was enjoyable, but certainly nothing to write home about.

Now if fast service is the stick by which you measure your meals, by all means give Central Cuisine your custom.

The fact that Central Cuisine has recently expanded and taken over the operation of the busy Southern Cross cafeteria in USP and dishes out more of the same (and cheaper) to the student population, does their logistics much credit. However, it also confirms that they have become the McDonald's of Chinese in Suva: homogeneous, and predictable.

Too much has been lost in the mass-produced approach; and that earns Central Cuisine's lunch menu a thumbs down from Lunch in Suva.

Note: Central Cuisine has opened a lunch buffet. We have not had the opportunity to try it yet, so please let us know if you have.

In Summary

Central Cuisine

Suva Central

Opening Hours:

?

Spend:

$5.50 - $8.80 per person

Verdict:

Thumbs-down

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