Prata Scholar Workshop @ Casuarina Curry

Advertorial

Hey everyone! Looking for something fun and unique to do AND get stuffed with prata at the same time? Well, we have just the thing for you!!!

Casuarina Curry is an icon when the topic of Prata is brought up. It's been around for ages and is one of the most popular prata places in Singapore. In fact, it's my mum's favourite!!

Well besides offering dozens of Prata variations, Thosai, Mee Goreng and Briyani, Casuarina is now also offering the chance to learn first-hand how to make Prata like the pros and then reward yourself with as much prata as you can eat afterwards! Perfect for family outings or gatherings with friends. And the kids are sure to love it!!

Mr Baboo - The Prata Professional

A real Prata Professional is on hand to show you the ropes and teach you the tricks on how to flip the perfect prata. Mr Baboo has been flipping pratas for a long time so he surely knows what he's doing right? And he's the real deal too... How can we be so sure?

If he can do this, he's a professional

Anyways don't worry he's got most of the stuff ready for you when you arrive.
So all you'll need to bring are your hands and a sporting attitude and you'll be flipping prata in no time! Let me show you how it's done *ahem ahem*

Step 1 - Flatten it out

Step 2 - Flip it (Flip it good!)

Step 3 - Stretch it out

Step 4 - Realize you need a bit more practice

My first try EVER at making prata and it was actually really fun. I initially thought it was sure to be a cinch and "confirmed no problem one lah!!" and the I realized it's a lot harder than it looks! But it was really fun!

I actually ruined my first one before I even had a chance to flip it because I pressed to hard when I flattened it out. But once you try it a few times you start to get the hang of it.

Let's see how Mein Brudder fared...

Looks like not bad right... Even Mr Baboo looks impressed..
And then suddenly...

Check out Mr Baboo! Totally LOL-ing.
Okay never mind... Maybe we should try it together...

Ready to flip (check out my face of concentration)

FLIP!!

SUCCESS!!!

Mr Baboo gives us the thumbs up!

Okay so maybe we both need more practice but this Prata Workshop is actually something really unique. I'm not aware of anywhere else that you can go and learn the ropes to making prata like this.
And like we said it's great fun especially for the kids!!

Great activity with the family on a weekend out or even with a bunch of friends who want to try something new just for fun and laughs. Got some friends or guests from out of town? Perfect chance to show them some of our local food culture!!

Anyways, the good news is that the price you pay is not just flip pratas.
You also get ALL THE PRATA YOU CAN EAT plus one drink! Is that a great deal or what!!!

YEAAHHHH!!!

So for $15, you not only great a great session of prata-making but you also get to wolf down all the prata you can stomach too! I can think of a few people who would definitely jump at such an offer!
We are talking about Casuarina Prata! one of the pioneers of Crispy Prata in Singapore and you get an unlimited supply of prata til you are filled to the max!

Pssssttt here's a tip for you all... The $15 price applies to unlimited Plain Prata (aka Prata Kosong) only... top up with a few more dollars and you could enjoy the special pratas too!! We're talking about more than a dozen types of prata to choose from!! Trust us - that's a great deal!

And you get a nice souvenir certificate too! Something for the kids to hang up on their wall.
Who knows... if I ever visit a prata place in future and I see this certificate hanging on the wall of the shop, I'll know Mr Baboo's student is running the joint!!

They've got several time slots daily so this will be great for the holidays too!
Start planning now and book your places for this coming weekend!!

Casuarina Curry

136 Casuarina Road (Thomson)

Tel: 6455 9093
www.casuarinacurry.com

Operating Hours:
7.00am til Midnight
(Please refer to poster for Prata Workshop timings)

Guru's Banana Leaf Cuisine

Here's another quickshot for you kiddies.
Something that simple but I'm sure a lot of you really enjoy...

So my darling wife and I were in Changi Village to run an errand and decided we'd have some breakfast.
Nasi Lemak? Lontong? Mee Siam? Hmmmm.... so many choices....
But we eventually decided to settle on a place that my Dad, my brother and myself had chanced upon when we had gone fishing a few months back...

Roti Prata Kosong ($0.80) and Roti Prata Telur ($1.50)

Now doesn't that just look like the type of breakfast you'd really enjoy?
Simple and comfortable!! It's universal!

Now I know there are many many many many places where you can get prata and I'm pretty sure most of you have your own opinion on where has the best prata am I right? Well, I'm pretty particular too but I am willing to admit that there are quite a large number of places where you can get decent prata.

In Changi Village, this is our venue of choice (until something better comes along?)
The prata is crisp and fresh looks damn inviting. And I have to say that even though there are plenty of prata stalls around Singapore, it's getting increasingly difficult to find one that still sells at the relatively low prices offered at Guru's Banana Leaf.

Even better still - the prata comes with friends!
A nice big serving of dalcha and sambal to go along with your roti prata is always a winner.
The dalcha has all the trimmings and the sambal was actually pretty nice and that always goes well with prata am I right?

If you're looking for more than just plain or egg prata, they pretty much have the works in case you were wondering... Cheese, Tissue, Masala, Egg Cheese, Mushroom, Hotdog, Masala, Bom. The list goes on!

Masala Paper Thosai ($3.00)

The last time I stopped by with my Dad and brother, I had the Masala Paper Thosai and I could safely say that it was "Boleh tahan" standard so I decided to have it again.

As usual, it was huge and made for a filling meal. Comes with coconut chutney (mint and spicy) and some dalcha too. But for some reason, today there was a slight issue...

Now, I don't mean to be a complain king or anything but to me that's like really really bad.
It's like really a little bit of masala only! It definitely wasn't like this the last time...

And further to this, the masala was unfortunately salty AND it was dry too.
Thankfully I enjoyed the crispy flour.

Oh well. Maybe better luck next time?

Or maybe next time I might go back to this place for my thosai...

Adam's Verdict:
Paper Masala Thosai 1.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Roti Prata 4/5

Maybe I should start a hunt for the best prata?
But I think that hunt might never end actually... So in the mean time let's stick to the ones we know are good.

Guru's Banana Leaf Cuisine

Blk 1 Changi Village
#01-2020

Operating Hours:
6.00am til 11.00pm Daily

Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant Part II

So you guys remember the first visit to Sri Kamala Vilas?

Well we found out that the thosai was absolutely the bomb there but people kept insisting that we tyr the supposedly delicious Chicken Masala. Sure or not??? Well obviously gotta go back and try right?
And this time I brought the family.

So my darling wife and I brought Mum, Dad and my brother to try it out.
(Don't worry Yana we will go back again okay!)

Well anyways I'm not gonna be posting much about the thosai because we already went that route in the first review of Sri Kamala Vilas.

I had the Ghee Masala Paper Thosai again of course. Mum had a Paper Masala Thosai and she says it was "nice" and she agreed with the original review that the Masala in the thosai is really good cos its creamy. Dad had a normal Thosai and says that "all Thosai tastes the same lah" (but I saw him take second helping of the sambar!) and my brother had a Ghee Masala Thosai. He actually seems the most enthusiastic and said that "it rocks". Safe to say - they all enjoyed the Thosai too.

But, the actual reason we came back was not for the Thosai...
After my last post, I received a few messages telling me to try the Chicken Masala there. I'll be honest and say that Chicken Masala is never even on my mind when I go and eat at this kind of place. Come to think I won't even mention Chicken Masala because... well... it's nothing special to me...
So my darling wife took the plunge.

 Chicken Masala Briyani ($6.70)

So that's a pretty big serving of briyani I can tell you. It's just nice for one if you're hungry but I reckon 2 could probably share it. And at first glance I guess you would probably assume it's your normal run-of-the-mill briyani. I mean, this place is known for its thosai and not its briyani right?

And I guess it wasn't so bad. Rice wasn't as tasty as some places I've been. The usual raita and pappadum.
The dalcha was okay as well but nothing special I'd say. I do however wish they'd use a different achar pickle. This one didn't really have any kick.

But I say again... we did not come back for the thosai. Nor the briyani...

Chicken Masala

Now THIS is what I'm talking about. This is what we came to try.
So many people recommended this exact dish here. So it must be damn good right...

Like I said, I'm not really the type to go crazy for Chicken Masala when we go out to eat.
I mean how good can it be right? Well.........

THIS WAS THE BOMB!!

Okay lah don't say the chicken or whatever lah (because everyone has their own preference on how they like their chicken) but I'm talking about the masala!! OMG!! It's damn nice lah. In fact it was so nice that even after we were done eating I was still dipping my fingers into the masala and eating it on its own. No more rice no more thosai no more chicken. I was just eating the Masala on its own!

It's got a very good taste. Super tasty.
And I think the best part is probably the fact that it's spicy but it doesn't burn your mouth or put you off the dish. It's the right amount of spice to make you keep going back for more and more and more.

Whoever recommended for me to go back and try this - THANK YOU!

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Masala 5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chicken Masala Briyani 4/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Ghee Masala Thosai 5/5

Dad's Verdict:
Thosai 2/5

Mum's Verdict:
Paper Masala Thosai 3/5

So there you have it.
So many more things to have at Sri Kamala Vilas but I actually have a strong feeling that when we go back we will probably have the Thosai and Chicken Masala again!


Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant

Blk 662 Buffalo Road
#01-16 (Opposite Tekka Market)

Operating Hours: 8.30am til 9.00pm daily






================================================
Updated 7 May 2013

Well it's looks like Sri Kamala Vilas has undergone a slight makeover!

They have renamed themselves to a simpler 'Kamala Restaurant'.
Not to worry, it's still at the same location. They've just done some minor renovations to clean up the place and make it a little more roomy.

And in case you were wondering, it's still Halal and the prices are still the same :)
In fact, I had another Ghee Masala Paper Thosai today and it seemed a little bigger! An absolute monster!

So head down soon and don't be shocked to see the new decor!

Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant - Ghee Masala Paper Thosai

I love Thosai.
To be more precise, I love Ghee Masala Paper Thosai.
(I know somone is saying "It's DOSAI lah!)

Many many many years ago, one of my best buddies and I were in the vicinity of Serangoon Road one afternoon and we decided to have lunch. He brought me to the famous Komala Villas (the old one at Buffalo Road and not the newer one along Serangood Road itself) and treated to me to thosai.
But not just any thosai.

My buddy, Raffiq, ordered for me a Ghee Masala Paper Thosai.
I'd always ordered just normal Masala Thosai in the past and it definitely used to be my favourite.
But - my life was changed forever that day.

And I know the extra ghee gives it the unhealthy edge so we should definitely enjoy it in moderation. But, I tell you, the few times that I DO have it, it's the bomb!

Now every time I have thosai, it has to be Ghee Masala Paper Thosai.
And I always went back to the Komala Villas at Buffalo Road because I knew I was guaranteed a delicious meal.

But recently, my darling wife told me that one of HER best buddies, Marina, recommended a new place to try some thosai. And it was just a stone's throw from Komala Villas.

Sri Kamala Vilas is just at the block opposite Tekka Market. It seems like a humble enough place but the food inside is waiting to take you for a delicious and sinful trip.
 

 Ghee Masala Paper Thosai ($4.80)

Okay first things first - what's the difference between a normal Thosai and a Paper Thosai.
Well, as the name implies, in the latter the thosai is 'paper thin' (just like the difference between a normal prate and a paper prata). A layer of the dough batter is scraped off while on the pan resulting in a thin crusty pancake known as the Paper Thosai. 

Now for those of you who have had Paper Thosai before, you will also know that it is very obviously bigger in size as compared to a normal thosai.

That picture seems like it's small right? Well that's just the camera angle so I could fit the whole thing in the frame. That Paper Thosai there is as long as my arm!

The thosai itself was very crispy and despite being 'paper thin', make no mistake - it will fill you up.
And the ghee which is drizzled on the batter as it cooks definitely gives it the extra 'kick' that many of us enjoy albeit a very unhealthy one.

Another important factor is the filling.
And this was one part that had me pondering quite a bit.

The masala filling at Sri Kamalas was different from most other places where I've had Masala Thosai.
It was a little more 'mashed-up' to put it one way. Most other places I went to had a more chunky texture to their masala where you can see the chunks of potato and carrots etc.

Make no mistake the masala was super tasty but it had more of a 'creamy' texture if I could put it that way.
And because I was so used to a more 'chunky' masala, my initial reaction was one of surprise.
But the more I think about it, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

I guess one of the main advantages of having it this mashed-up is that it's not too dry!

Coconut Chutney, Spicy Coconut Chutney & Sambar

Of course you'll the usual assorted accompaniments all of which were tasty.
In fact, my darling wife seldom has the coconut chutneys but even she was going for it!
Wash it down with a nice cool Lassi to finish off the meal!

Adam's Verdict:

Ghee Masala Paper Thosai 4.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:

Ghee Masala Paper Thosai 4/5

Well after years upon years of going to Komala Villas, I finally have another place to go.
And to be perfectly honest, it's been quite a long time since I went to Komala Villas for a meal so it would not be fair to compare the 2 right now.
Maybe I sense a Food Battle on the way yes? :)

Well whatever your taste may be - normal or paper, ghee or masala, egg or plain - I seriously recommend you try out this place if you have not yet done so.

But I'm sure you thosai lovers will agree with me on the next statement...

 If it doesn't have one of these... it ain't a thosai joint!

Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant

Blk 662 Buffalo Road
#01-16 (Opposite Tekka Market)

Operating Hours: 8.30am til 9.00pm daily





================================================
Updated 7 May 2013

Well it's looks like Sri Kamala Vilas has undergone a slight makeover!

They have renamed themselves to a simpler 'Kamala Restaurant'.
Not to worry, it's still at the same location. They've just done some minor renovations to clean up the place and make it a little more roomy.

And in case you were wondering, it's still Halal and the prices are still the same :)
In fact, I had another Ghee Masala Paper Thosai today and it seemed a little bigger! An absolute monster!

So head down soon and don't be shocked to see the new decor!