Restaurant review: Lagnaa Barefoot Dining at Little India, Singapore

Last month, I met up with two of my old friends for dinner. One of them was leaving Singapore so it was a mini farewell of sorts. For the venue, we picked Lagnaa Barefoot Dining restaurant located in Little India.

The reason we picked this venue was because they offered the concept of barefoot dining and have the Michelin Bib Gourmand nod. 

At Lagnaa, you are invited to slip off your footwear, get comfy on the floor and partake in mouth-watering Indian fare. The barefoot dining concept is not new to those of us who grew up in an Indian household, especially a South Indian household where sitting on the floor cross legged and eating from a plantain leaf used to be a common if not everyday occurrence. But after moving away from the homeland, you tend to leave parts of your cultural habits behind. And so, we welcomed the idea of sitting barefeett on the floor and enjoying a meal together.

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, I hadn't been to Little India in an exceptionally long time. In fact, I was finding it hard to remember the last time I had been there. I happened to reach early so spent some time walking around and taking in all the familiar sights, sounds and smells. 

This a one-of-a-kind bistro is located at 6 Upper Dickson Road, an offshoot of Serangoon road. Look out for the chef statue out front and you will not miss it.

Lagnaa is housed in a white shop house which has a rustic dated look to it. There is invited graffiti on the white arch at the entrance done by happy customers. You will notice several hanging alcohol bottles flanking the entrance. 

Since I was one of the first patrons to arrive, the friendly manager Santhi joined me at an outdoor table for some light-hearted banter. I also spoke to the charming chef Kaesavan (K7), the founder and mastermind of Lagnaa who champions Indian cuisine and dares to be different. Lagnaa means "your essence" in Tamil. Chef Kaesavan is no stranger to the F&B industry. He spent years perfecting his recipes and techniques to create a dining experience around the six ayurvedic flavours of Indian cuisine: Sweet, spicy, bitter, salty, sour, astringent and chilli. He was disappointed to learn that we would be ordering only vegetarian food but we nonetheless had an illuminating chat about food 😊 I learnt more about the restaurant, the cuisine and the philosophy behind it. 

Once my friends arrived, we did the Safe Entry Check-In and showed our completed vaccination status. After that the three of us made our way upstairs. 

The ground floor is open (non-AC) and has a long and narrow configuration, a bright yellow accent wall and wooden tables and chairs providing a regular dining experience. 

The top floor is where the barefoot dining experience is and this space is fully air-conditioned. You are to leave your footwear at the bottom of the stairs. My advice is that if you have bad knees or are unable to sit on the floor for a prolonged duration then it is better you avoid this option. Also, remember to wear pants or a long dress or skirt for a more comfortable experience 😊

This level typically looks like the inside of a shophouse. With wooden floor and accents, white walls, mood lighting, warm tones, low tables and patterned cushions, the space has a more homely and inviting look. 

The menu has a good selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, both North-Indian and South-Indian. Know that you can choose your spice level —​ from 1 (for those who prefer it mild) to a​ 10 (for the hardcore chilli fans). Even if you are a self-confessed spice lover, you can’t just jump straight to the highest level. To get there, you have to start from level 1 and work your way up. Only those who pass level 6 get to proceed to the finale. Those who complete level 7 get food on the house. Those who complete level 3 and above will get a clothes peg with your name on it, pinned on the restaurant’s “Wall Of Fame”.  

And the chef runs a Chilli Challenge for those who dare to put their money where their mouth is. Finish a full portion of Level 10 Curry without the assistance of any yoghurt or milk based product and you could go home $10,000 richer! 

Are you tempted to try?? Not to deter you but I think it is my duty to mention that no one has done it before 😆

None of us were up for any kind of chilli challenge (living overseas will gradually dumb down your palate to spice) so we ordered a few items to share with moderate spice levels. My husband would have been a much better sport at attempting a chilli challenge so I made a mental note to bring him here. Keep in mind that they don't serve water at the table. You would need to go and get it yourself. Not a big deal for me but I obviously can't speak for everybody. 

Deepavali Special: Kalakand

Okay folks. I know this is super last minute. I really wanted to publish this blog post last weekend but I just wasn't able to. Well, better late than never is what I'm going to say in manner of consolation.

Kalakand is also called Indian Milk Cake. This is a rich melt-in-the mouth, sweet and creamy Indian dessert with nutty and floral hints and a pleasant grainy texture. 

This delectable sweet dish can be traced to Uttar Pradesh in India but has gained popularity in other states as well. The traditional way of making Kalakand is elaborate and time-consuming. The milk is curdled to get Indian cottage cheese (paneer) and mixed with sugar. This mixture is then cooked on medium heat till all the moisture evaporates and it attains a moist and grainy-crumbly consistency. In today's time, culinary short cuts are welcomed with open arms. The millennial generation has come up with an ingenious way to make this sweet dish in 30 minutes flat while still retaining the authentic taste and texture. 

I made Kalakand yesterday and it came out so well. My kids absolutely loved it. And I was surprised by how easy it was to make. It was the day before the eve of Deepavali and I had henna applied on one palm which hadn't dried completely so I literally made this Kalakand with one hand! 

I will definitely be making this addictive sweet dish more often so if not for anyone else, I need to document this recipe for myself.

I hope I have inspired you to make this this traditional sweet if you haven't attempted it yet. It just has 3 main ingredients and takes only 30 minutes of your time. Trust me you will love it.

Happy Deepavali. Wishing You Love & Light 💖💥

Halloween Special: Pumpkin Flan

You know I was going to title this post 'Fall or Autumn Special' but then I changed it because that term does not reflect the reality of those of us living in the tropics. Regrettably, we miss out on this beautiful transition of seasons. For us equatorial folks, the swathes of green foliage don't fade away into dazzling amber, maroon, gold and bronze hues. Green remains green and the weather remains hot and humid all year round. That being said, this season does see different varieties of pumpkin, squash and gourds flooding the markets (mostly imported 😄) and Halloween vibes kick in which help to liven things up a bit. 

This October, I'm bringing you a Halloween Special pumpkin dessert. Truth be told, I don't cook all that much with pumpkin or butternut squash so this is a recipe I am rather excited about. While on the subject of Halloween, the twins have had their costumes ready for over a month but with the current social restrictions, we don't know if there will be any scope for trick or treating 😕 We are keeping our fingers crossed! 

I'm assuming most people are familiar with flan. In case you aren't, flan is a dessert that is creamy in texture and has two distinct layers - a clear caramel layer and a custard layer. The basic ingredients in a flan recipe are eggs, milk, and sugar. This dessert is usually baked in a ramekin or circular pan that is placed in a water bath in the oven until set. When it is time to serve, the serving plate is placed face down on the ramekin, and then the ramekin is flipped upside down for the flan to slide on the serving plate with a runny amber caramel pooling all around it. This dessert is sometimes called Crème Caramel (a recipe that I have previously posted on the blog and is quite popular). You can have have so many varieties with this flan - cheese, coconut, rum, coffee, vanilla, chocolate, Dulce de Leche etc.

This flan is different because of the addition of pumpkin. I was browsing Instagram recently and my eyes were instantly drawn to this recipe that had been posted by feedfeed. It looked so good and I was surprised to see how simple the recipe was. The most tricky part in this recipe is making the caramel but once you do that, there is no other cooking involved. You chuck the rest of the ingredients in a blender, blend for a few seconds and add the mixture to the caramel coated ramekins and let the oven do its job. I made a mental note to try it out ASAP. Unfortunately, canned pumpkin purée is not something we get here readily so I had to make my own at home. Using the canned variety saves you about half an hour so if you get it then good for you.

My children LOVED this Pumpkin Flan. They ate it three days in a row until there were no more left. My husband and domestic helper gave their seal of approval too. I loved the smooth creamy texture, the perfume of the spices, the degree of sweetness that was just right and the fact that you could appreciate the subtle flavor of the pumpkin. This recipe is definitely here to stay.

I really hope you try this recipe. Refer to the notes below for tips and substitutions. 

This year I also made Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chip Bread for some friends. This is a recipe I've posted previously on the blog and it is a pretty good one. If you happen to have excess of pumpkin or squash, you can try it as well 😁

My kids LOVE Halloween. They have been dressing up and going trick or treating with their friends since they were three years old. And truth be told, I absolutely love dressing them up. So far we have covered all the easy costumes - witch, pirate, angel, princess, superhero, my little pony and mermaid. Methinks we need to start getting more creative in the coming years 😄

Happy Halloween in advance 👻

Play Areas, Butterfly Garden, Dog Run and more at Bukit Gombak Park, Singapore

New park alert!

I was so happy when I heard that Bukit Gombak park had opened to visitors. The area is not far from where we live and before the pandemic, we would frequent Home Team NS T-play which is in the same neighbourhood. Another nature park in the vicinity adds to the list of weekend outdoor activities to keep the kids occupied which is always a good thing. What's even better is that Whisk & Paddle has opened an outlet that sits right at the entrance of the park so I foresee yummy waffles & desserts in our near future 😊

Bukit Gombak Park is located along Bukit Batok West Avenue 5, opposite Bukit Batok Driving Centre. It is a 10-15 min walk from the Bukit Gombak MRT station. The main entrance is situated along Bukit Batok West Avenue 5. There are two approaches to the park – one from the HDB blocks at around block 394 and another from the Pavilion Park private estate which allow residents in the area easy access to the park.

The 4.8-hectare park is located on a hill and is part of a nature corridor connecting the Central Nature Park Network and the Tengah Forest Corridor in western Singapore. The park was created to provide surrounding residents with greater accessibility to green spaces and recreational facilities for families. 

With more than 1,500 trees, flowering plants, an inclined 400m-looped hill trek, butterfly garden, dog run, two areas with allotment gardens and elevated plots, a fitness area and two play areas for children, there is something for everybody.

It was a super bright Saturday and the sun was beating down on us relentlessly. The twins and I went up the inclined 400m-looped hill trek which included a flight of 108 steps, providing a panoramic view of the surrounding forest and greenery.