Ananda Bhavan : Oldest Indian Vegetarian Restaurant in Singapore

My trip to the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Singapore, Ananda Bhavan (since 1924), for their Putu Bola was futile when I discovered it was no longer on their menu. According to missuschewy post in 2011,  Putu Bola  was invented by the Putu Mayam sellers who had migrated to Singapore from India in the 1940s. It is moulded into the shape of a ball and usually consumed at breakfast.
 
Nevertheless, on the very least, we could not leave our stomach empty. So, we settled for their usual vegetarian fare like the Paper Thosai ($3.30). I liked Thosai rolled in this manner rather than being flat. It was not as paper crisp as it looks, slightly elastic but good with the various chutney sauces like dhal and tomato. The coconut chutney may not appeal to everyone but it was my favourite as it emits a light, mildly sweet aftertaste.

Nothing fantastic about the Prata $4.00. You can find better ones in many places.
 
 Their Mushroom Marsala above ($4.80) is similar the thosai but filled with mushroom, potato and onion curry. Perhaps should have ordered their Mysore Masala which looked spicier on the menu.
 

I must admit I know nothing much about indian sweets except for gulab jamun, kulfi. It took me ages to figure which items are the least sweet based on their appearances (self-service). I thought I would end up with many but eventually ended up with only 2 items.

 
The Milk Kova $1.40 is a South Indian sweet made of condensed milk, ghee, some yoghurt and sugar while the Chocolate Burfi  $1.40 is made with same ingredients but added with chocolate powder. Though some may say that they are just like chocolate fudge, I nearly had a sugar concussion after finishing both (the old folks stopped at one bite). At the same time, I was glad to only have picked 2 instead of say, 5.

I am not certain if this is really the true food standards of Ananda Bhavan because this Selegie outlet is not their main outlet. Service? Well, I was brushed off quite rudely by the impatient lady at the counter. But this shall not deter my quest for more tasty Indian food in Singapore.

Ananda Bhavan
221 Selegie Road
5 Outlets including Changi Airport Terminal 2 Viewing Mall
Full menu and catering information, etc on:
http://www.anandabhavan.com/

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