It’s not often that we can’t locate a restaurant in Clarke Quay. Still, we managed to walk by Ras three times before noticing its signboard—which oddly faced away from the walkway. Feeling adventurous, we took our seats at the new(ish) pods along the riverfront—despite the midday heat. Once on the wooden decks, we appreciated how good our vantage point was for observing passing tourists.
For starters, we had the paneer pakora (homemade cottage cheese deep fried in batter). It was decent enough, with the delicately spiced crispy batter getting our thumbs up. The appetizer of tandoor roasted banjara kebab, served sizzling on a hotplate, was heavenly. The morsels of chicken were moist, succulent and infused with the flavors of the spice-yogurt marinade. The cucumber raita was the usual refreshing mix of chopped cucumber in yogurt, spiced with cumin and garnished with coriander.
We practically cheered at the arrival of the chicken kachhi mirchi (chicken with green chili and cashew nut paste), anticipating a gloriously fiery experience that the chili symbol on the menu hinted at. Alas, although the dish was tasty and tangy enough to please the palate, it did not contain any cashew flavor or, most sadly for us, live up to its purported spiciness. The butter naan that we mopped the sauce up with was curiously akin to roti prata (and we know our flatbreads), although it did taste good.
To indulge our sweet teeth, we ordered gulab jamun. The milk dumplings, served warm in syrup, were positively delicious and absolutely delicious.
The service staff were impeccably courteous throughout, and our parting suggestion to the waiter (about placing the restaurant’s sign in a more prominent place) was entertained with great courtesy and openness, as he thanked us sincerely for our feedback.
Why spend your midday meals on uninspired hawker or fast food when Clarke Quay offers some of the best Executive Set Lunch promotions in town? Here’s a list of the best lunch promotions at Clarke Quay, from $15-35.
