Arunachala Bhavan - authentic Indian restaurant in Race Course Road

Arunachala Bhavan serves traditional Indian food with a menu influenced by dishes from coastal regions of Southern India and rich flavours from the North. The restaurant in Race Course Road also stands out with its uniquely Singaporean menu section offering Indian Chinese food.

Arunachala Bhavan Restaurant in Race Course Road

There are many good Indian restaurants in Race Course Road. Our local Indian friends recently recommended Arunachala Bhavan and said that the dosa (or thosai/thosei) there is a must try.

The rustic in Race Course Road looks like a place where time has stood still for a few decades. There are no real interior decorations to speak of, though there are a few old paintings adorning the whitewashed walls. The dining area is small and compact, but there are more tables on the upper floor.

Menu of Arunachala Bhavan

Arunachala Bhavan is well known for their dosa and curries. However, they offer a wide range of food from fish head curry and prawn masala to tandoori and Sichuan noodles.

Some of the items available are on display like in a nasi padang stall or economic rice stall. The menu has many sections – including Northen Indian, Southern Indian, Briyani, Mutton and Seafood. There is Indian Chinese section with dishes such as garlic fried rice and chilli crab.

The menu can be viewed on the restaurant’s website (do note that the prices on the online menu might not have been updated). Below are pictures of a few pages of the menu we were shown at the restaurant.

Lunch at Arunachala Bhavan Restaurant

Lunch at Arunachala Bhavan Restaurant in Race Course Road started with the addictive papadum.

We ordered a Fish Meal ($11) and the recommended Rava Masala Dosa ($6.50) plus a few side dishes.

The Fish Meal was steamed rice and fish served on a banana leaf accompanied by rasam, buttermilk, curry and various other condiments. It was a basic meal with a myriad of flavours.

Dosa is a Southern Indian crepe made of flour, and Rava Dosa is made up of Rava (semolina), rice flour, and all-purpose flour (maida). Arunachala Bhavan’s Rava Onion Masala Dosa is stuffed with potato masala (a mixture of grounded spices) and onion. The dosa was slightly salty crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was slightly salty on its own. The onions provided sweetness and crunchiness. The potato masala was delectable. There were so many flavours, which could be combined in different ways, on that one dish.

The side dishes we had were Mutton Mysore ($11), Quail Egg Masala ($7), and Vegetables ($1.50 each). There were all very nice and helped made our meal an enjoyable one.

Insider’s Haunt

Arunachala Bhavan Restaurant in Race Course Road is a great place to experience a wide variety of Indian dishes. The prices are reasonable. We did not see tourists or foreigners at the restaurant. It would appear to be an insider’s haunt. People there seemed to be repeat customers who knew exactly what to order. That should be a good indication how those in the know would rate this authentic Indian restaurant in Race Course Road.