Samy's Curry

Samy's Curry is a family-run Indian restaurant at 25 Dempsey Road, in the leafy Dempsey Hill area. It serves South and North Indian food, and meals come on a large banana leaf in the South Indian way. Its best-known dish is fish head curry.

The late M. Veerasamy started the business in the 1960s. He came from southern India and first cooked for Indian merchants in Singapore. When his food became popular with neighbours, he opened a stall on Tank Road and later moved to Pearl's Hill. In the 1970s he moved to Dempsey Road to open a bigger restaurant. The family has run it there ever since.

What to order

Start with the fish head curry, which the restaurant treats as its signature. A whole fish head is cooked in a rich, spicy curry, and it is meant for sharing.

Some of the founder's own recipes are still served, including masala chicken and Mysore mutton. Other dishes that reviewers like include butter chicken, curry mutton, cauliflower 65 and garlic naan.

An order of white rice comes on a banana leaf with vegetable dhal and long beans, and the rice is free-flow. A glass of calamansi juice helps cool things down.

The setting

The restaurant fills a heritage colonial building on Dempsey Hill. It is open-air, with ceiling fans, simple shared tables and plenty of greenery around it. The feel is closer to an old-school canteen than to the polished restaurants nearby, and that is part of its charm.

Many diners eat with their right hand, as is the custom with banana leaf meals, but cutlery is fine too. Bring wet wipes if you plan to use your hands.

Good to know before you go

• Booking: you can reserve through the restaurant's website, or by phone or email.
• Timing: it serves lunch and dinner but not all day, so check the website before you set off.
• Vegetables: meat-free dishes include dhal and cauliflower 65.
• Catering: the restaurant also caters for events.

Getting there

The closest MRT station is Napier, on the Thomson-East Coast Line, about 15 minutes away on foot. The restaurant's website says it is about five minutes from Orchard Road, which means by car or taxi rather than on foot.

Nearby

Dempsey Hill is full of restaurants and bars in old low-rise buildings. Read our page on Dempsey Hill, and pair lunch with a visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. For a smarter dinner, Burnt Ends is on the same road. Browse more Indian restaurants and all restaurants in Dempsey, Tanglin and Holland. Our guide to how a banana leaf meal works explains the custom.