Singapore Vegetarian Philadelphia


Address:
Singapore Vegetarian

1006 Race St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Closed

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Singapore Vegetarian - Rapture in Philly

As we’ve said time and again, if people had even a modicum of sense they wouldn’t stuff their innards with meat.

Only animals gorge on animals.

Alas, bereft as most humans are of the elusive elixir of wisdom, they devour everything that comes their way.

Born as we were into an Indian community that abhorred meat, we took the carnivore road only in our late teens.

Now in the evening of our life wisdom is belatedly dawning on us. We’re starting to eschew meat and contentedly graze on vegetarian items during most outings.

In that meat-free spirit, we visited Singapore Vegetarian restaurant on Race St (at 10th St) in Philadelphia the other day.

Singapore Vegetarian Restaurant Entrance
Entrance of Singapore Vegetarian on Race St, Philadelphia
Plus, ever since we had Singapore Noodles at Tangra Masala on Grand Ave in Elmhurst, NY we have been scouting for a place nearby to try it again.

The other day as we were desultorily driving through Chinatown in Philadelphia, our eyes fell on Singapore Vegetarian restaurant on Race Street (between 11th St and 10th St).

We quickly checked the menu on our iPhone 4 and were delighted to see Singapore Noodles listed.

After a 15-minute struggle to find a parking spot nearby, we marched into Singapore Vegetarian.

When we entered the restaurant around 1:30 pm, the place wore a forlorn look.

With her head resolutely down, a young Asian waitress was chopping Broccoli crowns in a corner and the restaurant put out a slightly musty unwelcome odor.

But since when have Indians been put off by a bad smell.

We were also puzzled at the empty tables and wondered if we’d made a mistake.

But being the adventurous sort willing to try anything most things in life, we settled our derriere at a table.

A wise decision, folks.

For much of what we savored at Singapore Vegetarian restaurant turned out to be delicious fare. And a welcome change from the Indian greasy spoons.

As a bonus, the tasty food at Singapore Vegetarian is accompanied by an element rare at most Indian restaurants in Philly/NJ/NYC – Professional and friendly service.

A lot of Indian restaurant staff give the cold shoulder to desi diners but display a shameless eagerness to deep-throat Whites.

But we encountered no such step-motherly treatment at Singapore Vegetarian.

Au contraire, the service couldn’t be better.

Crisp, Hot Beginning

As we plonked ourselves at a table, the young Broccoli chopping waitress filled our water glasses and got us a bowl of Crisp Noodles with Red Chilli Sauce, Mustard and Duck Sauce and a kettle of piping hot black tea.

Singapore Vegetarian Philadelphia Tea
Hot Tea at Singapore Vegetarian

True to their name, the Crisp Noodles were crispy in texture and tasty too. Red Chilli sauce and Mustard added a sexy hot allure to the Crisp Noodles.

By the way, for some reason this appetizer reminded us of the South Indian savory Muruku.

Singapore Vegetarian Crisp Noodles with Mustard & Duck Sauce
Crisp Noodles with Mustard & Duck Sauce

Lunch Specials

Singapore Vegetarian restaurant offers lunch specials Monday-Saturday for $7.50.

Lunch specials include a choice of soup, Jasmine Rice, steamed Dumpling, crisp Samosa, Veggie Spring Roll and the choice of an entree.

While nibbling on crisp Noodles and sipping hot black tea, we placed our order of Singapore Rice Noodles ($6.95), Vegetable Tempura ($7.50), Vegetarian Delight($7.50) with Tofu for main course and Coconut Milkshake ($3.00) for cold drinks.

For soups, we picked Miso and mock Shark Fin soups.

Our Miso and ‘Shark Fin’ soups came within six minutes followed by Vegetable Tempura, Vegetable Delight with Tofu, Singapore Rice Noodles and Coconut Milk Shake.

Singapore Vegetarian Soups

With a slightly thick texture, the Soy sauce colored ‘Shark Fin’ soup included Tofu and Gluten.

No complaints folks.

The Shark Fin soup was hot (temperature-wise) and quickly dispatched by yours ‘famished’ truly.

Singapore Vegetarian Shark Fin Soup
Hot ‘Shark Fin’ Soup with Gluten & Tofu

Miso Soup was a thin watery affair with tofu, lettuce and grated carrot.

It came piping hot to the table and we had no issues with it.

Singapore Vegetarian Miso Soup
Hot Miso Soup with Lettuce & Tofu

Singapore Vegetarian Appetizers

Veggie Spring roll with a filling of cabbage was crisp and hot.

Malaysian Crisp Samosa a.k.a Curry Dumpling was also crisp with Potato Curry filling inside. The shape of the Curry Dumpling reminded us of the Kajjikayalu we used to eat back home in India during festivals.

Steamed Dumpling looked similar to Kadubu prepared during Ganesh Festival in South India. The leek stuffing inside the steamed dumplings was tasty and we relished the appetizer thoroughly by repeatedly dipping it in the red chilly sauce.

Vegetable Delight with Tofu

Vegetable Delight with Tofu was a delightful adventure for our taste buds.

With a spicy Soy Sauce base, Vegetable Delight with Tofu included fried Tofu, Broccoli crowns, Snow Peas, Cucumber, Tomato and sliced Carrots.

It came with a small serving size of hot Jasmine Rice.

Singapore Vegetarian Delight With Tofu
Vegetarian Delight with Tofu, Crisp Samosa, Spring Roll & Dumpling

Vegetable Tempura

Vegetable Tempura included five pieces of Cauliflower, Cucumber, Carrot, Tofu fritters or Pakoras with Broccoli Crowns, Jasmine Rice and Hoisin Sauce/Plum Sauce on the side.

We can’t remember if we’d had Plum Sauce in the past but, man, it was good. Strongly recommended.

While we enjoyed the Vegetable Tempura, they were not as spicy as the Indian Pakoras.

But the Red Chilli, Hoisin and Mustard sauces on the table amply compensated on the spice angle.

Singapore Vegetarian Vegetable Tempura
Vegetable Tempura with Crisp Samosa, Spring Roll, Dumpling

Singapore Rice Noodles

While we had no complaints about Vegetable Delight with Tofu and Vegetable Tempura what titillated our taste buds the most was the Singapore Rice Noodles.

Singapore Vegetarian Sinapore Noodles
Spicy Singapore Noodles

The thin crisp rice noodles with gluten, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper vegetables was exceptionally good and anon we attained nirvana.

It was spicy but not obscenely so.

For $6.95 the serving size was sumptuous and to pander to our lusty Indian appetite for spicy stuff we added a spoon of oil from the cup of Red Chilly sauce.

Yummy!

Delicious Coconut Milkshake

As we were playing around with the sauces we noticed Coconut Milk Shake listed on the beverages menu card sitting on the table.

Singapore Vegetarian Coconut Milkshake
Delicious Coconut Milkshake

Being in an experimental mood, we promptly called out for a glass of Coconut Milkshake.

Singapore Vegetarian’s Coconut Milkshake was thick, ice-cold and came in a large glass with just two small cubes of ice.

Man, it was thick and delicious.

Must be what Sonam Kapoor and Jennifer Lawrence drink every day.

Professional, Friendly Service

Our order was taken promptly and all our items soups, entrees arrived one after another.

As we were having soup, Singapore Vegetarian’s Malaysian owner Peter walked in like a fresh breeze. He explained the names of all appetizers, ingredients used and the Indian connection.

Peter, a Malaysian American, has been running Singapore Vegetarian for the last 21 years.

Unlike the staff at Indian restaurants, Peter is a friendly soul and went out of his way to make diners comfortable. We saw him exchanging pleasantries with other diners as well.

Hey, Peter even wished us Happy Diwali in advance for 2012 as we were leaving.

Singapore Vegetarian Owner Peter
Peter – the Malaysian owner of Singapore Vegetarian

Singapore Vegetarian Rating

Folks, Singapore Vegetarian on Race Street in Chinatown area of Philadelphia offers divine Vegetarian fare for bargain rates.

Sure, the restaurant’s carpet needs a little shampoo and the overall ambiance is a little drab.

But the lunch offerings are delicious, come in sumptuous serving size, are reasonably priced and topped off with friendly service.

We couldn’t ask for more.

PhillyIndia.us recommends Singapore Vegetarian to both herbivores and carnivores in Philadelphia and New Castle County in Delaware.

As for us, we can’t wait to return to Singapore Vegetarian to gorge on its fine Singapore Rice Noodles, sip its divine Coconut Milkshake and sample the so many other items on its long menu (130-items).

- © PhillyIndia.us

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