My husband and I and another couple wandered into Queen Tandoor on a Sunday evening after strolling through Robertson Quay looking for somewhere appealing to eat.

Usually I’m not inclined to drop in on a restaurant without reading the reviews first. But, we were hungry and Indian sounded yummy so we took a chance.

The first thing I liked about the restaurant was the ability to dine out in the lovely courtyard, either under the alcove or under the open sky. Yes, that feature is plentiful in Singapore, but for some reason, not as plentiful if you want to dine Indian.

The second thing was the extensive menu offering lots of choice between both Tandoori and Curry dishes. We had quite a time deciding.

But the most important aspect of the restaurant was of course the food. And it was quite good. The flavors were not as refined as say, Vansh, but the dishes were perfectly yummy and the portions were larger.

We started with samosas both vegetable and mutton. They were great. Flavorful and non-greasy.

For the mains we ordered:
Fish Goa Curry (Fish in a hot yellow curry)
Maharasi Lamb Curry (Lamb curry in a tomato/onion/coconut broth)
Chicken Jaffra (chicken with yogurt and tomato)
Chicken Hyderabadi (chicken in a spinach curry)
An okra curry that I can’t recall the name of
Plenty of naan and roti

As I said, we ate every bite with not one complaint and were absolutely satisfied.

The servers were nice and attentive. My one complaint – and I fear I have to voice it all too often – is that the server tried to empty the wine bottle in one pass. I politely explained to him that wine is meant to be savored, not swilled and that you never want to pour above the widest part of the glass. He seemed to get the point.

In short, while this might not be the place for special occasions or fine Indian dining (like say, Song of India or Vansh) if you want a nice Indian meal in a lovely courtyard setting this would be a good choice. We’ll definitely be back.

This is apparently a Indian/fusion joint down in the courtyard of Robertson Walk. The menu of the place separates itself into Indian and Fusion and the latter comprises of cuisine that's Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese. I didn't note anything particularly Japanese about the menu, and the rest of the fusion portion didn't really look anything different from what you can find in Peranakan food. Opting for the Indian menu is really a no brainer and despite it being quite run of the mill in terms of options, it turned out pretty good. One thing I've gotta complain though is that the papadums turn out soft which is really really a prelude to bad initial impressions under normal circumstances because it probably means that they've been hanging around for pretty long with no one to eat them. The mint yoghurt dip also comes with much to much of coriander and you probably know already what I think about them.

This place does a very decent fish and lamb (in flavorful creamy curry sauces that probably rings cholesterol bells) with an exceptional note to the palek paneer which comes lighter on the tongue and with a more buttery taste. With personal preferences in mind, that scores extra marks. The cheese naan offered in this place happens to be also what I think to be of very decent standards and is served freshly warm.

I have some reservations about the mutton handi being cooked in clay pots as opposed to being just served in a clay pot. It was still on the whole, enjoyable with tender pieces of mutton. The fish makhanwala are chunks of firm white fish(I don't know what kind) in a creamy, tangy and spicy sauce which comes very satisfying when you have them hot as soon as they're served. Dinner for two at this place comes at a little below $60, which I think is pretty reasonable for the food at that location.

Pics and original writeup

While admiring the full moon, we decided to indulge on Indian food and Kingfishers. This place was full but the amazing staff immediately arranged a new table for us to enjoy dining al fresco.

The food here is good but expensive. We enjoyed the mutter paneer and chicken tikka which were rich and very good. The shrimp curry was delicious but there were barely 8 pieces of prawns for the both of us.

We were amazed by the service here. I've noticed how we locals here are quick to slam foreign service staff but tonight we felt pampered by the all-Indian crew. Our waters/beers were promptly served with a smile and our requests were quickly attended too. While the malingering waiters in the other outlets in this square seemed too busy chatting to provide any service.

May return for their lunch buffet which appears to be a good deal!

CORRECTION (1 July 2007) - walked past the place on the way to Brasserie Wolf - the set lunch is $13.90 not $15.90. About $20 a head once you order some drinks.
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Original review:

The 10 of us decided to have a company lunch but wanted a no-pork place that was inexpensive. So we crossed the road from UE2 to try this. The set lunch is only $15.90 (or was it $16.90) and you have a choice or a staple (Rice, naan) and a dish (e.g. meat or veg curry, tandoor items but they also have fusion chinese-style stir fried items). You also get a soup and dessert and coffee/tea.

We also ordered some Malai Kebab to share.

Ambience was great.

Service was quite good

Food - Very average, I must say. Everything was OK but nothing great. The malai kebab was dissappointingly dry and rather bland.