Yesterday night was our second visit and as we entered the restaurant, the waiter who served us the first time actually remembered us, where we sat and what we ate. This was strange and very nice, especially since our first visit was more than two months ago!

Because we were lazy, we just asked for recommendations since the waiter did a pretty good job the last time. The only thing we added was the palek paneer (spinach and cheese - always a good combination).

I confess that I am no connoisseur of Indian food and don't know what benchmarks people use to gauge good Indian food. All I know is that both times, the tandoori chicken was juicy and had taste throughout the meat. I think chicken is the easiest thing to get wrong and can so easily be overcooked, stringey, tough and tasteless (which is why I am usually scared senseless when I have to eat chicken outside).

The Palek Paneer was creamy and yet light, with the cheese fluffy and subtle. We had a fish curry and another chicken curry as well. I clearly wasn't paying attention when the waiter gave their names, but both were good. The fish was silky and lightened the curry.

We ordered rabdi for dessert. I just don't get Indian desserts, find them very sweet and have never been able to find one I like. But that's just me....my husband gobbled up the rabdi.

I have eaten at a couple of Indian restaurants across town and I really do think that this place stands out for its ambience, food and service. They never pack a full house for some reason and it could be due to what the previous writer suggested - bad positioning and being relatively new. It would be a real shame if this place went away!

It's tough to run a successful restaurant. If the food is not good people won't go back, if the food is good but service is lousy, people won't go back. Yantra has excellent food and service, and also a tastefully decorated interior but still, business is so slow it's painful to watch. I know, because I pass by it everyday when I walk my dogs. The problem is, Yantra is hard to find. It's the most visible when you walk by it from the outside, in the walkway btwn Traders & Regent Hotel and Tanglin Mall, but very few people walk by that way. From inside Tanglin Mall, all you see is Yantra's well-appointed wine cellar, which makes people think that it's a wine shop.

It's a real shame because I absolutely loved the food both time I've been there. We first went for dinner shortly after they opened. Oddly, business was better that night than any subsequent nights I've passed by. Then last weekend we went for the lunch buffet and couldn't stop eating because everything was so amazingly good. What elevates Yantra's food and makes you want to pay the price as opposed to go to Sammy's curry is the delicacy and variety of flavors. We took some friends who don't even like Indian food for the lunch buffet and they ended up getting Yantra's business card to pass along to their friends.

Since our dinner was some time ago and the lunch buffet is what's fresh on my mind I'll re-cap the lunch ($38++):
There was a table of appetizers, including some really kick-ass chicken tikka and a dish of dry fried okra that I kept on going back to.
Another table had at least 7 or 8 different kinds of curry. I didn't/couldn't try them all but everything I did try was excellent, especially the paneer in black pepper sauce, Yantra lamb, and the vegetable curry.
There were about 4-5 kinds of desserts but I'm not a big fan of Indian desserts. I tried them all, but will skip dessert and get more curry next time.
Naans, whole wheat, butter, and plain, are made to order.
Buffet also includes certain soft drinks and lime juice.

The way things are going I don't know how long Yantra will stay open, so go now, today, before they fold. But hopefully, more people will hear about the place and give it a try. I hope to see a full-house some day when I walk by, because it'll be a shame if this place closes.

It was my wife's birthday and I decided to take her to Yantra following the execllent reviews posted here.

Earlier on i took note to order the recommended 'die die must try' dishes and also got the sommalier to recommend a french bordeaux to suit the dishes.

What can I say? every dish is amazing..the right amount of spices, nothing too overpowering that could take away the natural taste of meats and the gravy dishes were just delicious. The right balance of grilled/charred on the outside and juicy on the inside was evident in all the dishes and i must say that the smells are simply wonderful. BTW the tandoori promfet has been replaced by Sole but it was still excellent.

Ambience is very modern, cozy (great lighting) and best of all roomy. 10,000 sq ft splits the restautrant, the extensive wine cellar and a massive well stocked bar that boasts both an indoor and al fresco space. I asked, and the house pour vodka is Belvedere and JW Black label for Whiskey. These guys got taste and I aint complaining.

Everything was great but I must say that the service takes the cake.Literally. After the meal we decided to head to the bar al fresco to continue with the wine we had earlier. around 6 or more of the staff later came out wishing my wife a happy birthday and presented her with a fabulous warm brownie cake (complete with one lighted candle)with compliments from Yantra. the birthday date was complete. My wife was so delighted by everything that this place could offer and needless to say I got my brownie points as well.

Bravo and thank you to all the staff, your service coupled with the ambience and qualty of food made this one of the best dining experiences we had in a long time. You can be sure we'll spread the word.

Decorated quite unlike your traditional fine Indian restaurant, with a huge wine store to boot, and with its fair share of non-Indian wait staff, this doesn't look and feel like an Indian restaurant - but just wait and see!

I second Panerai's opinion - I've been to many an Indian restaurant - fine ones too - and Yantra impresses with its outstanding food, service and ambience!

I had the tandoori pomfret ($29++), jhinga goa curry ($32++), malai kofta ($18++), roomali roti ($8++) and butter naan ($6++), with one bottle of Italian red ($69++).

I wondered how they could pile all of this onto the table for 2. The answer came with the food - they apportion the food onto your dinner plate for you, and keep the rest off your table. How clever! And they know when to serve more at the right times too.

The whole pomfret was outstanding. I was truly impressed by the tandoori. For $29++, it seemed like very good value to me (who paid several times this in Grand Hyatt Dubai). The prawns (jhinga) too, they were fresh and impressively done in a Goan curry.

Service staff are unfailingly polite, pleasant and helpful. For example, when I asked for an opinion between the Italian red and a French Grenache-Syrah, I regret declining the offer by the waiter to consult the sommelier's opinion. He would probably have helped me to pick a better bottle of wine than the Italian red I picked, especially since there was such a big selection. Because of the wine shop it also runs, you can get wines at very reasonable prices.

As an aside, the wine store offers the same wines at good value prices if you take away! I left with 2 bottles of St Emilion on a subsequent visit.

Another hallmark of excellent service is when one waiter is assigned to lead service for your table. This common practice in some other countries is uncommon here. With the impressive service, I left a tip.

You can see pictures at its website under Gallery:
www.yantra.com.sg

On another visit, I sat outside where you get a table to yourself, facing the Regent and Traders, separated from the restaurant by glass doors. The set lunch was $38 nett price, which was very good value with one lime soda or soft drink thrown in. Loved it!

despite Panerai's recommendation we were nervous eating in a shopping centre - but they have done a great job of creating a funky, cool, laid-back atmosphere. excellent decor and lighting and a great open kitchen with big stoves where you can see the chefs at work.

the food is very very good - we ordered the veggie mezze for 2 which was huge and very tasty, then one curry, one dahl, one veg dish and 1 rice - for 2 of us. we couldnt eat it all as the starter was so big. the quality is amongst the best in singapore. wine glasses were immense and so wine servings appeared tiny - but the manager said they were standard.

tons of waiters and service was good - the manager was quite attentive and helpful.

there is a massive bar out back that looks nice - we will be back, ordering less food next time.