For 30 years, we have been visiting Samy’s several times a year, including on Deepavali for a deeper valley experience. Except for the superb fish head curry, the food is only average. However, the ambiance is vintage 70’s, and service is friendly and efficient. Prices are no longer low, but still reasonable, especially for the Dempsey area.
Who knew you could just ask for this? No one knows about this, I've never seen any other table with small cups like this
Anyway the best Rasam I've had. The depth of the ckn broth as well as the generous use of spices made each sip a flavour bomb. I had to take breaks by alternating w sips of lime juice
Must try, since it's free
Truthfully the mutton was a bit tough but thankfully it's cut into small pieces. However it's almost a non factor because of the synergy w the sauce, the sauce is cooked to almost a strong jammy texture with an incredible caramelised taste
It's also very, very spicy
Otherwise, if the texture of the mutton was good, this would also have been a must try
The squid was honestly ABIT chewy but the sauce was magical. It's got this super strong seafood umami, so much so that after finishing it I couldn't help but drink a few more spoonfuls.
If the squid was bouncy, this would have been a must try
Very ex but also very necessary to combat the generous heat of the dishes.
One of the better versions, it's very fruity and naturally sour without being overwhelming or too sweet
The white rice set is 4.5nett but I can't understand why anyone would pass on their biryani rice, it's very good
Anyway ckn curry was thick but meh, fish curry had a strong sourness and was deep. Dhal cabbage was lightly flavoured but still good.
Weekend only spiced potato was weak tho, very unfortunate
The Fish was very meaty and portions were good too. Creamy, rather thick curry with balanced spices and seasoning, quite family friendly. Just good, honest indian food, that's why theyve been open for so long
It's really a pain walking up, it's quite confusing due to the construction going on but follow citymapper closely. So i wont come back here for this but it's not hard to see why they have a loyal following, for ppl with car
Ya the rice was not bad, quite fluffy and well spiced. Fish curry and Ckn curry were normal, while the sides were delicious. The potatoes were soft and somehow the mild coating was very addictive. The cabbage was also doused in a great deal of sauce and it's honestly one of the best ive had in terms of flavour
really yummy and affordable!!!
order the fish head curry M size, mutton, sotong masala chicken and garlic naan. this feeds around 5 pax.
i basically just doused everything w the curry and it was great. the rice came w some potato and veggies as well.
the papadum was v crispy and fresh.
will return to try their butter chicken
Great place for groups! We love their Briyanni and Fishhead curry. Price point is alright, about $20/pax. Chicken masala is also a hit and considerably one of the most spicy dishes. Parking is quite challenging during peak hour.
This family restaurant has been in business since 1950, and at this Dempsey location since the 80’s. To its fans’ delight, it has recently been allowed to stay on, although many tenants in Blocks 15&16 have been invited out for redevelopment of the Tanglin Village area. Samy’s is a bit of a cult, with loyal customers, many of whom first came here as kids. The clientèle is largely Asian, and mainly local at that. The fish head curry is awesome. Other dishes are not the best Indian you can have in Singapore, but you come here mainly for the experience, and the fish head! To really savour the curry, eat with your fingers. Extraordinarily efficient service from friendly roaming wait staff, who can happily refill your needs in rice, pappadum, or vegs. The dishes, including the fish head curry, are served within ONE or TWO minutes after ordering! Prices are very reasonable. Don’t overindulge though - one look at the well-fed managers would tell you why you shouldn’t!
This family restaurant has been in business since 1950, and at this Dempsey location since the 80’s. To its fans’ delight, it has recently been allowed to stay on, although many tenants in Blocks 15&16 have been invited out for redevelopment of the Tanglin Village area. Samy’s is a bit of a cult, with loyal customers, many of whom first came here as kids. The clientèle is largely Asian, and mainly local at that. The fish head curry is awesome. Other dishes are not the best Indian you can have in Singapore, but you come here mainly for the experience, and the fish head! To really savour the curry, eat with your fingers. Extraordinarily efficient service from friendly roaming wait staff, who can happily refill your needs in rice, pappadum, or vegs. The dishes, including the fish head curry, are served within ONE or TWO minutes after ordering! Prices are very reasonable. Don’t overindulge though - one look at the well-fed managers would tell you why you shouldn’t!
After all these years, the banana leaf curry rice experience at this institution can still satisfy me like nobody’s business.
For my solo lunch, I had ordered the popular Masala Chicken ($5.90) and Black Squid (small: $9). Their respective spice paste and sauce were astonishingly good. For the former, I was served a huge piece of chicken breast with wing and drumlet still attached, so let’s be frank, the meat was bound to be a tad dry at its thickest point. To fix that, I shredded it up and mixed in a generous amount of the paste-rich, spicy gravy. Instantly, it became more shiok! I also liked that the squid was cooked just right - slightly chewy but not rubbery. The young gentleman at the payment counter told me that this dish, which features a savoury sauce studded with soft pieces of garlic, is what the staff recommends to customers who can’t handle spicy food. I think you ought to order it anyway because it is very appetising.
Eating off a large piece of banana leaf never fails to add to the pleasure of dining at Samy’s Curry. The two complimentary vegetables of dryish potato and a wet-style cabbage I got yesterday, were really aromatic and delicious too. On top of that, they are generous with their papadum.
In case you are wondering, my bill, inclusive of a fresh coconut, came to about $16.30. But my level of satisfaction was off-the-charts 😄
Cooked sliced squid till tender.
Savoury black sauce.
Grab some to go with the fluffy basmati rice!
Grilled! Fragrant!
Awesome size to share of course, fish meat easily tear away using forks.
Yummy!!
Shown here the small size!
The curry was cooked with lots of vegetables and spices.
Fish head was quite yummy! Filled with tender fish meat too.
One of the signature dish served in claypot.
Slightly sour lime juice in huge mug! Served chilled with ice cubes.
Chilled young coconut, refreshing coconut water inside.
Highly recommended!
Definitely tender each bite.
With hint of South Indian seasoning flavour.
Actually quite filling.
It all begins with this heap of fluffy basmati rice.
Curried vegetables scooped to the side.
Crispy papadum.
This family restaurant has been in business since 1950, and at this Dempsey location since the 80’s. It is a bit of a cult, with loyal customers, many of whom first came here as kids. The clientèle is largely Asian, and mainly local at that. The fish head curry is awesome, although at the last visit, I found it a bit too salty. Other dishes are not the best Indian you can get in Singapore, but you come here mainly for the experience, and the fish head! Efficient service from roaming wait staff, who can happily refill your needs in rice, pappadum, or vegs. Prices are very reasonable.
