I've passed this way many times but if not for Jason and Alex, I would never have known the good food inside Fakruddin Restaurant at Desker Road. The restaurant is barebones, and the food is not cheap even by Singapore standards e.g. kacchi briyani costs $13 a serving but Fakruddin is one of the go to places for Bangladeshis in Singapore for a taste of home.
The shop front really doesn't provide much clues about the good food inside 😬 So, it remains a hidden gem but open secret of Bangladeshis living in Singapore.
The decor is non-existent, furnishing is spartan, the space doubles up as storeroom, but it is clean. Still, I wouldn't advice you to bring your first date here 😬
The food in the display weren't photogenic. But, Jason and Alex showed us some really delicious dishes and an amazing beverage.
The menu is simple in that they have only 4 dishes, #5 Borhani is a drink (my favourite thing here).
- Kacchi briyani - Bengali style briyani
- Morog polau - cockerel and rice
- Polau and roast - Rice and roast chicken
- Chicken roast - Roast chicken and curry
- Borhani - spiced yogurt.
Chef came out from the kitchen to check what was this noisy, nosey bunch 😬
Fakruddin's signature is Kacchi Briyani which is a form of dum briyani where marinated raw meat and grains are cooked together. This Bangladeshi briyani has a taste profile unlike any of the Indian briyani that I have tasted so far, and I enjoyed it.
Unlike Indian briyani, the mound of grains smothering the meat underneath was a mix of lentils and average quality short grain rice (not basmati). The mix of grains gave the dish a layered soft-tender texture and subtle sweet flavour. The spice flavour was mild and the fluffy grains were not greasy (unlike Indian briyani where spice flavour can be assertive while the rice sometimes wet and greasy.) The taste profile is unlike Indian briyani - I like it but you have to try it for yourself, if it is also for you.
The mutton was a mix of meaty and bony pieces. Generally stiff and chewy. The tendons were sinewy. Spice flavour was mild and there was a lamb gaminess in the meat. Despite all these, I actually enjoyed the taste and smell of the mutton.
Chicken Roast. The chicken was tender but it was the curry that got all my attention. It was rich with a complex blend of spices, full flavoured, yet mild enough for me to enjoy many spoonfuls of it neat. I believe it would work really well when slathered onto the kacchi briyani but I didn't try that myself.
Another dish, another curry. It's deep fried hard boiled eggs. The curry was also nice and rich with a different taste profile from the chicken curry. Both were delicious! but a bit greasy.
Tikiya Kabab are beef and dhal patties cooked by deep frying. Not much beef but I like it, since I already had so much meat with the kacchi briyani.
Jilapi (also known as jalebi). Deep fried dough coated and filled with sweet syrup. I enjoyed this sweet snack too.
Last but not least, the Borhani.
It's a chilled lassi but the Bangladeshi way. Its yogurt with spices (e.g. mustard seed), green chili, mint and coriander in the blend. I was mind blown by the totally unexpected flavour and aroma.
Yogurt is yogurt mah....no meh? No!
This is Borhani!
There's the tangy, savoury taste in the creamy yogurt then there's spices and the refreshing green taste and fragrance of mint and coriander (my favourite aromatics). The mildly spicy green chili added delightful heat to the concoction.
I was smitten right away and asked for another cup. At $3 a cup, it's an earthly pleasure I can indulge in very often (like a good coffee).
Next time I am near Desker Road, I don't believe I can resist getting a cup of borhani.
We have so much more to discover in Little Bangladesh. Thanks to my Desker Road kakis - great company and I enjoyed some fascinating new cuisine in Singapore.
There are many more hidden gems I need to uncover in Little Bangladesh. This is the daytime edition, which of course, is also a work in progress 👈 click
Written by Tony Boey on 31 May 2022
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