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Recently, I was curious about which food establishments had been newly included in the Michelin Guide. I did a Google search and one of them caught my eye: Rajarani Thosai at Tampines Round Market & Food Centre.
Upon research, I learnt that this stall is not just popular among thosai fans, it is also patronised by 2 famous figures: former President Halimah Yacob and Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli!
These findings made me more excited to visit this stall, so I decided to drop by Rajarani Thosai for breakfast with my colleague Aaron.
We started our meal with the Crispy Cereal Thosai (S$3.50), trying it without the dippings first. This was to savour the true flavour and texture of the base of the dish before it was elevated (hopefully!) by the aromatic dhal and chutneys.
At first look, the thosai appeared thin and crispy. In fact, it was so thin that we thought it was the plain one!
Upon our first bite, we were welcomed by the sweetness of the cereal. With thosai usually leaning towards the savoury side, this felt like a pleasant change! Texture-wise, I also enjoyed the crispness of the thosai’s edges and its soft inner surface.
However, when biting on the sides, I realised that the thosai tasted a bit plain without the cereal and anything else. That’s when we knew it was time to try the sauces.
First, we tried the coconut chutney, which felt grainy and had a savoury taste. Combined with the sweetness of the cereal, it achieved a harmonious and flavourful balance!
Second up was the masala chutney. After eating it, it takes a few seconds for the strong flavour of curry leaves to hit your tongue. This taste reminded me of the curry leaf taste in favourite salted egg chips, just a few times stronger.
While this flavour was just to my liking, as someone with extremely low spice tolerance, my nose started running after a few dips of this sauce.
If you are like me, you could try the dhal instead. Mixed with lentils and vegetables, this sauce is mildly spicy and suitable for those who enjoy spice but have a low spice tolerance.
For the adventurous, you may want to try the thosai with all 3 sauces together. We experimented with it, and it was a bomb of flavours!
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Next up was the Coconut Appam (S$2). Based on appearance, the appam’s beautiful lacy edges and soft, spongy-looking centre looked appetising, and I couldn’t wait to try it. I dug into the coconut appam, and it lived up to my expectations!
In terms of texture, I enjoyed the slight crispness of the appam’s sides and its slightly bouncy texture on the inside. The mild sweetness of the coconut appam was also perfect for me! However, if you lean towards stronger flavours, you may prefer to add the orange sugar to your appam.
Finally, we had the Masala Egg Onion Thosai (S$5). The sight of the thosai packed with potatoes, eggs and onion was mouthwatering. I was tempted to tuck into the thosai already, but we had to take photos first…
In contrast to the crispy cereal thosai, the masala egg onion thosai was more chewy with the egg and potato inside. Balancing this texture was the onion, which added a slight crunch and sweetness to the thosai!
Who Rajarani Thosai is best for
If you enjoy thosai and live in the East, or don’t mind travelling far for good food, Rajarani Thosai would be a great makan spot for you! For those who enjoy experimenting with a variety of flavours, this place will also leave you spoilt for options!
How to get there?
Tampines West MRT Station (DT31) is the closest to Rajarani Thosai. Head out from exit B, and walk for roughly 13 minutes.
Do we recommend Rajarani Thosai?
