Tucked away in Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre, Tandoor is the city’s grande dame of Indian cuisine, having held court there for over 30 years. Its elegant interiors are clad in shades of gold, silver and orange, with beautifully lit pillars and glossy floors.

Many dishes here are cooked slowly to coax the best flavours out of its ingredients. These include the khusk tandoori rhaan, leg of lamb spiced with rum and pot-roasted in a stock infused with cumin, cardamom, peppercorns and bay leaves. Another tandoori signature, tamatar ki champ, sees lamb marinated in smoked Spanish tomatoes anda melange of spices to imbue the meat with deliciously robust flavour.

Jumbo prawns are spiced Szechuan-Indian style in the Tandoori Jhinga, while tawa meen, a Punjabi classic, presents spiced fish wrapped in banana leaves and grilled before it is served in a fragrant curry. Lobster is also cooked in the tandoor, swathed in a creamy marinade.

Vegetarian options abound. Inspired by a local Mangalore’s recipe, Tandoor’s mango curry is a uniquely creamy-tangy medley of sweet and sour flavours perfumed with the scent of mangoes. There is also lahsooni palak, fresh spinach simmered in garlic, onion and tomatoes.

The sweet-toothed will find satisfaction in desserts such as pistachio and saffron kulfi; and gulkand rasmalai, a delicious dessert of cottage cheese dumplings soaked in cardamom and rose-flavoured milk. Set menus are offered at weekday lunch, dinner and for Sunday brunch. The latter is extremely popular, so reservations are highly recommended.