The Apolo Chicken briyani is a hit.

The basmati rice is tinted with yellow and fragrant, the grains fluffy and firm. The chicken however, came in the form of a dry mini-drumstick prepared to a bitter crisp and it was hard to chew through the stiff meat. The red showing where the black "chow-da" bits have not covered is surprisingly tasteless. Perhaps the taste is covered by the balck cloaky bits that suggests the chicken was overbaked. It is claimed to be baked in a taandoori oven.However, the rice is definately the best I ever tasted so kudos to that.

A special feature of this restaurant, which has two branches in Little India Arcade and on Race Course Road, is as its name suggests, serves food on fresh banana leaves. I find this idea quite interesting and a plus is that you do not have to worry about dirty plates. The leaves are not reused but are then recycled.

The lime juice also left a lasting impression on me. It was undiluted unlike coffeeshop versions and tastes just like to home made boiled and then chilled version. Lime pulp could be seen on the surface and it was the best way to quench your thirst on a hot day.

However, all this premium food comes at a price- the lime juice costs an alarming $2 and the briyani at $7. Definately not for casual dining and sadly, creates quite a hole in the pocket if you just want to eat and go.