Anjappar Breakfast Menu

Not in the early morning sense. No separate breakfast menu turned up in any Singapore menu, guide or listing we checked, and the opening hours tell the same story: Chope lists 11:30am to 10:30pm daily for Race Course Road, while another listing gives 11am to midnight for the Syed Alwi Road outlet. Either way, you are looking at a late morning start, not a 7am tiffin run. The good news is that tiffin items are served from opening, so an 11:30am idly and filter coffee is a perfectly good breakfast, just a late one.

Tiffin is the South Indian morning canon, and Anjappar’s card covers it well. Idly is the lightest start: soft steamed rice cakes with sambar and chutneys. Idiyappam (string hoppers) with kurma and coconut milk is the gentle alternative. Dosa runs from plain to masala to ghee podi, kal dosa is the soft thick pancake for people who find crisp dosa too much in the morning, and uthappam is the thick fluffy pancake with onion, egg or tomato capsicum on top.

All tiffin prices here are January 2018 Eatigo menu figures, flagged as dated, since no current official Singapore price list was found. Today’s counter prices will differ.

Keep it small and warm. Idly with sambar is the classic light start, gentle on the stomach and easy to finish. Uthappam with onion is the step up if you want something with a bit more bite but still soft. Add a filter coffee and you have a complete morning meal for not much money, at least by 2018 prices: idly at $5.50 plus filter coffee at $3.50 came to $9 back then. Buttermilk at $4 (2018) is the cooler alternative if coffee is not your morning drink.

Some mornings need more than idly. Masala dosa is the hearty classic, crisp outside and potato masala inside. Egg dosa adds protein and pepper, and kheema dosa (chicken $9 or mutton $10 in 2018) is the full meal version, minced meat masala folded into the pancake. Parotta with curry is the other hearty route, and chicken kothu parotta at $9 (2018) is the one to order when you want something filling and a bit noisy on the griddle. Finish with filter coffee, always.

Filter coffee is the non-negotiable one: strong, frothy, served the traditional way, and the drink that turns tiffin into breakfast. Masala tea and ginger tea are the gentler hot options, both listed at $3.50 to $4 in 2018. Lassi (sweet or salt at $5.50, mango at $6.50 in 2018) works when you want something cold and filling, and fresh lime juice at $4.50 (2018) is the light, sharp pairing for a heavier dosa.

Weekends run on the same listed hours, so plan for a late morning arrival, not an early one. Get there near opening (around 11:30am at Race Course Road) to beat the lunch crowd, order tiffin first while the griddle is fresh, then move to curries or biriyani if the group is still hungry. A family dosa ($11 in 2018) is the sharing move for a weekend table, and a round of filter coffees closes it properly. If you are coming from outside Little India, check the hours for your outlet before you travel, since listings differ between 11am and 11:30am openings.