There’s no preventing the pong of oil and fried dough clinging to your clothes the moment you step into this grungy shophouse unit. But it’s well worth the smell. Singapore Zam Zam has been serving up its biryani (from $8) and murtabak (from $7) for well over a century, so you can be pretty much assured of getting the legit stuff.
Zam Zam – its name refers to ‘holy water’ in Arabic – has been an institution in the Kampong Gelam neighbourhood since the Kerala-born Abdul Kadir opened the restaurant there in 1908. The recipes have largely remained unchanged and are great for an indulgence.
So, forget your diet and go for the mutton murtabak with a side of fish curry. It’s crispy on the edges and has more folds than an origami crane within which you’ll find layers of onions, eggs and meat. If it’s biryani you’re after, Zam Zam makes its version of Hyderabadi dum style: the meat is cooked together with the orange-flecked basmati, which makes the rice that much more fragrant.