The social cohesion ballad in Little India's buzziest new restaurant

The humble Erode Amman Mess, with its sub-regional Tamil cuisine, has the potential to become a 'usual place' bridging cultural divides — more than just a spot to eat.

- Bhavan Jaipragas

Everyone must have a dining spot that, to them, is more than just a place for food — a gathering spot, a signifier of your identity or values, a place where, even if you might not know the other patrons, you feel you are dining with extended family.

If asked, even today, I would reflexively name the nondescript Chongqing noodle restaurant, Yu, in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay.

Introduced to me by a feisty Chongqing-born colleague in my early days working in Hong Kong, the spot quickly became my "usual place".

The food was authentic — the Chongqing native attested to it (and sternly reminded me that Chongqing and Sichuan fare is distinct) — and my burning lips always confirmed it. The comfort of the food and the familiarity of the service staff made it feel like my dining room away from home.

Serving niche mainland Chinese cuisine, it seemed to self-select its clientele; I assume that to enjoy the experience, one had to be, at the very least, not a nativist or parochial soul, but someone who appreciated the diversity that mainland Chinese culture and food brought to Hong Kong. Many serious conversations were had there, including, for me, the decision to take this job at this newspaper.

In foodie heaven Singapore, each of us surely must have one of these places — institutions, for want of a better word. I think of Samy's Curry Restaurant in Dempsey Hill: the establishment that gets such a description frequently.

It is an Indian restaurant with wide multiracial appeal, cherished for its fiery curries and breezy environs — a favourite of this country's cognoscenti.

You'll spot former grandees of all sorts here — from government to business — and kaypohs with keen ears will inevitably overhear the unspooling of political discussions. You can sit here and ruminate about Singapore society, witnessing the cross-pollination of different groups in action.

THALI THOUGHTS