Chettinad King is a South Indian restaurant in the Chettinad tradition at 546A Serangoon North Ave 3 in Serangoon, Singapore, rated a strong 4.7 on Google.
Chettinad cooking comes from the merchant region of Tamil Nadu and is known for masalas roasted and ground fresh in the kitchen — black pepper, fennel, star anise and the lichen called kalpasi — so the heat arrives layered and fragrant rather than purely hot. Dishes worth knowing on any such menu include chicken Chettinad, pepper-heavy kuzhambu gravies, and appam or idiyappam to scoop them with. Most kitchens will temper the spice if you ask, and a side of curd or ghee rice cools the fiercer curries.
For a proper taste of Tamil Nadu without the trip down to Little India, Chettinad King sits handy on Serangoon North Ave 3.