The Banana Leaf Apolo

The Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant was established in 1974 by Chellappan Sankaranathan. It is renowned for serving food on banana leaves and for its fish head curry. 

Sankaranathan worked as a cook for P Govindasamy Pillai. Sankaranathan’s son Chellappan, learned cooking skills from his father and, after initially running a small dosa shop, established The Banana Leaf Apolo in 1974 at 24, Cuff Road. He named the restaurant after the success of the Apollo 11 spacecraft in 1969, which sent a man to the moon, hoping that his business would achieve similar access, and uphold the tradition of South Indians eating on banana leaves. The business thrived, and in 1983, it relocated to 54, Race Course Road.

In the early days, the restaurant primarily served South Indian cuisine. Over time, it expanded its offerings to include various types of cuisine such as North Indian, Indian-Chinese, and South East Asian foods. However, in keeping with South Indian tradition, all dishes are served on banana leaves. Claypots are used for fish head curry while copper ones are employed for many other dishes. The business continued to expand, first to the Little India Arcade shopping mall, then to Downtown East, Sixth Avenue and Rivervale Mall in 2020.

The Little India Arcade branch, which had to be temporarily closed due to staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, underwent a significant renovation. At a cost of two million dollars, it reopened in 2023 as a modern 350-seat restaurant named Apolo's Food Village. The revamped establishment offers over 600 dishes, including vegan and gluten-free options and features a bar. Sankaranathan, the founder's son, currently manages the restaurant, with his children also actively involved in the business. It is noteworthy that Sankaranathan’s brother Muthu Ayyakannu was the one who founded the famous Muthu’s Curry restaurant.

In 2018, The Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant received the Bronze award for Best Asian Restaurants. Additionally, as part of the Street Corner Heritage Galleries Scheme initiative—a community partnership led by the National Heritage Board —The Banana Leaf Apolo was selected as one of the eight heritage institutions in the Little India area in 2022.



For more information
“About Us”. The Banana Leaf Apolo. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://thebananaleafapolo.oddle.me/en_SG/
“Fish head curry heirs from Banana Leaf Apolo and Muthu’s Curry move in new directions,” The Straits Times, 8 April 2023. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/fish-head-curry-heirs-from-banana-leaf-apolo-and-muthu-s-curry-move-in-new-directions

தமிழில் வாசிக்க

Return to home page

About the Encyclopedia

The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.