There’s chef Gaggan Anand absent-mindedly lumbering in from a thunderstorm, his oversized T-shirt soaked to the bone and creased after a flight. It’s catnip for an appreciative media that eagerly laps up the irreverent rockstar chef trope.
The celebrity chef’s in town to inaugurate the first overseas outpost of Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh — a kitschy concept marketed around the union between a Mexican lady and Indian gentleman.
In some respects, the celebrity chef’s cult of personality can overshadow his craft. There are entertaining distractions aplenty at the narrow restaurant in Craig Road, from tongue-in-cheek neon signs to feathery fronds swaying in the wind. But why visit a Gaggan brainchild, if not to have your senses assaulted.
Multi-coloured corn chips served with a piquant array of pickles, and the chef’s signature Papdi Chat — an Indian street snack with yoghurt wobbling atop a crisp fried puri — bear testament to how the buzzy restaurant lays conversation pieces on thick. Here, Mexican and Indian spices are well interspersed without jarring the palate.
But we’re more partial to the mains, including Gaggan’s Crab Curry — infused with a natural sweetness from plump crustacean — and the Patrani Fish Tamale of roasted Barramundi fillet rubbed with patrani masala, whose subtly spiced and flaky fish invokes a pre-processed otah.
The latter is parcelled within roasted banana leaves that are slowly unwrapped, an unnecessary flourish if we’re to be honest. Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh’s mild curries and mains rest comfortably on a fluffy bed of biryani; order the vegetarian option that’s beautifully flavoured with deep-fried shallots and juicy fattened raisins.
Mains could be more substantial, considering the sharing portions and casual dining concept.
Capped by a zesty-frothy Mago Yuzu Snowball and saccharine sweet Banana Rhubarb Old- Fashioned that may fast put you to bed, the meal starts with a jolt to the senses but ends on a slightly discordant note. We’d come on a Friday night, with tingling tastebuds and a playful mood — the preferred way to enjoy a Gaggan meal.
