Indian confusion at Meh'r by Inderpal

Business Times

2 days ago

NEW RESTAURANT
Meh'r by Inderpal 42 South Bridge Road #05-01 (enter via Carpenter Street, look for yellow door) Singapore 058676 Tel: [phone] Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sat: 11 am (11.30 am on Sat) to 2.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm Lunch only on Sun: 11 am to 3 pm. Closed on Mon.
[SINGAPORE] Dining at Meh'r by Inderpal is a bit like starting a new relationship. You're drawn to their offbeat charm and unconventional world view. You're swept along on an exciting, romantic journey into the exotic unknown – uncertain, yet dizzy with anticipation that this could be the one. And then... pffft...
We're sorry. We tried, but we don't think it's going to work out. It's not them, it's us. We don't deserve them. We can't keep up with the energy of one who takes Indian food on a merry spin through the rest of Asia and shows no sign of stopping. Satay sauce without peanuts? No, no. Not for us. Made with digestive biscuits? That actually sounds traumatic. Not to mention eating beetroot-coloured thosai and sardines.
It doesn't start that way. We're wooed by the quirky yellow door that we're told to look out for. It leads to a lift, which takes us to a cosy fifth-floor dining room with a great view they're already taking advantage of with weekend satay buffets and fireworks. And who's not impressed with the credentials of the Masterchef-winning chef who prides himself on 'Asian comfort food, redefined'?
Plus, we're excited about what delights the menu holds. The descriptions are tantalising: torched wild chestnut mushroom, masala mushroom pate, beetroot thosai, orange-rind chutney and sambar. Take note that these are not dishes from the menu – they're the components of just one dish.
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Talk about first-date impressions – they've already made a head start. A friendly server – who later becomes the overstretched and only server – brings a complimentary snack of pappadum topped with guava cream, mango and tomato pearls. Fruity, tangy and crunchy at the same time.
Satay merah jambu features grilled spiced mushrooms in peanut-free satay sauce. PHOTO: MEH'R BY INDERPAL
First up is satay merah jambu (S$22), with its promise of chargrilled pink oyster mushroom, satay sauce and rice cakes. Yes, we get that it might be designed for vegetarians with nut allergies, but being of neither persuasion, we resent that we're eating damp, squishy mushrooms dipped in a chilli-onion relish thickened with cookie crumbs.
Bak bak wings comprise rice-stuffed and char siew-marinated chicken wings. PHOTO: MEH'R BY INDERPAL
Bak bak wings (S$28) are overpriced. We get the equivalent of two chicken wings and the experience of having consomme poured from a fancy vacuum coffee maker infused with herbs. Like annoying five-year-olds, we can't stop asking 'Why?'. Why is the mid-section of the wing stuffed with chicken rice infused with vinegar, and why complicate it further with char siew marinated drumettes? The chicken rice chilli has a nice kick but, otherwise, it feels like a lot of fuss for nothing.
But like an overzealous date, Meh'r by Inderpal tries too hard, and uses every trick in the book in the hope that something sticks. It's purple prose in dire need of brutal editing; it's the lack of understanding that this is not a competition, so chill.
Beetroot thosai filled with sardines in Thosai Maati. PHOTO: MEH'R BY INDERPAL
Thosai Matti (S$28) is a clumsy combination of crepe-like beetroot thosai folded over a sardine mixture and topped with a grilled sardine, but it's an interesting mix with a trio of accompaniments: coconut cream, chutney and sambar. It shows flashes of what the cooking here can be, but needs a few more rounds of fine-tuning to perfect.
Laksa fish (S$42) is another case of self-restraint thrown out the window, as saffron-coloured halibut is poached and served in a laksa sauce, layered with potato puree, fried vermicelli, dried shrimp sambal and anything else within reach. There's no rhyme or reason, just a random bucket of ingredients that happened to cross paths at the same time.
A roti john of softshell crab (S$42) is a messy affair but there's some sense that can be made of the softened baguette that's barely visible under an omelette of soft shell crab, garlic aioli and tobiko.
Heavily spiced rice and meaty lamb chop biryani. PHOTO: MEH'R BY INDERPAL
But there's a silver lining yet. Lamb biryani (S$48) is like a sanctuary you want to run to for cover in its heavily spiced but comfortingly familiar tender basmati rice studded with cranberries and pistachios, served with a generous portion of pink-cooked tandoori lamb rack that's meaty and tender.
Now, there are two ways to go in this relationship. Do they bend over backwards to please us, or follow their own path to find kinship elsewhere? Every relationship is a journey and there's someone for everyone. So we say, you do you, and we reckon the stars will align somewhere soon. But we need a clearer storyline, less show, more balance. Until then, we'll keep looking for a door that leads to a compatible relationship.
Rating: 5.5