1 / 1
Saha’s contemporary Indian menu is injected with a large dose of finesse and backed by outstanding service.
Tucked away in the quaint streets of Duxton Hill is the elegant three-month-old Saha Signature Indian Restaurant and Terrace Bar. Taking over the second floor space of the shophouse, formerly occupied by Russian restaurant Buyan, Saha breaks new ground on Singapore’s food scene with its sophisticated take on Indian cuisine.
The moment you arrive, gracious service staff welcome you and ensure you are comfortably seated. This is certainly not your classic curry-and-dhal restaurant. Helmed by India’s superstar chef Abhijit Saha, who owns successful restaurants—modern European Caperberry and Mediterranean Fava—in Bangalore, Saha delivers regional Indian fare woven with contemporary presentation. The well-spoken chef, who was named Best Chef in India at the Indian Restaurant Congress & Awards 2013 and is a regular speaker at The Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival, flies in to Singapore once a month to ensure the kitchen is shipshape.
The tasting menus, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian, are a good way to sample the best of what Saha has to offer. Before your meal begins, you will be served watermelon and beetroot popsicles to refresh your palate and cool down from the sweltering heat. Soon, a procession of dishes will arrive at your table.
You’ll find that the chef expertly turns Indian food into occasion dining with a refined take on the traditional vadai snack. The lentil-based dough is cooked and infused with nitrogen to freeze, and then blended to form a “snowy” texture. This is then brightened with yoghurt caviar, tamarind and mint chutney.
The tandoor-cooked pashmina chicken kebab is soft, tender and fragrant, thanks to a marinade of cardamom, cashew, coriander, turmeric and yoghurt. The meat comes topped with colourful shredded vegetables and is laced with a saffron sauce.
The meen moily, a classic Keralan coconut-based fish dish, is successfully reinterpreted here, too. Turmeric and masala marinated reef cod is grilled and then topped with a quenelle of tangy sweet tomato chutney. The succulent fish sits atop tamarind flavoured basmati rice and is complemented by a savoury coconut and curry leaf panna cotta whose subtle flavour juxtaposes nicely with the complex flavours of the fish.
The vegetarian creation dubbed Baby Vegetable Poriyal Garden reveals more artistry. Beautifully presented on a platter is an assembly of three different South Indian curd rice—classic, beetroot and carrot. Each mound of rice is topped with sauteed baby corn, radish, carrot, Brussels sprouts, baby onions, and the long, soft green seedpods of the drumstick tree. The overall flavour is further heightened with cashew nuts, mustard seeds and curry leaves. The rice is crowned with shredded coconut and a sliver of toasted coconut crunch.
Indian desserts are usually laden with sugar. Here, standards have been given a twist. Gulab jamun, or soft, milky dumplings, is embedded into a rich cheesecake and balanced with a light saffron poached pear. The version of ras malai here comprises curdled milk cooked in syrup until fluffy, then paired with saffron and mango sauce, alongside mango slices, pistachio choux pastry and a sprinkling of tiny white chocolate balls.
Saha offers imaginative meals, topped with knowledgeable and savvy service that’s in a league of its own. In fact, the polished service probably rivals that of the city’s more established dining spots. For epicureans who want the epitome of Saha’s experience, do call the restaurant to see if the chef is in town before making a reservation.
Saha Signature Indian Restaurant and Terrace Bar. 9A Duxton Hill, Tel: 6223 7321
More exceptional Indian restaurants to consider:
