Food Review: Vibrant Indian Cuisine @ Masalaa Bar, Singapore

Masalaa Bar in Siglap, Singapore’s premier destination for vibrant Indian cuisine, has unveiled a new menu blending traditional cuisine with modern twists. The new additions bring bold flavours and exciting options to customers.

Said Chef Milind, “We’re constantly evolving and striving to offer our guests something new while staying true to the authentic essence of India. This new menu is a tribute to the diversity and richness of Indian cuisine, while also incorporating modern twists that our guests have come to love.”

He added, “We can’t wait for everyone to experience the new additions.”

We were invited to a media tasting session at Masalaa Bar and we tried a variety of their exciting offerings.

These are as follows.

SPDP.

Pune’s famous SevPuri, Dahl Puri.

Basically crushed Dahl lentils mixed with saffron and prepared in the form of a dough ball. For this version, the dough ball was light and crispy, easily breaking apart. The filling inside was flavourful, erupting in a flavour bomb in the mouth, arresting the senses with a combination of spices and flavours. Indeed a feast to the senses.

Naanza – Twisted Dhaba Chicken Pizza.

Chicken atop a crisp naan base, layered with rich sauces and melted cheese.

I enjoyed this dish. It was like a fusion of Western meets Indian. The pizza was light and crispy and cheesy and the flavours went well together. There were subtle hints of Indian spices mixed into the pizza, which made it really yummy.

Martini Pao Bhaji.

Vegetable melt with garlic crostini Pao.

This was quite intriguing. I tried it with the gravy-like stew dripped onto the garlic bread. The medley of flavours hits you at once. It is garlicky, spicy and flavourful at the same time and the flavours combine together in a unique manner. Definitely an interesting dish.

Healthy Sprout Bhel.

Bombay’s famous bhelpuri in a healthy avatar with moong sprouts, peanuts and more.

This too, was an unusual dish. The mixture of ingredients added an interesting crunchy note to the dish, which I thought was quite refreshing. Despite this being a vegetarian dish, it was flavourful and tasty.

Tulsi Murg Tikka.

Cashew and holy basil creamed chicken kebab.

This dish was one of my favourites. The chicken was smoky and tender with a hint of charred notes. It melted in the mouth and was very flavourful. I really enjoyed it and ended up taking extra.

Fish Koshimbir.

Unique Karnatak delicacy of fish cooked in a thick coconut masala.

The coconut notes in the sauce were strong and immediately apparent to the taste buds. Together with the coconut, significant hints of spice are definitely picked up as well. The texture of the fish was quite soft, falling apart in the mouth. Fans of coconut-based flavours will definitely enjoy this dish.

Nihari Gosht Korma.

Lamb slow-cooked in aromatic spices with a fragrant gravy.

The flavours of the spices in the gravy are quite strong to the taste buds, but subtle hints of lamb notes are still detected here. A great dish for lovers of lamb.

Chicken Briyani.

Fragrant basmati rice layered with spiced chicken, slow-cooked to perfection in traditional dum style.

Another extra yummy dish and another of my favourites. The chicken meat was moist and juicy and the rice was fragrant and flavourful. The spices combine together really well, bringing out the chicken flavours and at the same time, enhancing the dish without overpowering it. Definitely one of the best versions of chicken briyani that I have tried.

Garlic Naan.

Soft, tandoor-baked flatbread topped with minced garlic and fresh coriander.

This was quite delicious too. The naan was light, fluffy and fragrant, and the garlic notes, while apparent, added just the right amount of flavour to the bread, without overpowering the taste buds. It was definitely yummy.

Mango Kulfi. (Dessert)

Creamy traditional Indian frozen dessert infused with ripe mango and a hint of cardamom.

This reminded me of mango flavoured ice cream. I love both mango as well as ice cream, so this appealed greatly to me. It is a melt-in-the-mouth dessert and the amount of cardamom is subtle enough to enhance the flavours without overpowering the mango. It’s very tastefully and well done, and a perfect way to end the meal on a sweet note.

Aam Coladada. (Drink)

Mango, pineapple and coconut mocktail.

This was a great beverage to conclude the meal. The strongest flavours here are the mango and coconut, with the pineapple adding a hint of sourish notes to the beverage.

I thought the combination of flavours was very refreshing.