Solid Indian classics and modern twists at Shikar

NEW RESTAURANT

Shikar Maxwell Reserve Singapore 2 Cook Street Singapore 078857 Tel: 8866-0823 Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sun: 12pm to 2.30pm; 6pm to 10pm. Closed on Monday.

YOU know how much Japanese food has pervaded our dining psyche when you’re hearing about Indian izakayas and Indian chefs touting short working stints in Tokyo as a high point in their resumes. Not so at Shikar, which works in a few nips and tucks with the likes of quinoa, lotus root and okay, kale tempura, but generally doesn’t hitch itself to any bandwagon.

Upscale Indian dining is having a moment now, and if the whole hinoki-dashi trope is starting to wear thin, the timing couldn’t be better. After a surfeit of minimalism, there’s nothing like a jolt – or many – of vivid colours and flavours to lure you out of zen-induced ennui.

Shikar follows a recent pattern of restaurants with decor that leaves nothing to the imagination (think Yantra, Revolver, Ms Maria and Mr Singh) and led by foreign chefs claiming various degrees of celebrity. The mantle is held by consultant chef Surjan “Jolly” Singh, and his storyline dwells on the eating habits of Indian royalty and translating them into a non-regal but still well-heeled context. He already has ready-made digs to serve this demographic: the British Raj-inspired opulence of its Maxwell Reserve premises, which once served burgers and crab cakes under its old name Six Senses. It now looks the part, with a menu that spans well-executed classics and health-conscious updates.

Roasted sweet potato and goats cheese tikki chaat (S$33) sees the familiar potato patties switched out for their purple counterparts in a kind-of bunless veggie burger platter. Lightly spiced, the patties get more kick from a garlicky yoghurt topping, pomegranate seeds and double-crunchy deep-fried battered kale that can only be considered healthy in the deluded dieter’s self-adjusting calorie guide. 

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Peri-peri prawns (S$19) may not belong on the list of approved snacks for your average maharajah, but they show up unself-consciously as salty nuggets covered in a spice-dusted quinoa crust. You don’t taste the shrimp for the grainy seeds that get in the way of the crackly bite, but you do get a good sucker punch of chilli. A chilli-tomato sauce is on hand to seal the heat.

We’re on more familiar ground with biryani and that’s where we want to be, especially with the tender, light and bi-coloured basmati rice surrounding a mix of spiced Australian lamb saddle and shoulder (S$59). Lifting off the cover of the claypot sends a steaming hot fragrance into your face. Dig right in to mix the rice with the thin layer of richly flavoured oil that’s collected at the bottom, steeped in spice and meatiness. Scoop it up with both juicy and dryish chunks of meat, and you have comforting bliss on a plate.

If war ever broke out between pizza and prata advocates, Shikar’s naan (S$9) could broker peace with its flat yet irresistibly chewy texture, its pockmarked surface shiny with a light buttery glaze. You could go further with garlic, but a perfect companion for this would be tandoor-roasted chicken makhani (S$53). We know it as butter chicken, but call it by whatever name and you still get chunky morsels of poultry that get a once-over in the tandoor oven before going into a smoky, rich, tomato-fused creamy gravy with a buttery lift. It calls for repeated dips with naan or a multi-seeded and spice-flecked roti (S$11) that’s hot, toasty and aromatic.

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It seems moot to try to fill your vegetable quota here, but the tender stem broccoli (S$39) that our server insists we order turns out to be a good call. We don’t know where they get their vegetables from at this price, but the stems are lovingly marinated in cream and spices and roasted in the tandoor until fork-tender and buttery. A tangy spiced tomato sauce adds some acidity for contrast, but again, this is a “healthy” dish for deluded calorie-watchers.

Don’t skip dessert just because you’re wary of the sweetness overkill stereotype that dogs Indian puddings. Chef Jolly hears you and whips up an easy-pleaser of crispy spring roll skin filled with mashed dates and grated coconut (S$19), topped with a big scoop of sticky-chewy coconut ice cream and dusted with pistachio powder. 

The menu at Shikar is large and worth exploring further, especially in bigger groups. Expect to pay though, since royalty doesn’t seem exempt from inflation. But like its name, which means “hunt”, Shikar is a prize that you won’t mind paying for.

Rating: 7