We’re embarrassed that we haven’t had much Indian food in Singapore. When the opportunity to try 27 Degrees West by Mumbai-born chef Varun Inamdar came around, we knew we had to try!
His restaurant features flavours from across India, prepared with techniques picked up from his 22 years of culinary experience.
Stylish Modern Seating
The restaurant is beside Shaw Center, taking over Hans Im Gluck. It occupies a vertical stretch, split into three distinct sections.
The front is the bar complete with open-air seating. It has a regal design with green, orange and gold furnishings and mood lighting.
It’s connected to fully open-air dining space. The bright blue wall with bells adds a pleasant pop of colour and acts as a divider from the walkway beside it.
There’s also an air-conditioned dining area at the back for more intimate gatherings!
27 Degrees West Menu
The menu is spread across starters, mains, grilled items and dessert.
Starter options include a sharing platter of fritters – Thayir Vada, Fried Idly Croutons, Padi ($13) or Chemmen Masala Fry ($15) with fresh river shrimp.
The grill menu offers marinated meats cooked over a robata grill. Choose from cuts like the Angara Murg ($15) with chicken thighs flavoured using mustard oil or the Bhatti Squid ($13).
Their Signature main selection features items such as the famous The ‘Varun Inamdar’ Butter Chicken ($29) and Jowar Khichadi ($25) made solely with lentils!
There are many meat-free dishes too! There’s the Raz El Hanout Cauliflower Steak ($21) with clinatro chutney and Achari Paneer Tikka Masala ($28).
End the meal with desserts like a Rasmalai Tres Leches ($15) with cardamom and Coconut Kulfi ($15).
Togarashi Tossed Bhindi Jaipuri
The Togarashi Tossed Bhindi Jaipuri ($15) was a unique dish featuring thinly sliced fried okra! It was served with a 72-hour fermented beetroot chutney ketchup.
These morsels were addictive, with a satisfying crisp but no sliminess usually associated with okra. We also liked the tang of the beetroot chutney to cut through the oil.
Crabmeat Thecha Thermidor
The Crabmeat Thecha Thermidor ($35) had crab seasoned with thecha, an Indian garlic chilli topping and a cheesy bechamel sauce.
The combination of sweet crab, spice and saltiness from the cheese made it a unique fusion of flavours. We liked how flavourful it was despite the smaller serving size.
The ‘Varun Inamdar’ Butter Chicken
The recipe for this Butter Chicken ($29) has over 45 million views on Youtube and for good reason!
This was a close-to perfectly executed butter chicken, with a thick gravy and tender chicken chunks. The curry was a balance of sweet, umami, spicy and creamy but not cloying.
This paired perfectly with their Naan ($6), available in plain, garlic, truffle, black pepper or butter. Our pick would be the garlic naan.
Bagara Baingan
If you prefer something meat-free, the Bagara Baingan ($28) is a good choice. It uses fried eggplants in a spiced nut-based curry.
The curry is lighter but equally flavourful with a strong nuttiness, complementing the almost-meaty eggplant.
Smoked Lamb Rack, Beliram Style
The Smoked Lamb Rack, Beliram Style ($55) was served in a Punjabi Beliram gravy. The meat was tender without any gameiness, plus a smokiness from their chargrill.
We especially liked the gravy. It wasn’t spicy like the other curries but had a rich, deep flavour which we think would be great with rice!
Chocolate Mess
Chef Varun Inamdar once prepared this dessert for The Obamas, so it was cool we got to try his Chocolate Mess ($15)!
The dark chocolate mousse was rich and dense, contrasted by the tang from the berry sauce. We think this is best shared, it can get a bit heavy after a few bites.
Cocktails & Mocktails
Their drink menu is interesting and we recommend trying a few! All their specialty cocktails are $24.
The Indian Ocean came topped with a clam and popping ‘pearl’. It uses a wakame-infused tequila, which gave a unique brineness!
There were also notes of chocolate and coconut, which make it hard to taste the alcohol.
For something stronger, the Prince of Cocoa uses a base of chocolate-infused rum and four bitters.
But despite this, it was smooth with a strong chocolatey fragrance which we enjoyed.
There are also mocktails priced at $16.
The Agni (fire) had a sour base of raspberry, which might be strong for some. It was mellowed out by ginger beer and apple cider for sweetness.
Apas (water) was like a refreshing lemonade with notes of mint and citrus!
Indian Food In Orchard
With incredibly flavourful food and equally unique drinks, 27 Degrees West is a great way to enjoy modern Indian flavours!
P.S. Chef Varun will be at the restaurant until 23 September so you can catch him for a picture!
Check out our list of more eats in Orchard or restaurants to visit!
27 Degrees West
362 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238887
Mon to Thurs: 11.30am-11pm
Fri, Sat: 11.30am-12am
*This article is based on a media-tasting event, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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