When we’re told a new celebrity chef restaurant has opened along Orchard Road, our minds immediately race to the likes of Ramsay, Puck and Oliver. But then we hear that 27 Degrees West is the brainchild of Varun Inamdar, someone we’ve frankly never heard of.
Still, Inamdar comes with a long list of credentials and accolades, including a Guinness world record for the world’s largest mud pie. He’s also the man behind restaurants New Light in Kashmir, India, and Anokhi Bar & Grill in Shanghai, China.
Celebrity or not, what really matters is the food. The crab thermidor ($35++) doesn’t get us off on a great note, with a heavy, cheesy composition that even thecha — a chutney made of green chili — can’t save. The menu suggests that this is a “grazing plate”, but we think a nibble or two is enough, even if it’s served in a moderately sized crab shell.
Fried slivers of okra are tossed in togarashi and served with a beetroot ketchup in the bhindi jaipuri ($15). This is one of the restaurant’s many vegetarian options, and it’s good. Okra and beetroot aren’t vegetables we personally enjoy, but this is evidence that a healthy dose of deep-frying and sugar can save anything; the beetroot ketchup — tangy, sweet and earthy — is particularly successful.
See also: Afternoon feasts
Inamdar’s claim to fame, we hear, is his butter chicken; here at 27 Degrees West he’s even slapped his name on the dish. The Varun Inamdar butter chicken ($29++) is serviceable, though hardly anything to sneeze at. The chicken is tender enough, and the accompanying crispy naan (which comes in all sorts of flavours, from butter to truffle) soaks up the rich tomato gravy well. We can’t complain, but also can’t help but feel like we’ve been oversold on this.
The Chocolate Mess ($15++) is a dessert we’re told Inamdar made specially for former US president Barack Obama. This spin on an Eton mess, featuring dark chocolate, raspberry and cranberry, is decadent but surprisingly uncloying. Perhaps this is why Inamdar is supposedly known as the “Chocolate Prince”.
Food aside, there’s also an ample drinks menu at 27 Degrees West. There’s certainly some ingenuity here, with creative mixes like The Indian Ocean ($24++). This one takes a little getting used to, since it’s got white chocolate mixed with seaweed, but after an initial mental hurdle we actually quite like it.
Overall, 27 Degrees West is a moderate entry into the crowded Orchard food scene. You won’t get your socks knocked off by some fantastically modernised Indian fare here, but if you stick to the basics you’ll get exactly what you ask for.
27 Degrees West
362 Orchard Road
Singapore 238887
Tel: +65 9100 0949
Email: reservations@27degreeswest.com
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11.30am – 11pm; Friday and Saturday, 11.30am – 12am
