I EXPECT the unexpected from Chef Inderpal Singh.
Despite starting out as a government number cruncher, Inderpal has lived a colourful, gastronomically adventurous life that has shaped and sharpened his culinary senses.
Years of crunching numbers as an accountant intensified his desire to experiment, to be creative, to venture and experience life and flavours beyond a packed lunch in a cubicle. And, in the process of exploring, to develop his own recipes.
Joining the 2023 MasterChef cooking competition, and wining it, was a boost to his confidence. Pop-up experiences in various kitchens just added to his ability to understand up-close what different cuisines required. Meanwhile, he was travelling and exploring and tasting, and putting choice dishes he discovered along the way into his special pot for recipes to be reimagined.
Inderpal is the only Masterchef winner to open a full-fledged restaurant and bar.
Meh’r, named after his daughter, serves “atas” street food from the region, complete with an Inderpal innovation and tasty twists.
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Street Food Elevated
Inderpal’s appropriate choice of location is along a backstreet near Chinatown, accessed via a bright yellow back door.
For those who’ve ventured down the backlanes of Melbourne and Kyoto, this shouldn’t be off-putting. It just heightens the sense of adventure.
Reimagining Spaces
Some of the old shop houses along South Bridge Road may look pretty daggy and ordinary at street level, but when you get to the higher levels you are treated to a quite superb view of the skyline.
The entrance, via an elevator backing onto a car park, opens onto a formal wood-hued reception on the fifth floor. But the vibe shifts suddenly, and serves as an indication of what to expect, as you step into the restaurant, where Inderpal greets you under a bright red staircase with the cautionary note: “Chefs May Be Startled By Flash Photography”.
That’s just in sync with his gregarious and convivial nature. Quips are whipped up even as dishes are made pretty for presentation to the diner.
The main dining room is clean but stylish, with brick walls, paintings, shelves with his MasterChef trophy dominating, and a wonderful view of the Singapore skyline.
Up a couple of bright green flights of stairs and you are at the Phool House, which serves as an al fresco dining and drinking perch with an unobstructed view of the skyline.
In the case of Meh’r, the rooftop provides a splendid view of Parliament House, Marina Bay Sands, Victoria Memorial Hall clock tower and Fullerton Hotel, among other tall buildings. These loom over a sweeping panoramic mosaic of rooftops in the immediate vicinity of the restaurant.
Building A Menu
The menu took about a year to come together, based on more than 100 dishes that Inderpal sampled along the streets of Bali Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and India.
And, as to be expected, the dishes are interpretations of Inderpal’s imagination. So, expect surprises. You won’t be disappointed.
The amuse bouche kicks things off with waves of refreshing and distinct flavours: watermelon, honeydew, dragonfruit tossed in dehydrated basil, laksa and curry leaves.
Among the starters, there are options for the adventurous and more cautious.
The Coconut Ceviche is a thick, sticky, yummy concoction holding down pieces of fresh coconut. It’s almost like play dough in its consistency.
Though I’m not a big fan of duck, the Ramly Duck Slider, with the Meh’r flag atop, wasn’t too fowl with the pulled meat providing enough separation, mixed in with the smoked house bbq sauce.
It was a toss up between the Lobster Roti John or the Pandi Murtabak. The latter was a chunky twist on the staple of Indian-Muslim restaurants, with a slow-cooked gravy so rich in flavour you could almost feel it settling on your waist. Not a drop was wasted.
The Lamb Biryani was unveiled as a smoking spectacle of woody aromas that worked itself into the flavoured grains. As the air cleared, two pieces of sustainably sourced lamb, sat slightly charred and tempting atop the fragrant and rich rice. The lamb was perfectly done, complementing the spicy rice.
Dessert options included a dish of chunky Churros and Roti Canai?!?! The exclamations for the latter are noteworthy since this anytime meal is sometimes offered as a dessert, but in this case, it’s not what you’d expect.
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Dream Dessert
The concoction came in a dream to Inderpal. In his savoury dream he was having croissant with a fish curry normally served with prata.
To realise his dream, and to localise it, he started experimenting with prata, mixing and matching ingredients until he came up with the ideal mix that didn’t remotely resemble a prata, but when combined and spooned into your mouth was definitely reminiscent of the roti canai you get across the Causeway, with the ikan bilis sambal, replicated here with chilli tapioca.
Inderpal has plans to tweak the menu every three months and will also have special occasion menus to keep innovating and constantly challenging the palate.
For now, the MasterChef trophy sits pretty on the shelf. It should be expecting more company soon.
