Gaggan Anand Restaurant, the celebrated Indian chef’s eponymous Bangkok fine-diner, is a must-go for many gourmands. A meal there would set you back by THB12,000 (S$447) for the Gaggan Experience, a “three-hour rollercoaster journey or even longer” at an intimate 14-seat open kitchen. But the rock music lover, 44, declares: “Gaggan once in your life is enough. It’s like a Queen concert, you know?”

He is in Singapore for the opening of Ms Maria & Mr Singh, his Mexican-Indian casual restaurant that first opened in Bangkok in 2020. “Ms Maria could be your daily band, your everyday bar. It’s for that person who doesn’t mind spending a little more than a Grab delivery, but gets my quality,” the chef tells 8days.sg. Prices start from $12 for appetisers, topping out at $32 for sharing plates. Last November, he also did a sold-out residency here at the Mandala Club, which wrapped up in June after extending due to popular demand.

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

First overseas outpost for Ms Maria & Mr Singh

The concept for the 40-seat Ms Maria & Mr Singh revolves around a playful fictional romance between a Mexican hometown girl and an Indian city boy. It naturally translates into a menu ripe with influences from both countries, like unfussy tacos and quesadillas on the same table as a bowl of crab curry and hearty biryani.

To Gaggan, Indian and Mexican cuisines share similarities. “Mexican mole (a dense chilli-infused sauce) has Indian spices; our coriander ended up there, their tomatoes came here. This was what I took advantage of. I created a fantasy – it’s not fusion, it’s not confusion,” he says.

Collab with local F&B company

The Singapore outpost of Ms Maria & Mr Singh is a joint venture with local F&B group The Proper Concepts Collective, which runs Tanjong Pagar steakhouse The Feather Blade, handroll bar Rappu and Japanese-Mexican joint Mezcla. Ms Maria & Mr Singh replaces Mezcla, which was located at Craig Road.

“We wanted to do a partnership where we are totally owning the brand. We die together, we fail together. If it does well, it does well. If it doesn’t do well, at least we have no regrets. We can’t blame it on each other,” says Gaggan, adding that “it is a joint venture, not a franchise. If it is a franchise, then I’ll be here to take photos and never come back. What I did in Bangkok for 10 years, my next 10 years will be in Singapore.”

Does this mean we can expect a Gaggan Anand restaurant here soon? The chef hints that there are plans for another pop-up next year (though the restaurant’s PR rep pipes up to say that it’s “not confirmed yet”). But Gaggan expains: “I will definitely do another pop-up, another proper Gaggan experience. I will do it because I want to do it.”

Ms Maria & Mr Singh’s menu

Prices at Ms Maria & Mr Singh are accessible for a hip CBD restaurant: appetisers start at $12, while tacos and other sharing dishes like biryani and curries range from $16 to $32. There are also cocktails ($22 each) like the Pineapple Cilantro Sling crafted by The Proper Concepts Collective’s beverage director Boo Jing Heng. We reckon that one can enjoy a full meal here, with drinks, for under $100 a head.

The kitchen is helmed by one of Gaggan’s trusted chefs from Bangkok, plus a team who were trained for two and a half weeks at Ms Maria and Mr Singh in Thailand.

Mixed chips on the house

Every meal here starts with a complimentary bowl of house-made chips and dips. The wafer-thin – and utterly crisp – slivers of purple and orange sweet potato, yam and corn tortillas are paired with a quartet of dips. Note that it is $8 for every bowl after the first, and $4 for every additional dip.

The sweet-spicy Pickled Mango and Baby Corn offer up some serious heat, and we really enjoy the luscious tang of the avocado-based Guaca-chutney, as with the unabashedly rich Chilli Cheese Sauce.

Order this: Papdi Chaat, $18

This is probably the most wallet-friendly way to sample Gaggan’s signature ‘yoghurt explosion’, a Gaggan Anand Restaurant special inspired by his time at Spanish molecular gastronomy temple El Bulli.

The version we get here is a glob of yogurt encased in a thin layer of gelatin that pops when bitten into. The bite-sized morsel is served on a deep-fried puri (puffy Indian bread) with a sprinkling of sev (crispy deep-fried noodles bits) and sweet, crunchy pomegranate seeds. Eat it in one bite – or things will get messy – for a burst of sweet, tangy, savoury and spicy flavours all at once. Delish.

Order this: Cold Curry Ceviche, $20

This Indian riff on Mexican ceviche comes with slices of Hokkaido scallop, cucumber, crispy corn niblets and more guaca-chutney. Mix everything in as directed, and be rewarded with a pleasant, velvety bite brimming with sweetness from the creamy scallop and a fragrant, punchy tiger’s milk marinade. The corn kernels add a delightful crunch too.

Order this: Truffle Quesadilla, $28 for 6 pcs

A slightly atas take on a classic quesadilla stuffed with Emmental, mozzarella and paneer (an Indian cottage cheese), plus a heady dose of black truffle paste and truffle honey. It all comes together very nicely in a delicate, moreish slice.

Order this: Maria Singh Fish Tacos, $18 for 2 pcs

The fish tacos come in a Ms Maria and Mr Singh ‘his-and-hers’ pair on a plate. The “green-marinated” fillet of Mr Singh is good; flaky, herbaceous barramundi with a gentle spicy tinge, while Ms Maria, dressed with red Mexican chillies, is appealingly fiery. Instead of the traditional corn tortilla, the delicious duo is wrapped in perilla leaves that are distractingly grassy.

Order this: Gaggan’s Crab Curry, $32

Another signature of Gaggan’s features a South Indian tamarind curry thickened with coconut milk. Chunks of crab meat – stir-fried with pepper and curry leaves – luxuriate in the curry, and we find ourselves reaching for some carbs to sop up the heavenly lemak gravy.

Order this: Biryani Surf & Turf, $28

Can consider: Avocado Falooda, $16

Ms Maria & Mr Singh’s version of the decadent Indian dessert comes with soaked basil seeds layered with coconut jelly, avocado mousse, vanilla ice cream and lemon foam. Fancy. The flavours come together nicely, though we’d rather save stomach space for Gaggan’s famous mango snowball.

Order this: Mango Yuzu Snowball, $24

The making of Gaggan’s snowball dessert is so tricky, it became the final pressure test during the first edition of MasterChef Asia in 2015. Mango puree, melted white chocolate, cream and yuzu are piped into a balloon and flash-frozen with liquid nitrogen. The resulting orb is pleasantly sweet with a smooth mouthfeel. Just the refreshment we need after a spice-heavy meal.

Address and opening hours

Ms Maria & Mr Singh opens 24 Oct.

Address: 43 Craig Rd, S089681

Tel: 9654-4351

Opening hours: (For lunch) Fri-Sun, 12pm – 3pm, (dinner) Wed-Sun, 6pm – 10.30pm

More info via website, Facebook & Instagram.

Photos: Alvin Teo, Alvin Lim

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.