The word ‘authentic’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but let’s get one thing straight – Darbaar Indian Restaurant & Bar is the real deal. The venue is the handiwork of Robyn Cheah, who has owned and operated the popular Mahsuri Thai restaurant at Salt Village for the past 16 years, alongside a dream team of chefs who grew up cooking Indian food. The menu is as vast as it is tasty and features plenty of vegetarian bites such as Cauliflower Brazule (cauliflower tossed in southern spices, ginger and curry leaves before being deep-fried) and Tandoor Paneer Tikka (cottage cheese marinated overnight and lightly spiced with honey-based yoghurt and cooked in tandoor). Meaty entrees to savour include Tandoori Prawns (king prawns marinated in tandoori sauce and saffron, grilled in a clay oven served with mint sauce) and Indian-style fried chicken. The next page is dedicated almost entirely to curries ranging from mild Chicken Tikka Masala through to a fiery Vindaloo, which is made using a speciality meat from Goa. Long before the restaurant’s doors open, Akash, Amrit and the kitchen team is busy prepping each and every dish – from the spice rubs through to the curry sauce, it’s all made in-house, no shortcuts. Sure, it’s time-consuming but when it comes to flavour, some things cannot be rushed.

Image credit: Wanderer and the Wild