Gaggan Anand goes Mexican-Indian with Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh in Singapore

The celebrity chef will open his first full-fledged restaurant in Singapore that showcases his love for Mexican and Indian food.

By Kenneth SZ Goh / 5 Oct 2022

celebrity chefs, Gaggan, Gaggan Anand, Kenneth SZ Goh, Mexican

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After holding a sold-out and extended restaurant residency in Singapore, maverick Indian chef Gaggan Anand, who is best known for his now-defunct eponymous progressive Indian restaurant in Bangkok, is cementing his presence in the Republic.

Anand will open his first full-fledged restaurant here — the first overseas outpost of Indian-Mexican restaurant Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh from Bangkok. The restaurant will open on 24 October at the space vacated by Japanese-Mexican taco bar Mezcal in 43 Craig Road. Mezcal was run by homegrown restaurant group The Proper Concepts Collective, which is partnering Anand to open Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh here.

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Like its name suggests, Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh marries home-styled Mexican and Indian cooking and showcases the similarities between the cuisine and design from the two cultures. The casual concept is built around a fictitious love affair between a Mexican girl, Ms. Maria, and an Indian boy, Mr. Singh. The Bangkok restaurant, which opened in March 2020, was crafted by Anand when Thailand was hit by the first wave of the pandemic.

Mr Leong Sheen Jet, managing director of The Proper Concepts Collective tells The Peak: “Gaggan’s concept is in sync with our group’s ethos of creating great novel dining experiences that are accessible to everyone. The food at Gaggan used to be high-end and out of reach for some, but with Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, it gives everyone an opportunity to savour some of his most popular dishes.”

Expect dishes such as Papdi Chat, a popular Indian street food that has sweet and sour chutneys, yoghurt and sev served in a fried puri, and Crab Curry, a coconut and coriander-based curry dish that features shallots, tomatoes, tamarind and chunky crab meat. Prices start from $12 a dish.

The menu will also comprise of other dishes that are a riff of Anad’s popular dishes at Gaggan. Indian and Mexican flavours will also feature in cocktails crafted by Boo Jing Heng, beverage director of The Proper Concepts Collective, who was named Singapore Diageo Reserve World Class Winner in 2016.

Related: First look at the Gaggan Anand pop-up at Mandala Club

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The 40-seat restaurant will sport a vibrant palette of orange and blue that is inspired from Oaxaca in Mexico and Jaipur in India. A chef from the Bangkok restaurant will head Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh here, while staff from The Proper Concepts Collective will receive training in Bangkok. The restaurant group runs restaurants including The Feather Blade and Rappu Handroll Bar here.

Some diners in Singapore got a taste of the food from Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh when Anand threw a farewell party at private members club Mandala Club to mark the end of his pop-up restaurant here in June.

Watch this space for more updates.

Find out more: Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh Singapore

celebrity chefs, Gaggan, Gaggan Anand, Kenneth SZ Goh, Mexican