Daughter in Law

Twisting tradition into “unauthentic” but delicious dishes wrapped up in all the colour and drama of a Bollywood soap, Jessi Singh’s brand of Indian is a fun-first riot of big-flavoured good times that takes nothing too seriously.

Jessi Singh's new CBD restaurant.

37 Little Bourke St

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daughterinlaw.com.au

Twisting tradition into “unauthentic” but delicious dishes wrapped up in all the colour and drama of a Bollywood soap, Jessi Singh’s brand of Indian is a fun-first riot of big-flavoured good times that takes nothing too seriously.

Apart from the cooking, that is.

Dining with a group is a good way to go, for the large menu has much on it you’ll want to try, starting with one of the naan pizzas that top a thin, crisp smoky base with such ingredients as tandoori chicken.

Familiar yet new: it’s pizza that’s unmistakably Indian and surprisingly good.

From the same wonderfully inauthentic playbook: chops and chips.

Four lamb cutlets are marinated over two days before going into the tandoor and coming out smoky, tender and gnawingly good, served with ‘curry’ dusted chips.

More traditional pleasures can be found in the ‘from the pots’ section, whether a bowl of punchy tender pork vindaloo, or a knockout palak paneer, where fat tiles of firm cheese come swimming in a garlicky spinach gravy amped with chilli and cumin.

But it’s Aunty Dhal that’s the knockout.

Lentils like you’ve never seen them before, a five-day cooking process renders these black beauties into a thick, creamy sauce in which the richness comes from the lentils themselves and not ghee or oil.

Add clever on-theme cocktails, forward-looking wines, a help-yourself beer fridge and a drinks trolley rolled tableside to calm a curry-filled belly and you have a modern Melbourne Indian that’s as terrifically fun as it is delicious.

Must eat dish: Aunty Dhal

Cuisine: Indian

Chef: Jessi Singh

Price: $$

Open: Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner nightly

Bookings: Yes

BYO: No

Instagram: @daughterinnlaw