A-HA! RARH! /ahara

T (March '23)

SCORE: Tell yo' friends - worth a visit if the price point is ok

ORDER: Chilli with the cocktails

VALUE: ~$450/head with caviar add on

Last year was an interesting year for the Singapore food scene, with a rise in Indian fine-dining options. Revolver was a fast favourite for their paneer and excellent wine pairings, and Adda jumped on that "creative Indian" vibe that was so Gaggan (though Nadodi did it better). Thevar was on a roll and producing great menu updates, including my first ever beef briyani. Meanwhile, Yantra reopened with a strong new menu. There was a clear gap forming in the fine dining space. No longer, with /Ahara's opening.

We did the smaller (!) menu with the caviar add on.
The meal opened with a butter and dip service that was very remimisent of the star wars dish at Gaggan, if you know what I mean (though a later main also reminded me of that). It was delicious, and a strong start. Particularly as it was followed by a very good oyster dish. I'm not an oyster lover, and so it really is infrequent that I enjoy any of them things (exception of the wagyu + oyster dish at Voyage, and the HUMONGOUS oyster the Gluttoness Temptress gets). I managed to miss a pic, I think.

However, I did not (and recommend the no one should) miss the bread courses. I grew up making chappati for my grandpa and realise the importance of breads to Indian meals. Frankly, if they taste like this, they deserve their import. First up, the "toastie" -

I swear I intended to share it with Y. Eating my full share was an accident. Also only having a "sorry, couldn't wait, started eating" pic.
The house wbread was a winner too. Think Cloud Street still does the best in-house bread, but theirs is suffering badly from shrinkflation, and the new opens - Ahara and Sejora are generous with theirs.

See, this is why this blog exists. I'd managed to forget what this dish was, even though I remember liking every one. The menu tells me it was a scallop, which I ordinarily am a sucker for. Must have been the onslaught of a carb coma from the breads. I definitely remember this one though-
The caviar add on was so worth it. A little like my other favourite caviar places (Les Amis, the potato salad in particular, and Zen), their dish featured a play on textures, with a crunch of buckwheat and creamy emulsion, as well as hints of flavours - that sweetish nuttiness from the hazelnut, salt from the caviar.

There was an interesting interlude between appetisers and main, which featured a take on an ice kachang. We were invited over to speak to chef as she shaved ice and added indian syrups. We ate the virgin version of the ice at the counter, then added a shot of Chilli vodka to turn it into a cocktail cleanser. Fabulous, especially if we can add the chilli. I may be a cynic about the implications of restaurants investing in table finishing, chef interaction, etc - but with interesting offerings like this, they deserve to win the stars, so why not?

Then it was the unexpected hits. I've NEVER liked Indian desserts, which tend towards teeth-shattering sweetness and heart-attack fat levels. Expectations were low but Ahara knocked it out of the park with these delicate, intricate dishes -

The winner was the rose. Nitro frozen, guests were invited to shatter the petals for inclusion in the dessert. Such fun, kinda goth - the most unique dessert I've encountered since Alinea's chocolate smash.

I heard recently that the menu had changed and am almost afraid to go back in case they have lost those unique/creative courses. Let us know if you have been since and if they still offer a great, interesting night out.

/Ahara

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