Masalaa Bar

Masalaa Bar is a casual Indian gastro bar at 723 East Coast Road, in Siglap. It serves Indian street food with playful twists, curries from India's west coast and cocktails made with Indian spices.

The menu is by chef Milind Sovani, who has more than 35 years of experience and has cooked Indian food in Singapore for many years. The mood is lively and playful. Menu names lean on Mumbai slang, and some dishes arrive with a bit of theatre, such as pani puri on a tabletop cart and masala chai poured from a colourful kettle.

What to order

Start with the street snacks, which are the heart of the menu:

• Pani puri shots: crisp hollow puffs served with spiced mint water
• Martini pao bhaji: a spiced vegetable mash with garlic pao
• Vada pao sliders: spiced potato patties in soft Mumbai buns
• Naanzaa: naan pizzas topped with dhaba-style chicken or paneer tikka
• Khau galli kheema pao: spiced minced lamb cooked the way Mumbai street stalls do it, with soft buns

For a fuller meal, the kitchen leans towards coastal cooking. The chef's special is a Konkani ghee roast, made with prawn or chicken. There is also a Goan fish curry with seabass in coconut gravy, a Malwani prawn curry and a coastal prawn biryani. The tandoor turns out tikkas, kebabs and tandoori prawns.

Leave room for dessert. Lonawala chikki ice cream is made in house and comes with a crunchy peanut topping. Gulab jamun, rasmalai and kulfi are also on the list.

Drinks

The bar menu gives Indian flavours to classic cocktails. Look for names such as Cardamom Kaboom, Adraki Confetti, Mogra on the Beach and Saffron Royale. Beer, whisky and non-alcoholic choices such as masala chai are available too.

Good to know before you go

• Vegetarians have plenty of choice, including paneer dishes, dal makhni, tandoori broccoli and many of the street snacks.
• You can book a table through the official website or by phone.
• The restaurant offers islandwide delivery and catering for house parties and festivals such as Diwali.

Nearby

East Coast Road runs west from Siglap into Katong and Joo Chiat. These areas are known for their colourful Peranakan shophouses. A short ride takes you to the Koon Seng Road shophouses. For a different take on Indian food nearby, try Vatan Se, a North Indian restaurant on Tanjong Katong Road. You can also browse our list of Indian restaurants, or see all restaurants in Katong and Joo Chiat. If you want to stay nearby, see our hotels in Katong and Joo Chiat.