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Singapore's unique street food can now be savoured in New Delhi thanks to the launch of Mai Bao on Jan 20.
"Singapore's hawker fare is famous around the world, but no one had brought this concept to India," said Ms Avantika Sinha Bahl, founder of the restaurant. "During a trip to Singapore, I realised the potential. I spent two years on research to curate a menu which could perfectly represent the street food of Singapore in a completely new and fresh manner."
Ms Bahl, who also owns Japanese restaurant Kampai in Delhi, thinks the cuisine will be palatable to Indians. "It's filled with robust flavours and spices," she said. "Singapore is a favourite travel destination for Indians. So, a lot of people are familiar with a lot of the dishes on our menu."
The menu has been curated by Jeremy Nguee, a Singaporean celebrity chef. It has signature dishes such as Hainanese chicken rice, nasi lemak, laksa, chilli crab, ayam goreng, salted egg prawns, satay and Hokkien mee.
Mai Bao, a 50-seater at the DLF Avenue Mall in Saket, was originally set for opening last year. Due to Covid-19, it got delayed. "We opened now since people are starting to step out," said Ms Bahl. "With each passing week, things are getting better."
Singapore's High Commissioner to India Simon Wong, who inaugurated the restaurant, was keen to have a Singaporean restaurant in Delhi since he took up the position last August. "This segment of the food and restaurant business has been kept untouched for years," he said. "Mai Bao's launch is going to be a starting point of many good things to come. Mai Bao is going to be a true leader.
"There is a couplet in Chinese - Mai Bao and Tai Pao. Mai Bao means 'my dumpling', which you savour at the restaurant. Tai Pao is that you like it so much that you take it away. So, after you come to Mai Bao, you have to Tai Pao."
The Singapore Tourism Board is supporting the Mai Bao initiative.
Mr G.B. Srithar, STB's regional director for India, Middle East and South Asia, said: "STB has promoted Singapore cuisine in India over the past few years through various initiatives.
"At a time when the Singapore hawker culture has been added to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and Indian travellers are unable to enjoy the variety of dining experiences in Singapore, the opening of Mai Bao will allow Delhiites to savour Singapore's food delights like nasi lemak, chilli crab, laksa and satay."
Indo-Asian News Service
