one of the hallmarks of a great dining (and drinking) experience is finding yourself reminiscing about it from time to time afterwards, not just because of the food quality or service level or ambience, but everything taken together as a whole.
that was how i felt about my recent visit to Gravy, a local Singapore restaurant and bar serving Indian food. in stark contrast to the cold and grey Monday evening threatening more than just a light drizzle (as is typical weather during the end of year monsoon season), the warm lights of the restaurant were a welcome sight as i made my way down towards their premises at 1 Hoe Chiang Road.
i was beyond honoured a couple of days ago to have been invited to try out a specially curated food and whisky pairing menu; it was a pleasant surprise to find this customised menu, complete with the date and guest name at the top, waiting for me when i arrived.
and as i would discover over the course of the evening, this isn't just an exclusive 'reviewer' experience. the extent of the value they place on the memories that they give their customers is one thing that gives Gravy an edge compared to other dining establishments or watering holes. this extends to offering such customised menu sets on request for those who reach out in advance (complete with the guest name at the top), whether it be to celebrate a special event with friends and family or just have a nice meal in a small group - it's really the little details that just elevate a regular dining experience into an unforgettable one.
even though Gravy isn't relatively new to the local food and beverage scene, it was my first ever experience with them and my curiosity was piqued - how would Indian food, with its wealth of spices and flavours, work with whisky?
over an appetiser of crispy-thin papadum with mint sauce, i ventured this thought to Rohit Jois, their managing director who had been the one to reach out to me on Instagram, and whose company i had the pleasure of enjoying that evening over the four-course meal.
while Indian food is generally associated by many to be paired with beer, he shared that Gravy seeks to broaden that perspective by combining an expansive whisky collection in their bar together with the deep knowledge of the flavours that go into their cuisine.
spices can, in liberal quantities, deafen a palate to the subtleties of a dram... though as i would later discover, in the right hands they would bring a whole new perspective to each sip, a true complement that enhances the best aspects of both the food and the drink while creating something uniquely more than the sum of its parts.
the first pairing that evening was of a Chita Suntory whisky with their Kali Mirch Chicken Soup.
on its own, the Chita is a light and very easy to drink grain whisky. there's vanilla and a mild fruitiness on the nose, which matches the soft sweetness on the palate that's brought out with a light touch of woodiness going into the short and subtle finish.
the Kali Mirch Chicken Soup changes things up quite a bit - it reminds me of a chicken and coriander bak kut teh with its judicious use of peppercorns, and this helps bring out the apple-and-banana fruitiness of the Chita much more. in turn, the gentle sweet finish of the Chita forms the perfect base to move back into the rich peppery soup and the generous chunks of tender chicken within. surprisingly, this pairing also gave me Talisker-ish vibes towards the end (likely from the influence of the peppercorns on the bottom of the bowl) which was an interesting experience that i wouldn't have expected from the Chita.
next up we had something more meaty (for both the food and drink), a Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak paired with Gravy's Tandoori Lamb Chop.
the Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak is a lovely dram, leading with a woody influence both on the nose and palate. the sherry comes across strongly with a burst of red fruits, slightly sweet and reminiscent of raisins and blackcurrants, and there's also a slight smokiness that develops on the palate moving into the finish.
the Tandoori Lamb Chop, oh wow, i do confess to having a more limited experience with Indian cuisine (compared to other cultures) but this has to be the best tandoori lamb chop i've ever had in my life. the lamb is so tender and parts from the bone cleanly without much fuss, with a light crisp sear on the outside. the meat is of great quality and well seasoned all the way through. it doesn't have the strong 'sheepy' mutton taste which can be offputting with some preparations of lamb, and the natural smokiness from the tandoor really imparts a depth of flavour that goes amazingly with the sesame sauce.
the lamb also worked wonderfully with the Kavalan - the oak in the whisky really amplified the tandoor smokiness beautifully, just as the flavourful spices in the meat brought out the best of the sherry in the glass. as with the chicken soup, i begin to discover that Gravy takes a very measured approach with its spices - not throwing those in just for the sake of heat, but using these to bring out the taste and flavours of the food so much better.
it was over this tasting menu that Rohit and I also made an interesting discovery: while the lamb and its complementary sauce were a match made for each other, and the lamb paired beautifully with the whisky, they were also in an unfortunate trilemma where the sauce and whisky were at each other's throat like cats and dogs. the intensity of the sesame really dialed up the bitterness of the oak in the Kavalan, something that didn't work too well for me personally but may be up the alley of those who aren't as much a fan of the strong sherry in this one.
i decided to go sauce-less after that, and taking the lamb (minus the sauce) with the whisky, this was a really smart pairing that showcased the best of both the dish and dram.
next up we had my favourite dish of the evening, the Butter Chicken with naan, paired with a Blanton's Original Bourbon.
i was impressed when Rohit explained that he had originally planned for plain naan to be served, but his chef had on the spur of the moment recommended this garlic cheese naan instead to go with the chicken. it really speaks to the level of respect among staff and management, as well as the in-depth knowhow of the kitchen on the flavours, to be able to move dynamically like this.
this was my first time trying the Blanton's, which turned out to be my favourite of the four whiskies that evening. it's almost perfect for being an after-dinner or dessert whisky, with citrus and caramel on the nose, and a wonderfully complex blend bringing in a touch of spice on the palate. the finish is of medium length and well balanced between the sweetness and fruitiness.
the butter chicken was along the same vein, with the rich cream sauce being on the sweeter side. i also found the chicken intensely flavourful, slightly sweet and with a good balance of spices. not surprisingly, the chef was spot-on with his recommendation - the garlic added a missing acidity to the dish, a lovely complement to the sweet creaminess of the sauce. i also liked how the garlic was finely chopped into the naan to consistently infuse every single bite with the fullness of its flavour.
if not for the fact that my stomach had limited room left after the first two pairings, i would have been content to eat an entire portion of just the butter chicken and garlic cheese naan on its own, that's how good they were together.
pairing-wise, the Butter Chicken complemented the Blanton's very well - the sweetness of two different cultures and continents came together without clashing, and i liked how the richness of the sauce combined with the buttery chicken brought out more of the vanilla smoothness in the whisky. sweeter whiskies are a weakness for me, and this pairing made the Blanton's that much more enjoyable in my book.
i found it quite unique as well how the garlic cheese naan took the whisky in the opposite direction, giving it a slight (albeit not unpleasant) edge with the acidity.
and unlike the trilemma with the Tandoori Lamb Chop, this time all three just worked together - the butter chicken, the naan and the whisky. it was almost like experiencing two pairings in one, seeing two different facets of the same dram with one dish. overall, this one was a masterful pairing which was the highlight of the evening for me.
last but definitely not least, the tasting concluded with a pairing of Rasmalai and a highlight of Indian whisky, the Amrut Fusion.
on its own, the Amrut Fusion is lightly peated, with a dominant honey on the nose and tempered by a wood influence on the palate. the other flavours are more subtle, a touch of fruit here, perhaps a little reminiscent of dry cereal and berries for breakfast, but without detracting from the wood-honey-smoke core. surprisingly this was more subtle than i had expected, though over time it does develop some spiciness moving towards the finish.
the Rasmalai comprised a very light dumpling in a sweet milk 'sauce', sprinkled with dried fruits, pistachios and a touch of saffron. the flavours speak for themselves, coming together harmoniously in the milk. this pairing was proof that opposites do attract - the bringing together of the two diametrically-opposing ends of the spectrum of the smoky spicy Amrut with the sweet milky Rasmalai really enhanced the woodsmoke in the Amrut and provided a backdrop for the richness of the Rasmalai to shine.
the overall progression of both the food and whisky choices in the menu, increasing in flavour complexity and with the interesting perspectives playing off each other, was very well crafted. the execution of each dish was great and the thought put into each of the whisky pairings really showed Gravy's skills with not just their food, but the appreciation of how those flavours worked with the different drams. and the experience was just lovely, from the attention to detail by the servers to the proactiveness of the chef - i walked into Gravy that evening expecting to just be reviewing a food and drink pairing at a restaurant, but i left feeling like i had been received as a guest in someone's home.
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this review was written pursuant to an invitation by the brand to visit, and the food and drinks were provided for free for review purposes. i didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Gravy and as always, all opinions remain my own.
all information correct at time of publishing.
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