ADDA doesn't add up

NEW RESTAURANT

ADDA 7500E Beach Road #01-201 Diners Building Singapore 199595 Tel: 82628045 Open for dinner only Tues to Sun: 6pm to 10.30pm

EVER wonder what goes through a dog's mind when he's hot on the trail of a scent and suddenly realises that uh-oh, he's lost? It must be the same "what the…" moment we had when we followed the tracks of Manjunath Mural - former executive chef of Michelin-starred The Song of India - and end up at ADDA.

Welcome to the world of mod, Neo-Indian dining according to chef Mural, who swaps sedate, colonial interiors for a psychedelic universe that can be interpreted as vibrant and electrifying - or a minimalist's definition of hell.

Crammed with enough colours to make up a Pantone chart of purgatory hues, the restaurant is bathed in a pervasive orange light that tries to outshine the golden bar that fronts a wall of pink liquor display shelves. Two mesmerising blue booths have a mirror set into their concave walls - we avoid them since supernatural TV shows tell us that they are the eyes of an abyss that will suck you in for an eternity decorated in ornate furniture. Instead, we plonk ourselves on blood-red upholstered chairs and try to avoid eye contact with any other colours we haven't met before.

Visual assault complete, it's the food's turn to attack you. Chef Mural takes no prisoners with the pani puri shooters (S$12) that your server insists that you order. They're non-alcoholic, he assures you, although he doesn't warn you that the innocent-looking snacks are lethal weapons served on a whimsical toy wagon.

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Crispy puffs of pastry with a spiced filling are meant to be chomped on and followed by a shot glass of either a green or red mocktail. Like the red and blue pills of The Matrix, the green shooter cuts right through you, slashing its way down your gullet and playing Pokemon Go with your intestines. The red one is much milder, comforting you with its fruity sweet disposition.

Before you've had time to recover, the house special fried chicken (S$16) arrives on its own red fire engine truck - marinated chicken deep fried in a crispy spiced crust studded with sesame seeds and garnished with fried curry leaves. The drumstick is suitably juicy and the breast predictably dry, while the spicy mayo it comes with does help the meat go down better.

Neo-Indian is just fussy speak for fusion, with token attempts at substitution rather than original creations. Nachos (S$12), for one, substitute the American staple diet of tortilla chips with guacamole and cheese with papadums and little cubes of paneer doused in a mild cheese sauce.

For something with more depth, the butter chicken pot pie (S$28) works rather well. It's served ceremoniously with your server easing the flaky pastry covering off a ceramic dish so that you can witness the steam released from the bubbling hot creamy, tomato-ey butter chicken within. Tear off bits of pastry to eat with the salty savoury filling, or wait for some so-so butter or garlic naan to dip into it.

Chef Mural's strength lies in the classics, so his signature chicken dum biryani (S$22) doesn't disappoint with a solid line up of still-juicy chunks of chicken nestled in heavily spiced basmati rice. Dal Makhani (S$18) is a savoury pulot hitam-like black dal - a buttery, earthy and smoky dish that seems amiable but hides a slow burn.

As it turns out, the most successful cultural connection is a really good light cheesecake that's stuffed with a chewy sweet ball of gulab jamun (S$10).

ADDA may translate into a place for conversation and making merry, but ironically it's not the most conducive place to enjoy chef Mural's cooking. He isn't there on the day that we visit either, so we don't know if that or the pounding Bhangra-trance music made for an uncomfortable meal.

For now, there's enough going for ADDA food-wise, but it's going to need to tone down on its attention-getting demeanour, and give chef Mural some space to do what he does best.

Rating: 6

DINING OUT WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

10: The ultimate dining experience9-9.5: Sublime8-8.5: Excellent7-7.5: Good to very good6-6.5: Promising5-5.5: Average

Our review policy: The Business Times pays for all meals at restaurants reviewed on this page. Unless specified, the writer does not accept hosted meals prior to the review's publication.