The Elephant Room

It is as if you are embarking (or drinking) on a journey around India like in the Gujarat State, there is The New Mango ($25) concocted with Terai gin, white sesame drop, acid washed green mangoes and a bite-sized Indian cheese to bring the creaminess into the flavours. There is also the Indian Lion ($25), inspired by the Punjab state, made with Paul John Nirvana Whisky, spiced tandoori nectar, Campari and topped with a brined peal onion peel.

Food-wise, you are in for a treat as the ingredients are freshly sourced from Tekka Market, in which you can start off with the popular streetside snack of Pani Puri ($16 for half dozen) with butter bean foam and tamarind jaggery that brings a refreshing tangy touch before chomping down on the Banana Flower Croquette ($24) that is served with a house pickled lemon mayo. The surprising dish of the evening was the Baked Eggplant with Tandoori Bread ($22) as I am not a huge fan of eggplants, but for this dish, we mop it clean with the tandoori bread. The richness in the sesame dressing pairs well with the spiced rub eggplant, but if a touch of acid like lemon juice is added into the mix, it would have been a perfect dish.

The restaurant’s favourite Mussel Crab Sothi ($24) is another dish not to be missed as the flaky pratha is a great vessel to dunk into the spiced coconut broth, soaking up all the goodness while you gather a plump and juicy mussel out from the shell, scoop up some crab meat and enjoy it as a whole mouthful. The addition of the green mango helped to balance the flavours with its acidity. We ended the meal with the Black Cherry Kulfi, another refreshing dessert with coco crumble.
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✨ The Elephant Room
📍 20A Teck Lim Road, Singapore 088391
🍴 [Media Invite]

Sat at the bar and the bartender was really nice!
Explained all the special Indian region inspired cocktails and even gave us free tasters!

The 3 cocktails we tried were super interesting, with ingredients like curry foam, Sinhala coffee, and coconut air.

If you’re looking for a chill quiet place to enjoy a cocktail experience, I would recommend this!

They also have flavoured distilled gin, like meat curry, and pink guava! Bartender gave us a taste of them, and the taste is seriously surprising!

I think the food menu is new and pretty legit!
The pani puri taste great and goes well with the drinks here!

Forgot the name of the cocktail I had (something bee’s), it’s a g&t with honey, refreshing and unique!

(Tasting)
Step aside McSpicy. The “Indian Fried Chicken Burger” ($18 for a single thigh, $21 for two) is everything you lovers of spicy fried chicken didn’t know you needed in your life. So of course, this mindblower deserves a standalone post.
As explained by the earnest and very lovely Yuji (@cocktailmahout), Founder of @elephantroomsg, the ridiculously flavourful, juicy and tender chicken thigh meat is the result of being brined for two days in Indian buttermilk (a concoction steeped in fennel, green chili, curry leaves) and then marinated in garlic and ginger. In contrast is the most shattering of crunchy battered coatings I have come across. Then there’s what the fried chicken thighs get dressed in. There’s curry aioli, gunpowder spice and pickled onions - all in spot-on proportions. The explosion of deliciousness can hardly be contained between the soft brioche buns, which by the way, are toasted not in butter, but ghee - a crucial ingredient in Indian cooking.
It seems a few customers have requested to have the fried chicken sans buns, but I highly recommend enjoying the whole burger as it’s meant to be. A lot of thought and effort went into creating and perfecting this stunner.

P.S. I really loved it with the “Pina Rasam” cocktail ($24).

Be it their unique concoctions, food pairings or even the little decorative details around the bar, there is just something different and experiential that you are going to get when you stepped into The Elephant Room, almost like uncovering a story or identity of the brand. The ingredients used in the drinks and foods are sourced directly from Tekka Market and its surroundings; the epicenter of Little India, besides the popular Mustafa Centre. During that evening, we had a couple of dishes such as the Gobi Manchurian ($16) and Ter Curry Chicken ($21) to pair with our cocktails, and as different as their cocktails are, the food menu is something that you should pay attention to as well. The former are cauliflower fritters that are deep fried and tossed in a sweet and sour gravy but there is an addictive spice that packs a punch, almost instantly as you start eating them while the latter is Yugi’s mother’s recipe of curry chicken which is served with warm putu mayam, a combination not commonly seen but works so well as the putu mayam is able to latch onto the curry gravy so well that each bite will make you want more.

Moving onto the cocktails, we had The Mango ($23), Jothi’s Flower Shop ($23), Banana King ($23) and Chai ($23), and I have to say that out of the four, the Chai wins unanimously. The traditional chai beverage has been modernized with the addition of rum while the base is still made with the masala spices but with added fermented pineapple and green chilli. To top it all off, a pineapple foam is added to give it a tangy richness and creaminess, balancing out the strong spice flavour.
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✨ The Elephant Room
📍 20A Teck Lim Road, Singapore 088391
🛵 https://www.theelephantroom.sg/cocktails
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T R E A T
When a business owner has a clear vision of his or her brand, and how to bring every aspect of it to life, that’s bold and refreshing.
I got a taste, quite literally, of that when Yugi (@cocktailmahout) got in touch with me and sent over cocktails and light bites from the @elephantroomsg, a culture-forward new spot inspired by Singapore’s Little India.
Typical of me, I got more caught up with the food which was audaciously delicious from the liberal use of Indian spices. With such intoxicating aromas on the palate, I found myself enjoying the Lamb Tacos ($18) even though I tend to avoid this meat as I find it too gamey. The finely-shredded lamb shoulder which came in a Puri taco, was fall-apart tender, juicy and extremely tasty from having been marinated in “sup kambing” spices for 12 hours. It came with a sauce that elevated tastiness further with its different dimension.
To my surprise, the Grilled Tiger Prawns Glazed in a Tamarind Curry ($24) were even better. It had me sucking on the shells to get at every bit of that incredible curry. The accompanying flatbread was wonderful as well - soft, chewy and ever so slightly sweet.
As for the cocktails, each had a fascinating backstory and were unique. While “Sippin’87” was a sweetish, coffee-forward little number (the team’s take on the Espresso Martini with savoury notes from caramelised onions and zest from kombucha), the “Tekka” cocktail paid tribute to the iconic Tekka Market in Little India by swirling together Old Monk Rum, fermented banana, Spiced Palm Jaggery and a hint of turmeric.

If you want to explore the flavours of this Little India-inspired joint, please tap on the link in the @elephantroomsg’s bio on Instagram for details.