This deliberately inauthentic Indian restaurant is Melbourne's coolest new dinner spot

Acclaimed restaurateur Jessi Singh comes from humble origins. Born in a village in India where gender roles were strictly adhered to, Singh broke tradition by mastering classic Indian dishes in a kitchen that had previously been a strictly female domain. He gave his family the farm-to-table food experience long before such hipster monikers gained traction in the Western foodie world. “Everything we ate was made fresh,” Singh told Taste of Sydney. “You have to remember, most of us were without electricity. You milked the buffalo, drank its fresh milk, made the yogurt, you churned the butter. Bread was made not just fresh daily but fresh for every meal. It’s our way of eating.” Now, Singh has opened what’s set to be Melbourne’s coolest new Indian-fusion eatery, Daughter In Law. Serving up a host of mouth watering cocktails and healthy portions of our favourite curries, the space will no doubt be an ode to all of Singh’s best career moments to date — of which he boasts an impressive array.

After meeting his wife and business partner in 2004 the couple moved to Melbourne, where they opened a string of successful non-traditional Australian-Indian restaurants, including Dhaba at the Mill, Horn Please and Babu Ji St Kilda.

Ten years later the couple sold their Melbourne eateries and took on Manhattan, opening Babu Ji NYC in the East Village to acclaim from New York magazine and the New York Times. It was constantly buzzing with a steady flow of customers, but Singh missed the farm-to-table experience he had in Australia. “In America, you don’t have a connection with the purveyor, the fishmonger, the farmers. Everything’s done on the phone,” he said recently. “You missed out, as a cook.” In Australia, he “really enjoyed going out to the farm, picking up a lamb, or picking up a goat, just doing my own thing”.

So the Singhs returned to Australia, opening Don’t Tell Aunty in Sydney and now, Daughter In Law on Little Bourke Street in Melbourne. The name is intended to acknowledge women breaking free from traditional roles – a sentiment that Singh likely understands, given the resistance he would have faced in India as a little boy who wanted to cook.

Daughter In Law is a joyful, colourful space that dishes up seriously good, deliberately inauthentic Indian fare – like scallop crudo with coconut and turmeric, pizzas on bases of naan bread and steaks from a tandoor oven – all with a jubilant side of Bollywood tunes and classic ‘70s hits.

The colour scheme is bang on-trend for a chic eatery in 2019, with millennial pink walls, royal blue velvet seating and fun pops of gold everywhere.

Cocktails at Daughter In Law are a stylish blend of east and west, with drinks like spiked mango lassi and spicy margaritas. Being Melbourne, there is of course a selection of craft beers, and the wine list has been put together by Sacha Imrie of Marion Wine Bar.

Singh has come a long way from the small Indian village he was raised in, but his love and passion for fresh food hasn’t changed – and with stiff competition from the USA, Australia is lucky that he has chosen to call us home.

Visit: daughterinlaw.com.au


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