Cuisine: Indian
Address: 120 Desker Rd, Singapore 209639
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park Station (Northeast line)

A mugshot is a representation of a rebellion and memory. Here in the rebellious street of Little India, which is one of the oldest memory lanes of Singapore, the restaurant  ‘Mugshots’ was conceptualised.

The bar curves into the room, dark in the barely lit room. Through the windows, the diamonds of lead panes, trickle the sallow light of street-lamps. Are you ready to experience food and drinks as an act of love and rebellion? Are you prepared to make a memory with us? No-one comes here without anything wholesome in mind!

Working in the food industry for 15+ years, our acclaimed chef has drawn inspiration from all over the world, seamlessly synthesizing the familiar and the unknown to form daringly bold flavors and class. The carefully-crafted menu accentuates the uniquely exquisite flavors that have come to define Mugshots Bistro. This one-of-a-kind and intimate experience will leave you with memories that last a lifetime. A cozy interior with the neon lights and high stools greet you when you enter the restaurant. We were having dinner so we were given a proper table.

For starters, we were contemplating between the hummus and Mahammara ($12). Seeing that we could not decide, the waiter suggested that we do half of each portion, so we could have the best of both worlds. These Persian dips come with one pita bread. I really like hummus, after having been introduced to it by a vegetarian friend many years ago. The Mahammara which is roasted egg plant was also delicious, nicer than the Lebanese food that I had tried, and this one prepared at Mugshots had a strong spicy taste.

The two of us decided to share two main dishes. So we had the fish mango curry ($14) with some fresh fish and the curry was not too sweet or sour. It had the right amount of flavour, being spicy, salty and sour at the same time. It evoked the senses. The one piece of porotta ($2.50) was not enough to soak up the goodness of the curry, so we ended up ordering another piece of porotta each. The Kerala porotta tasted like the Singapore version of prata, but definitely way better.

Under the Kerala specials, we had the Kerala beef fry ($15). It is like a type of dry curry, fried with chilli and other spices. It was really delicious as well, and the pieces of beef seemed to fall apart tenderly in the mouth. As you know, I do not like to chew on big pieces of beer which are very tough, but this beef fry was just perfect. Imagine having beef rendang curry, but this is the dry version and the beef is cut into bite-size pieces, making it very easy to eat.

As you can see, for our carbohydrates, we had porotta ($2.50) and Naan ($2.50). There is also rice for those who prefer this as their staple.

There were many other signature dishes that are worth trying here, such as Persian lamb shank briyani ($24) or the mutton coconut fry ($16). This would have to wait till the next time.

It was a pleasant evening spent at Mugshots. I also had a pint of Stella Artois Beer ($11) to accompany the meal. From Mondays to Thursdays, the bar offers happy hour drinks at $8 a pint. Some people just come here for the drinks, heard that their cocktail menu is quite extensive and their drinks pack a punch. For lovers of Indian food and who want to relax in a chilled atmosphere, this is the place to visit.