Jessi Singh, who owns and co-owns several restaurants such as Daughter In Law, Pinki Ji, Babu Ji, to name a few, says when Indians leave India, they become more Indians. It carries a profound truth and reinforces his own self-fulfilling prophecy that has been exemplified through the names of his successful eateries. And driven by the Indian emphasis on hospitality, Singh has become quite the serial chef-restaurateur.
Before migrating to American and then to Australia, Singh grew up with the food of Punjab and still makes frequent trips to eat his way through the regions of India. “I do it for the culinary experience of learning and seeing myself. I am making my observation, seeing what will work and what won’t,” he says.
We are sitting at Daughter In Law, the Unauthentic Australian Indian Bar & Restaurant at Little Bourke St, which was opened in 2019, just before the pandemic. Not his first restaurant, but Daughter In Law is the culmination of Singh’s years of experience in Indian and global cuisine.
Lamenting the impact of the pandemic that has hit the city’s footfalls and, of course, the restaurant industry as a whole, he gestures towards the Telstra building towering above, which was once filled with approximately 7000 workers. “Large groups used to come from there, but now we don’t see any,” he rues.
But he is determined to persevere and continue providing patrons with a memorable dining experience that combines food, ambience, good service and a commitment to his craft.
Daughter In Law’s vibrant and unique decor, featuring colourful garlands hanging above the walls, tiffin boxes, and bright lights, evokes the festive atmosphere of an Indian wedding celebration. While the aesthetics capture the essence of traditional Indian celebrations, the self-proclaimed “unauthentic” label suggests that Singh has deviated slightly from the conventional Indian food repertoire.
“It is more about adding a lot more western dishes into an Indian dining experience. Nothing here tastes the same; every dish has its own flavour profile,” he reflects.
One of his best inventions, he claims, is the “Colonel Tso’s” cauliflower, which is lightly fried and offers a unique and superior flavour that sets it apart from its namesake dish. He mentions that at his restaurants in America, the dish was voted as the dish of the year for three consecutive years, from 2014 to 2016.
Of the Kingfisher Ceviche, he argues, “When raw fish is so good, why would you cook it?”
The menu also includes the “unauthentic butter chicken”, which without cream, butter and ghee is lighter on the palate, he says. “Not every Indian food is heavy or all about butter chicken. There is so much to my cuisine and culture. I am aiming to represent the whole of India.”
Singh believes dining is all about the experience as much it is about the food. He has Bollywood dancers during the weekend to infuse colour and music into the experience. “Daughter In Law is an experience dedicated to my culture,” he says.
Singh, who grew up in Punjab, India, candidly says he was not smart enough to chase “the brown family dream” of being a surgeon or an engineer. But he did have one passion – cooking – that he was determined to pursue.
He developed an interest in cooking through his frequent visits to the gurudwara in his village, where he and his large family members participated in kitchen activities.
“I vividly remember spending most of my time in the kitchen, even as a child, chopping onions and tomatoes with rusty knives and no chopping boards. It was a challenging task, considering the massive number of people we cooked for, requiring several days of preparation. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the experience, which eventually led to my passion for cooking. I took that passion with me abroad,” says Singh.
So, at a very young age, Singh travelled to California and started working extensively in various restaurants across America, gaining experience in a diverse range of cuisines, including Italian and French.
Today, he is quite the serial chef-restaurateur. From Dhaba by the Mill to Horn Please to Babu Ji to Mr Brownie Pub to Daughter In Law to Pinky Ji, he has infused a fun and creative spirit into the dining industry. In fact, when he opened Babu Ji in 2014 in New York’s East Village, it received reviews from publications such as the New Yorker and New York Times, “becoming one of the year’s buzziest restaurants”.
But it is in Australia where Singh started his chain of restaurants after honing his culinary skills all over the world. In early 2000, Singh and his ex-wife Jennifer migrated to Australia for a “better lifestyle”. Dhaba By The Mill in regional Kyneton opened in 2008 solidifying the experience of rustic charm and authentic taste of dhaba (roadside eatery) food.
“Dhaba took off massively after a UK reporter visited and did a piece,” he says. “Suddenly every weekend, we were getting big groups from curry clubs from the UK.”
While they were residing in Kyneton, the couple constructed the Dhaba Truck, which they utilised to offer a condensed menu in nearby towns such as Woodend, Castlemaine, and Mt Macedon.
In 2011, Singh opened Horn Please at Fitzroy, a name derived from the well-known hand-painted slogans found on the back of commercial trucks throughout India. With ethnic décor, the restaurant is quite the fantasy version of his memories of India. It is the same with Babu Ji, opened in St Kilda. And then came Mr Brownie Pub (an Indian British curry pub) in South Melbourne and, of course, Daughter In Law in 2019. The other recent eateries to Singh’s credit include Don’t Tell Aunty and Pinky Ji in Sydney.
It was during his brief hiatus in 2014 in America that Singh opened Babu Ji in NYC in the East Village and Bibi Ji in Santa Barbara. “It just took two weeks for the New York Times to notice Babu Ji. It became a trendsetter,” says Singh.
Babu Ji has been running for 12 years in New York before it got caught in a lawsuit arising out of the Black Lives Movement riots and COVID. But Singh is hopeful it will be back in business.
As we wrap up our conversation, Singh asserts, “A restaurant is more about the experience, the space, the comfort, the freshness of food.” Daughter In Law has that, it takes you on a journey home.
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Jessi Singh’s ‘Daughter In Law’ is the culmination of his yrs of experience in Indian & global cuisine. The self-proclaimed ‘unauthentic’ label suggests that Singh has deviated slightly from the conventional Indian food rep. #TheIndianSun @indira_laisramhttps://t.co/m3kGdd6204
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