SEATTLE — A new restaurant concept just opened in Seattle: progressive Indian cuisine.
Mint Progressive Indian features dishes from around India, prepared with non-traditional ingredients (like Northwest seafood) and served with fine dining plating.
"(The ingredients) are accessible here, and you can use those things and create something new out of it,” said co-owner Goldie Singh, who opened the restaurant with his brother-in-law MP Singh. "It's a modern version of Indian food and how you can present it, using international techniques and maintaining those traditional flavors and presenting it in a new form."
Examples include tandoori pineapple burrata, amritsari soft shell crab achari prawns, and baked Romanesco.
"Progressive Indian in a nutshell is presenting Indian food in a modern form, pairing it well with artisanal cocktails,” Singh said.
To that end, chief bar manager Martin Mudlin created a beverage menu that compliments the food menu.
“What the chef is doing is amazing and I've got to match that, I've got to be equal with that, so… I've never eaten as much Indian food as I have in the last six months, never watched so many Bollywood movies,” he said. "I want to take you to India without you leaving the 206."
The cocktail menu is gin-focused and offers 100 varieties of the liquor. There is also whiskey imported from India, and an array of zero-proof options.
"We have the largest non-alcoholic spirits section in Seattle,” Mudlin said. “So while people may not want to partake, they can still have fun."
Singh said while the “progressive Indian” concept is new to Seattle, it’s filling a void.
"If you look at cities like New York City, San Francisco, Chicago — these restaurants are popping up everywhere, and we don't have that here,” he said. "Indian food is not defined yet. It's such a big country, so many cultures and religions and languages. Even I, as an Indian, don't know the whole aspect of what Indian cuisine is, so this is just the beginning."
Mint Progressive Indian is open Wednesday–Monday for happy hour and dinner service. It’s located at 1103 First Ave. in downtown Seattle.
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