Local Lowdown: Bibi Ji

Collin Dewell, courtesy Bibi Ji.

Collin Dewell, courtesy Bibi Ji.

The new restaurant from James Beard Award-winning sommelier and winemaker Rajat Parr and acclaimed Chef Jessi Singh (of the popular Babu Ji restaurants in San Francisco, Manhattan and Melbourne), Bibi Ji, takes its name from an Indian term of endearment for women in the family, and pays tribute to the formative women in both Singh and Parr’s lives who cultivated their love for food and hospitality.

This innovative take on Indian food paired with locally made wines and locally sourced seafood with Australian influences all adds up to what is easily one of the most exciting new restaurants to hit downtown Santa Barbara in a long time!

Collin Dewell, courtesy Bibi Ji.

Collin Dewell, courtesy Bibi Ji.

Drawing from his Australian and Indian roots, Chef Singh (who now lives in Santa Barbara) has created a menu featuring his self-proclaimed “unauthentic take” on many traditional American seafood dishes, with a strong focus on using local Santa Barbara purveyors. Currently on the menu are SB UNI biryani, made with local sea urchin and fried rice; local oysters with green mango pickle butter; delicious Hope Ranch black mussels in a curry broth; and melt-in-your-mouth Aussie lamb chops with mint and dill raita and apricot chutney; as well as a zesty array of “unauthentic curries.”

Collin Dewell, courtesy Bibi Ji.

Collin Dewell, courtesy Bibi Ji.

The Chef’s Tasting Menu—offering a variety of favorite appetizers, curries, naan, rice and dessert for $50 per person—is an excellent way to savor a variety of these exciting flavors.

Bibi Ji, 734 State St., bibijisb.com, 805/560-6845.

Leslie Dinaberg

This story was originally published in the summer 2018 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.