What do you think of when you hear the phrase "Family Meal Deal"? Some sort of high-fat, high-salt junk food "treat", no doubt, marketed by fast food companies as every mother's dream "night off." For the record, this mother's idea of a night off is cocktails at Madame Brussels and associated debauchery, not a bloody variety bucket. However, I could be tempted with Dosa Hut's "Family Biryani Meal Deal," a mammoth pot of biryani proudly advertised on this little restaurant's front window. McDonalds, watch your back!Dosa Hut, bolted on to the end of West Footscray's Barkly Village, have a staggering ...
Archives for “Indian”
Until I went to India, I thought all Indian food was served in twee copper pots, perhaps warmed by a tea light underneath. A genuine Indian restaurant had to feature smoky glass, gold bas-relief pictures of elephants, and salmon-colored napery. Sitar music would jangle while we spooned heavy, creamy curries onto our cold plates, and the saloon-style door to the kitchen would swing open sporadically, revealing a turbaned, mustachioed chef plunging skewers of meat into the tandoor.Within a few days of arriving in Bangalore, south India, my preconceptions were happily turned on their head. We ate in cafes where the ...
It is so exciting to see Barkly Village evolve organically. While the Council drags its heels on its street beautification scheme, more and more of the ugly, empty shopfronts are filling up with colourful Indian restaurants, complementing the many existing Indian grocers. The West Footscray Neighbourhood House is riffing on the theme, hosting the first of its new four-yearly markets, this one based on Holi, the Indian festival of colours. For Vindaloo Against Violence, we decided to try one of the newcomers to Barkly Village, Maharaja's Haveli.The walls were freshly painted and the menus crisp. Despite the spartan feel, the ...
If you are going to eat a packet of chips, make it Magic Masala! These are extra spicy and totally addictive. As the back of the packet says, they "make your heart go DHAK DHAK"!From India Impex, Irving St, Footscray (between Nicholson & Leeds)
Popped into town to pick up some Kitchen Samrat for a lazy lunch. $16 for two curries and four naans (two with garlic).They now do dosas! These wafer-thin, crispy pancakes are made of a fermented rice and lentil batter. They're stuffed with spiced potatoes, eggs or cheese and rolled into a huge cigar shape. Looking forward to eating in soon so I can try them. Today we had Chicken Tikka Masala and Malai Kofta. The Chicken T.M. was great - pieces of chargrilled, marinated chicken in a thick tomato gravy, with onions and red capsicum. This dish is a modern ...
It was a perfect night for a walk, so B and I strolled leisurely through the back streets to dinner at Madhumoti. The decor is basic but sweet - little bunches of plastic flowers on the tables, and Nanna-style plates with water lilies on them. We started with the haleem, which was almost Indian chilli con carne - a slow-cooked, soupy stew of rice, wheat and lentils with chunks of meat. The grains had melded into absolute lusciousness, which was followed up by a massive kick of heat from lots of green chilli. One of my ...
I have been to a lot of great places in the months since I stopped posting, but to be fair I think I need to revisit them in order to give a fair review (ah, the agony!) It does seem fair to write about Aangan, though, given I have been there so many times. I have a weird relationship with Aangan. In the little country town that is Barkly Village, West Footscray, there are not too many dining options. Krishna take an hour plus to bring your mains, and Thai Angels is a bit ordinary. ...
