CURRY FAVOUR
HIT YOUR TASTEBUDS FOR SIX
WITH the Gold Coast’s culinary culture continuing to thrive, it’s finally time to fill a gaping gourmet naan-shaped hole.
The owners of southern gems Taverna, Osteria and Ancora, Mark Wilson and Lia Mason, are adding the Bombay Cricketers Club to their impressive line-up, a sumptuous and sorelyneeded nod to Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.
“There are all these beautiful Asian restaurants popping up and doing that really well, but for some reason, out of all the cuisines, nobody ever does Indian,” Mark says.
“I had an ex-girlfriend many years ago who was almost an Indian princess – she had the palace, the cars, the pet jaguars – and through her I developed a love of real Indian food.
“So we’re giving it a red hot go.
“Tonka in Melbourne is widely regarded as the best Indian restaurant in Australia and we’ve brought up former head chef Ved Navghare to help us and teach us. There’s a lot to learn and some of it is quite shocking, but it’s what we need to do to get it right.”
According to Mark, the Gold Coast and surrounds needn’t feel bad for the Indian oversight – it’s Australia-wide.
“We went hunting around Australia looking for chefs, spices and bits and pieces and it was so disappointing,” he says.
“We’d go into a restaurant and order all 15 curries and there was something homogenous about them.
“There was this disappointment because we knew how good it could be. So our surprise element was to build every single curry from scratch, none of them are remotely similar.
“There’s variance in flavour and texture and depth and profile. Australians are used to our version of Indian.”
Similar to Italian and Mexican food, Indian too has been westernised and there’s one particular example Mark mentions.
“The thing I think will create most conversation is our butter chicken, which is called ‘not butter chicken’,” he says. “It’s not what you’d get at your local Indian takeaway, so we’re concerned people will come in and be disappointed because it’s not what they’re used to. When we tasted Ved’s butter chicken from his homeland – it’s full of flavour and not just sugar and cream – we all looked at each other and knew there was a problem afoot, but we were also so excited. It could be contentious but we’re ready for the fight.”
A combination of traditional Indian and seasonal Australia, the menu will hero local produce to put a modern spin on classic dishes.
For example, the not butter chicken is a traditional recipe that can only be learnt through a childhood in India, but made with local tomatoes, smoked cream and coriander.
Punjabi prawns are a combination of fresh-from-the-trawler prawns and Indian spice, carefully formulated so as to not overpower their delicate flavour.
The tuna tartare comes with tapioca pappadums and cumin is present in the spiced lamb shoulder, alongside a watermelon rind pickle and buffalo curd.
With these adaptations, Ved and Lia have been able to create dishes that are delicious and – what can often be a struggle with Indian food – aesthetically beautiful.
“Indian food can be difficult to dress up – you can order seven curries that range from terracotta to dark brown – but given we’re looking past standard curries and more into incorporating the flavours it hasn’t been a struggle,” Mark says.
“I’ve got to give absolute credit to my wife here, she’s a genius.
“Before a meal is in your mouth you’ve already made a judgment and it’s very easy to make things beautiful when you’re surrounded by such amazing produce.”
The Bombay Cricketers Club, Shop 3/49-61 Bells Boulevard, Salt Village, Kingscliff