Finally, Australia can get a decent curry - delivered!

[Jerry_Atrick]

Takeaway curry flown 500 miles to France

 

Now, I am going to lend support to Phil's view that BBC is fake news.. The story tells it as if this was just a bunch of expats. Nope! It started with the idea of an expat who lives in Bordeaux to get a curry from his favourite curry house to Saucats in the TBM because he missed them so much. As he is a forumite on the uk flyer forums, he stuck it in the fly ins and social events topic and there were quite a few who decided they would be in. Although Fracne is famed for food, it is only famed for French food, I guess. Having said that, the best country to get an Indian takeway outside of India is Britain (well, in the countries I have had an Indian takeaway - which are Australia, India, Britain and South Africa).

 

As per the video, the cost was £32/head and I thought, given it was to be held in January (winter) and I am not IFR qualified, chancing the weather within my personal tolerances was a step too far, given I could have had the same meal for about £10 - £12/head (not including alcohol) by nipping down the road to them (sort of).

 

I have eaten at Akash and it is one of the better non-Indian Indian meals I have had.. There was a poncy Indian restaurant in Melbourne in the '90s called Gaylords (from memory). Bludday expensive and not as good. My last Indian in Australia was in Prahran in 2005.. The sag aloo was made from tinned spinach!

 

As the owner says, he'll deliver to Australia (if the money is right).. Snap yourself up a decent Indian meal...

 

 

[Marty_d]

Don't have to leave Australia for the best Indian food Jerry - the Jasmin restaurant in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, is absolutely amazing. Well it was last time I was there, which to be honest was about 15 years ago.

 

 

[KRviator]

Good thing CASA can't intervene. Remember that bloke with the drone who wanted a Bunnings Snag?

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Don't have to leave Australia for the best Indian food Jerry - the Jasmin restaurant in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, is absolutely amazing. Well it was last time I was there, which to be honest was about 15 years ago.

'bout the same time I was getting my takeaway from Prahran, then ;-)

 

Good thing CASA can't intervene. Remember that bloke with the drone who wanted a Bunnings Snag?

Was he snagged by CASA? I'll get me 'at and coat; and glass of Penfolds Koonunga (makes a change from Wolfie)...

 

 

[onetrack]

The day I have to resort to buying any kind of Indian food, will be the day I run out of canned Tom Piper steak and onions, and Heinz canned spaghetti.

 

Indian food has got to be the worst type of food ever produced, using the cheapest rubbishy ingredients, all buried in brightly-coloured sauces, designed to hide the rubbishy contents.

 

Unfortunately, Indian restaurants are steadily advancing in numbers locally, over good Australian or Mediterranean restaurants. What a sad state of eating affairs.

 

As regards rubbishy food, I can recall the brother and my father taking a road trip from Perth to Townsville in mid-1964 to visit a favourite Auntie, who ran a grocery store in Townsville.

 

Whilst travelling through a far-Western NSW country town, they decided to pull into the local cafe to get a feed. The menu looked generally unappetising - but the grubby-looking owner had "Today's Special" listed - "Hungarian Goulash".

 

Dad and the brother decided to order Today's Special, as it sounded better than anything else on the menu - but after it arrived and they started chowing down on it, the brother exclaimed ...

 

"This is nothing but heated up, Tom Piper canned steak and onions!! And I've eaten enough of it on bush jobs, to know exactly what it tastes like!!".

 

He was absolutely disgusted and made his opinion known to the cafe operator, who denied any knowledge of Tom Piper canned tucker.

 

However, as Dad and the brother left the establishment, they paid a visit to the cafes rubbish bin area - and guess what! They found a big stack of empty Tom Piper cans!!

 

 

[Marty_d]

The day I have to resort to buying any kind of Indian food, will be the day I run out of canned Tom Piper steak and onions, and Heinz canned spaghetti.Indian food has got to be the worst type of food ever produced, using the cheapest rubbishy ingredients, all buried in brightly-coloured sauces, designed to hide the rubbishy contents.

You've obviously never had good Indian food.

 

We make a Butter Chicken that is absolutely mouth-watering - using quality ingredients. The chicken marinates for 4 hours in one sauce, which is then discarded and the chicken is cooked in a different sauce. Both sauces are made from scratch from fresh ingredients.

 

And this dish is ALMOST as good as the one served at the Jasmin.

 

Historically in India (before freezers & fridges) curry was highly spiced, partly to hide the fact that the meat was not the freshest (if you've ever seen an open-air butcher's in a hot country, you'll know what I mean). That's a long way from a restaurant in a first world country.

 

 

[onetrack]

Marty, sadly, all my experiences with Indian food have been pretty bad. "Claypot Casserole Chicken". 99 times out of a 100, it's rabbit.

 

Now, I don't mind rabbit, but I regard it as inferior to chicken - but the important thing is, when I order chicken, I expect to get chicken. Not a substitute hidden deep in coloured sauce. Nothing makes me angrier than this rort.

 

I got a "Lamb Curry with Rice" from a local establishment last year. It comprised 3 pieces of lamb bone virtually stripped of any meat, along with coloured rice making up about 98% of the feed.

 

The meal didn't even possess a reasonable level of curry! - it was virtually devoid of any curry flavour! Talk about a total rort. I have never been so disgusted with a meal in all my life.

 

I'm sick of getting unidentifiable pieces of meat in curries. You wouldn't know what it was, they're probably utilising roadkill. IMO, you can't go past a good Greek feed, the Greeks really know how to provide exceptional meals.

 

 

[ClintonB]

Roadkill is not all that bad, I don’t buy food court Indian because it looks the same going in as out.

 

 

[kgwilson]

A lot of the curries are not really Indian food at all, well not from India. Expat Indians who settled in Britain created most of them there. Most of the really good Indian dishes are vegetarian. Hindus don't eat meat. I hardly ate any meat dishes in India when I was travelling around there for 6 months (a long time ago) but I did find the food addictive & found western food incredibly bland when I left. Indians are really good at working out what sells in the market they are in and adjust their cuisine to suit the local taste & so make an even bigger profit.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

but I did find the food addictive & found western food incredibly bland .

I have the same problem now after eating Sichuan spicy food for so many years.

 

Marty, sadly, all my experiences with Indian food have been pretty bad. IMO, you can't go past a good Greek feed, the Greeks really know how to provide exceptional meals.

I'll go along with that, have tried various Indian places in different countries and always leave disappointed.

 

By Greek food of course you mean Melbourne fish n chips! Yum!

 

Just a plug for our close friends who run this lot....

 

Welcome to China Chilli

 

This is as genuine Sichuan food as you can get. They are from my home town, the cooks are also local (they stole 5 from one 5 star Chengdu hotel!), everything that can possibly be bought from here is, condiments, spices, cat meat, cookware, furniture, etc.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Maybe getting hypersonic drones adapted for takeaway delivery will mean we can order truly authentic food from the country of origin (well there are some other practicalities to overcome - customs, hygiene laws, etc)

 

Foreign food is almost always adapted to local tastes, however, there are some countries that seem to keep authenticity better than others. In the UK, as @kgwilson points out, they have actually originated some Indian dishes - the Bhalti being one - which was on offer in a restaurant in Hyderabad when I was there. UK Indian food is generally quite good, especially at Brick Lane market.. There is so much competition, that poor curry houses fast disappear. Oriental food here, by contrast, is very ordinary, although not as bad as the Czech Republic where it is basically noodle soup of the local cuisine. By contrast, Australia (well, the cities, anyway) has great Oriental food; I couldn't tell the difference between what I could get at Stanley Market in HK and sme restaurants in China Town in Melbourne.. there were some dishes I dared not try in both places, too. As for Thai, I prefer it in Aus to Thailand... Aus keeps it authentic, but tweaked to western tastes, which is probably why I love it. Over here, it is basically the local bland Chinese with a bit of lemongrass thrown in. We make Thai dishes at home - never eat out.

 

I used to go up and down the Newell Hwy a lot. Most towns had at least one pub (usually two - frequently the Commercial and the Union). a KFC (pre Maccas grip on fast food everywhere), a Chinese and a F&C/takeaway. I am sure it is better these days. The Chinese food was virtually the same in each town and much like here.. The pubs served steaks, Wiener Schntizels, Chicken Kievs, Snags, sometimes a fish of some sort. I am sure there were a couple of other staples, but whatever they were, the menus at each pub was virtually identical. I honestly can't recall any other cuisine, except in the bigger towns like Dubbo, where some motels had restaurants, too. I'm sure it has changed since the late 90s where, after I drove my gf to Lightening Ridge from Melbourne (and back), we hve not had another chicken kiev or scnitzel since. However, the F&Cs are much, much better than you can get here.

[old man emu]

Long gone are the days of the Counter Lunch, and no more is there a Nick the Greek's Paragon or Niagra serving farmer's wives on their day in town.

 

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Oh no! Does that mean there is one less option in Aussie towns, these days? Or have they been replaced by curry houses?

 

 

[old man emu]

NO. The curry-munchers have moved into the Service Stations.

 

 

[onetrack]

OME, there's a nostalgia book and a webpage dedicated to the old Greek milkbars and cafes. It's amazing how the Greeks spread themselves around.

 

Greek Cafés and Milk Bars of Australia | Neos Kosmos

 

Greek Cafes & Milk Bars of Australia | Photowrite

 

 

[old man emu]

This is a very famous one in Katoomba. History of the Paragon Cafe, Katoomba

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Don't have to leave Australia for the best Indian food Jerry - the Jasmin restaurant in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, is absolutely amazing. Well it was last time I was there, which to be honest was about 15 years ago.

Our fave was the Kings Castle in Burwood, Melbourne in 1973,. . . not far for us to drive, ( From Vermont ) and a brilliant Indian meal every time. . . .Bearing in mind that my standard was what I used to get served in the UK in the very late sixties. . . .Great food and bonhomie, BYO wines and beers . . . . . and they started the first Delivery service for those who didn't want to go out. . . .7 miles radius. . . .GREAT service. . . We often ordered a take away, and took it to the Burwood Drive in cinema and consumed it whilst I was watching things like 2001 a Space oddysey, whilst Wifey was watching crap like Women in Love. . . YUK. . . .

 

 

[Yenn]

I worked in Singapore years ago and enjoyed curries at a specialist curry restaurant, near the post office, for some reason, I don't know why I have never really fancied a curry since then. Even on a trip to India I didn't find a curry I really liked.

 

I know they are supposed to be the most favoured foods in England, but I far prefer the pub meals.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Don't have to leave Australia for the best Indian food Jerry - the Jasmin restaurant in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, is absolutely amazing...

I believe you're wrong, Marty. I have it on good authority you'd have to go to South Africa.

Natal Curry Eating Contest - Email to Share - SAPeople - Your Worldwide South African Community

 

 

[Marty_d]

I believe you're wrong, Marty. I have it on good authority you'd have to go to South Africa.Natal Curry Eating Contest - Email to Share - SAPeople - Your Worldwide South African Community

Well the best steak I ever had was in Johannesburg! I don't know what they marinated it in but it was delicious.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

I worked in Singapore years ago and enjoyed curries at a specialist curry restaurant, near the post office, for some reason, I don't know why I have never really fancied a curry since then. Even on a trip to India I didn't find a curry I really liked.I know they are supposed to be the most favoured foods in England, but I far prefer the pub meals.

Supposed to be? I would say it is given the extent they went to get some to expat UK people in France and the fact people from here flew into it

 

 

[Downunder]

NO. The curry-munchers have moved into the Service Stations.

WOW.... I thought it was just here in WA....... You can hardly go into any servo without Indians running the place.

 

All happened quite quickly over a couple of years.....

 

Not saying there in anything wrong with it (they ARE working), but just found it unusual.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Chicken Tikka Masala has been the favourite, ie, 'Most Ordered' dish in the UK for several years. . . . too mild for me though. I prefer Madras / Jalfrezi etc. . .and in response to Yenn's comment on eating in India,. . .their food isn't hot at all,. . .that malarkey of making them really stupidly hot, Vindaloo / Tindaloo / Fahl etc. . . was started by the British Raj to mask the fact that most of the meat used was rotten. . . .

 

Indian food served 'In Country' is 'Spicy' but not 'hot'. Think Biryani. . lots of rice and veg just slightly spicy. .. ( Persian Origin allegedly )

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

I was in Hyderabad, which has a large muslim population and is the home of Biryani, apparently.

 

The local team took me out for dinner one day and got me their hottest dish.. It was lovely - a little heat to start but immediately gave way to a delicious spice blend. They could not believe I could eat it in total comfort. I thought I worked it out... The Indian food in the UK is full of ghee, but over there, it is used sparingly, if at all.

 

 

[Soleair]

The day I have to resort to buying any kind of Indian food, will be the day I run out of canned Tom Piper steak and onions, and Heinz canned spaghetti.Indian food has got to be the worst type of food ever produced, using the cheapest rubbishy ingredients, all buried in brightly-coloured sauces, designed to hide the rubbishy contents.

 

Unfortunately, Indian restaurants are steadily advancing in numbers locally, over good Australian or Mediterranean restaurants. What a sad state of eating affairs.

Oh dear! What a shame you have only eaten such poor quality Indian food. I too have had to walk out of an Indian restaurant after being served sad, boiled lumps of chicken floating in a thin gruel harshly spiced with raw chilli powder, all too obviously microwaved to order. Inedible, and yet the place was full of people apparently enjoying this travesty of a great cuisine.

 

In fact, there is no such thing as just 'Indian cuisine'. Every region has its own distinct traditions. different meats, spices, herbs, vegetables, & methods of cooking feature depending on which region of the vast Indian continent the meal originates from.

 

A true curry is prepared from individual spices, often freshly dry roasted before being ground & used at the time of cooking. Some meals need marinating for a few hours, but other than that a good curry will be prepared fresh on the day. No artificial colours or flavours are ever used in a proper curry: they simply aren't required because of the colourful mix of ingredients and the superb taste of a minimum of 4 or 5 spices, but often 15 or 20 herbs & spices used in a single dish.

 

Fresh vegetables figure strongly, and the Indians have an almost infinite number of ways of cooking them. Ditto fish, prawns, etc, but it is not strictly against the Hindu faith to eat meat. Goat meat features strongly in Indian cooking, & it does curry very well. Hindus are forbidden beef, & Muslims pork.

 

I do urge you not to write off this ancient, varied & infinitely rewarding treasurehouse of seductive spiced food. I strongly believe there could be very, very few people who would honestly prefer tinned pap & ersatz 'spaghetti' to a well prepared dish of proper Indian curry.

 

Trust me, you are missing out on one of the best of all cuisines if you judge all curries on the basis of a few badly mass produced rubbish offerings. I blame the people who are prepared to pay for such insults to the palate with folding money: just say no!

 

Incidentally, I'm not Indian, but have been an avid amateur curry cook for over 30 years. Done well, it's food of the gods, in my book.

 

Bruce