By Danielle Kutchel
The moment you step through the door of Pacific Gourmet, you can feel your mouth watering.
There’s something about the delicious aroma of spices, the sight of succulent meats and vegetables and the brightly coloured d¨¦cor that speaks of the culinary delights to come.
Bland is not something the new Fijian-Indian restaurant does.
Don’t come here expecting your usual rogan josh and butter chicken; Fijian-Indian is a different style of cuisine, using a house-made masala typical to that style.
The curries are similar to a south Indian style and the flavours are milder to the spices used in Sri Lankan and Indian cooking.
Menu specials from time to time make the most of the owner’s Fijian heritage, incorporating traditional root vegetables like taro and cassava.
Restaurant manager Bineel said Pacific Gourmet is a real family affair: his mum Sushil and sister Sanjleen run the front of house, with Sushil taking care of all of the cooking, infusing it with a mother’s knowledge, practise and love. On weekends the whole family is there, including dad Bal and brother Samuel.
Bineel manages the restaurant itself, including the back end and providing training.
He says Pacific Gourmet is a dream come true for his mother.
Originally an aged care worker, she had provided catering for parties and functions on the side and found that people loved her cooking.
Bineel also owns a coffee shop a few blocks over from Pacific Gourmet; one day, his mother came to him and said she wanted out of aged care and suggested giving a restaurant a go.
In Bineel’s words they “took the plunge”, and he is proud to say his mother now works at something she enjoys.
The restaurant is currently open Monday to Saturday, from 10.00am until 4.00pm to take advantage of lunchtime crowds. Bineel says the location was carefully chosen to be central to all major offices in Dandenong so that workers don’t have to waste their short lunchbreaks on travel. Lunchtime deals offer value, keeping a low cost point with massive helpings of curries, roti and a drink.
“I’ve made it accessible for consumers to come in and try the cuisine. Dandenong is very multicultural and … some of our food can be similar to the food that they eat, while others have tried it for the first time and they want to comeback because they like the flavours.”
Speaking of flavours: there’s no skimping here. There’s a sweetness, a spiciness and a richness when the food hits your tongue. The silver beet and coconut side was a particular favourite along with the tangy dahl and lamb so well cooked it can’t wait to fall apart in your mouth. You can tell it’s been home-cooked – it’s like a warm hug for your tastebuds.
Bineel says customer feedback so far says the family is on to a good thing.
“Customers are saying the service is great and food is fresh and tasty. Overall what we’ve created is … good food at a good price, and it’s always fresh here.”
