For a banging Indian feast that will knock your socks off, Bijolias in Seaforth is where it’s at.
Being British, I love a good curry. But am ashamed to say that having lived on the Peninsula for 16 years, have never stepped foot in Bijolia’s, which has been a staple for Indian food lovers in the know for 10 years.
Owned by head chef Virender Pal Singh and his lovely wife, Anibha, the couple cheerfully greet guests when they enter the busy restaurant, which is a hive of activity and a culinary treat.
When we dined their recently, entrees consisted of so many mouth watering dishes, that tough decisions had to be made! To choose from were Barramundi tawa kebab – barramundi fillets spiced with cumin, carom seeds and yogurt, layered with mango and coriander salad, pepper lamb cutlets, chicken khurchan, burrah lamb chops and murg chilly fry – tandoori chicken tikka tossed with tomatoes, desiccated coconut, curry leaves, mustard, fresh ginger, chillies, coriander, fennel and lime.
We couldn’t pick just two, so opted for the Bijolias Tandoori Sampler, an assortment of chicken tikka, seekh kebab, lamb cutlet, samosa, crisp greens and dipping sauces, and khasta prawns. The tiger prawns are crispy coated, spicy and served with a salad and dipping sauce. All absolutely delicious, and the barramundi fillets, tandoori lamb and chicken were cooked to perfection, melting in your mouth.
Now the tricky part – mains. Loving a bit of spice, we opted for beef chilli lime. The slow-braised spicy beef was cooked with banana chilli, fresh tomatoes and lime. Anibha made sure it was super hot, as per our request. Divine, and knocked our socks off in every way.
We also went for the pudina murgh, pieces of super tender chicken breast fillets cooked with mint, fresh ginger, yogurt and garam masala. A culinary masterpiece.
Having total FOMO when we saw Anibha whizzing an assortment of colourful and fragrant dishes to a table over yonder, we also ordered the Bengali mustard zhinga – a prawn delicacy with mustard seeds, fresh ginger-garlic, paprika and fenugreek.
As it’s against the rules to have a curry without naan bread, we also feasted on chilli, cheese and coriander naan and a Peshawari naan, all washed down with a hearty bottle of Hallett Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. What a wonderful night!
Bijolias Fine Indian Cuisine
Fully licensed and BYO wine
5/538-540 Sydney Rd, Seaforth
Tel: 9949 3641 I bijolias.com.au
By Niki Walegrave