161 Broadway, Nedlands
Ph: (08) 9389 8410
www.thecurrytree.com.au
Flavours to Savour
The Curry Tree is Perth’s newest high quality Indian restaurant and it’s bringing together more than just dishes from different parts of the tasty subcontinent.
I’m betting that if you’ve lived in Perth for a while you know where The Curry Tree is. It’s on Broadway in Nedlands, just shy of the roundabout near Steve’s. It’s the place that was The Greco for years.
It’s now in new hands, getting a new look and serving spicy northern and fruity southern Indian food with a focus on fresh, local ingredients.
While the architecture is more humble than grand, new owner/manager Simon MacKenzie has freshened up the décor and designed a menu that aims to let the flavour of the ingredients shine through – rather than smothering everything with heat.
Visually: expect white linen, sparkling silver and glassware and hard cover menus. The contemporary but calm décor features a chocolaty brown offset with a dash of crisp turquoise in the courtyard, while inside, simple white paint makes a feature of the antique brickwork in the heritage-listed building.
The soundscape is contemporary chilled out world music, no full-on Bollywood blare but there may be a lazy sitar twanging amid an Ibiza-inspired rambling acoustic melody. There is also no TV in any corner of the place showing Bollywood reruns and killing any chance of tableside conversation.
Drinks-wise a cheeky cocktail menu offers conversation starters such as a ‘Chocolate schlong’ and ‘Chivas down your spine’. The wine list offers something for every-sized wallet with prices ranging from $9 to $350 a bottle, including a nice selection of local drops. MacKenzie says the variety is aimed to make everyone feel welcome and catered for, whether they’re students or better-off Nedlands folks.
MacKenzie is well known in the Perth dining scene, particularly when it comes to Indian eateries. He managed the Bollywood Restobar in Innaloo, and used to manage Two Fat Indians in Mt Lawley. He also managed Balti in St Georges Terrace for two and a half years, and is proud of the Gold Plate award it won last year.
With all that experience behind him he thought it was time to step out on his own as an owner manager and The Curry Tree is 100% his.
“I do everything except cook,” he laughs, but then he gets serious and explains that “everything” includes rising early almost every day to get to the markets to personally select the ingredients – because he is passionately opposed to the idea that curry can be used to hide nasty tastes from substandard produce.
“Everything” also includes ordering furniture, redesigning the bar area (he has plans for chandeliers and a new sound system), writing the menu and being there almost every night to make sure everything runs smoothly.
The other task he considers to be a big achievement was recruiting the people he describes as “the best Indian food chefs in Perth” – their resumes include cooking for Koh-I-Noor and Royal India and he keeps them busy, not only whipping up meals but hand making all of the curry pastes and bases from scratch.
Other small details of his food policy include only using tenderized chicken breast in the chicken dishes, because he knows many of his customers like to avoid excess fat; and providing a good variety of low carb and vegetarian options so no one feels let down by limited choices.
Getting down to the flavours involved: The ‘Mango prawns’ could well turn into The Curry Tree’s signature dish. Expect big fresh prawns swimming in a sauce that is mostly fresh mango and coconut with either a little or a lot of a spice kick, depending on your taste.
MacKenzie explains: “In most of the dishes the heat is in the sauce, which makes it easy for the kitchen to cater for a variety of tastes from the supermild to the superhot – and the waitstaff will ask your preference.”
We also tried the ‘Goan fish curry’, the ‘Beef madras’, the ‘Rogan josh’, and all were good and distinctly different in their flavours and textures.
From the vegetarian side of the menu the ‘Malai kofta’ (fried cottage cheese in cashew gravy) was light, sweet and spicy – similar in some ways to the mango prawns – while the ‘Baigan bharta’ (eggplant) was a heavier dish, with rich flavours. The ‘Navratan korma’ is a lovely mild coconutty vegetable dish that would complement any of the meaty curries.
We were also impressed by the fluffyness of the ‘Jeera rice with cumin seeds’, (the grains weren’t claggy and stuck together) and the steamy freshness of the naan bread had us ordering more.
If you’d like to sample a range of what the chefs can do, the tasting plates are a great idea and/or the menu is available online if you’d like to ponder the dishes before you get there.
Although you are likely to order extra bread to scoop up the last of the sauces in your dishes, it is worth saving a smidge of room for dessert. The ‘Gulab jaman’ and ‘Mango kulfi’ made onsite by the chefs were delicious.
Overall, The Curry Tree is a worthy successor to The Greco. It’s offering a fresh take on Indian food well worth tasting and the atmosphere is mellow and welcoming.
By Kayt Davies