I CAN still remember the first time I ever went to an Indian restaurant in Sydney.
As a young cadet journalist, I was invited to do a story on a new chef who had just arrived from Bombay.
After 19 years of meat and three veges at home it was an amazing introduction to spices and literally brought tears to my eyes.
Now it’s great to see that a new Indian restaurant, Spice Garden, has opened in Booval across the road from Booval Fair on Brisbane Road.
It comes with a pedigree of serving great Indian food as it’s a sister business to Kingaroy’s highly successful Spice Garden Restaurant.
With authentic Indian food now one of my favourites for a night out I went along to the new Spice Garden on the weekend to see how it achieved its favourite status in Kingaroy.
The aromas of a freshly prepared chicken tikka masala and a lamb korma when the meals arrived promised something special and they delivered.
With the accompanying side dishes of raita, Punjabi salad and a cheese and garlic naan the meal was flavoursome and the request for medium spice heat was on the money.
Husband and wife team Chetan Talwar and Rajni Arora are behind the success of the Spice Garden.
According to Chetan clean plates or the rest of the dish tucked away safely in a take-away container at the end of the meal is the best positive feedback a restaurant can receive from a customer.
The Spice Garden’s comprehensive menu is the result of countless hours of research by the couple looking at different curries and cooking techniques.
Chetan’s favourite dish on the new menu is the Chicken Patiala, a royal curry from the land of Punjab cooked in fragrant spices.
After loving the two dishes I tried the other night, my wife and I will be back to try Chetan’s favourite and others.
Mind you, with such a comprehensive menu to choose from we may have to go a number of times to fully experience the Spice Garden delights.
