AN OASIS AMONGST THE SAND DUNES (Birdie Restaurant) 10/11 FEED YOUR SOUL (Chakra Restaurant

Feed Your Soul

On the corner of Beaufort Street and Seventh Avenue in Inglewood you’ll find a little slice of India at Chakra Restaurant. Open since April 2017, this delightfully quirky restaurant is a family business with a focus on authentic flavours, quality food and great service. If you’re looking for some beautiful, artistically presented Indian food to feed your eyes, your stomach and your soul, as well as cocktails to die for, you can’t do better than Chakra.

We started with two entrées. The Beef Samosa Cones were a different twist on samosas - a mildly spicy and very tasty beef curry mixture in two cones of crisp pastry, on a bed of puffed lentils. The second entrée was a Butter Chicken Kulcha. Two balls of leavened bread were stuffed with butter chicken and served with an assortment of sauces and condiments. Both of these dishes are mild enough to suit any palate, even the fussiest kids will enjoy these. The most popular dish on the menu is Dhaba Chicken. It’s a spicy curry served the way you would get it at a roadside stall in India - with long grain rice, burnt onion and tomato and chilli. Simple but flavoursome. A glass of 2021 Saint Claire Sauvignon Blanc was a great accompaniment with that wonderful passionfruit flavour that goes so well with curry. The next dish was called Burnt Aubergine and was such a pretty sight on the plate. Chargrilled eggplant was filled with mild lamb and cashew curry, and topped with cashews, pomegranate and edible flowers. It’s served with a couple of Nigella seed naan breads and some raita on the side.

We followed this with Keema Naan stuffed with spicy lamb. Cut into quarters, the naan had a great texture and flavour, and was served with a mild, smooth turmeric and cashew curry sauce. I think this was probably my favourite dish. Sonia Pathak, one of the owners, told us they only use the original herbs and spices in their cooking. Her personal favourite dish is Palak Paneer. Sonia said her young daughters love to get involved in the restaurant, particularly on special occasions such as Mother’s or Father’s Day. The cocktails mixed at Chakra are really different. They steep whole spices such as cardamom seeds for a long time in bottles of gin and vodka, which are then used to make delicious cocktails. We tried a Vasant (Spring) Cocktail made with Lemon gin, pomegranate juice, fresh orange juice, ginger and ginger ale, which was fresh and fruity. We also tried an Amrut - Six Spices infused vodka, mezcal, pineapple juice and orange juice, which was luscious.

For dessert, we tried The Mystery Choc Pot. Looking like a pot plant, a mini pot made of chocolate is filled with saffron mousse, topped with Oreo crumbs and a sprig of mint. It’s served with a drift of Pistachio Soil, with a Gulab Jamun sitting on a bed of the custardy mousse.

The second dessert we tried was a Parle G, or Spring Parfait, which to our surprise was made even more delicious when paired with the 2021 Saint Claire Sauvignon Blanc. It’s not often you get a wine match with a dessert. The menu changes seasonally at Chakra so there’s always something different to try. Variety is the spice of life, they say, so take a few friends and share an assortment of dishes between you. They also have a huge selection of beverages available to go with your meal, an extensive wine list, cocktails of course and plenty of non-alcoholic beverages as well. I must try the Indian beaten coffee next time. By Georgina Goss

Chakra Restaurant

841 Beaufort Street, Inglewood Ph: (08) 6153 0584 www.chakrarestaurant.com.au