ASIA IN YOUR BACKYARD Steve Wroe
As a younger man, I spent quite a few years in Asia. Eating roadside curries in the sultry light of India, admiring the calming aesthetic of Japan, being transfixed by the redolent scents of Southeast Asian markets, and trying to interpret the complex histories of the region, are experiences that still make me smile.
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ow, as a Dad, I stay closer to home but love raising my girls in regional Victoria. Fortunately, I can still reminisce about my time in Asia and dip into some memorable Asian experiences right here in the Daylesford and Macedon Ranges region. ‘The food’ is why many people are lured to Asia. Thoughts of fragrant Southeast Asian food, rich Indian curries and salty-spicy-sweet-sour flavours in East Asia are making my mouth water as I type this. Nowhere in the world transports me back to Mumbai quite like Dhaba in Kyneton. The below-ground, decades-old space, where Bollywood films are projected onto a bluestone wall, has the most authentic Indian curries
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you’ll get outside the Subcontinent. Just down the road on Piper St, is Fook Shing, a pan-Asian restaurant named after a Chinese Detective posted to the goldfields during the gold rush. Fittingly operating out of what was once an 1850s temperance hotel, they’re serving up incredible pork belly and melt-in-the-mouth Massaman curry. Anyone who has been to Japan will appreciate the simplicity and great favours of Izakaya style dining, and Kuzu Izakaya, in nearby Woodend, absolutely nails the concept. Dumpling aficionados should check out The Flying Pigeon in Gisborne... the wine list is brilliant, and the dumplings are straight out of Beijing. Betel Boy, brought to you by the team who run the famous Larder
in Daylesford, is a favourite of ours (it’s a few minutes’ walk away from my house which helps). The Southeast Asian vibe is strong… as is their Lemongrass Tom Collins which my wife loves. If you want a deep immersion into Asian culture, I really, really recommend Shizuka Ryokan. A beautiful space in a beautiful setting, it’s the sort of place where you feel relaxed as soon as you walk in. Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns, and Shizuka has great accommodation, excellent Japanese food, and wellness experiences. It’s the ideal place to disconnect. If your wellness vibe is more down the South Asian path, Maiaveda in Kyneton offers Ayurvedic treatments as part of a wide range of options to boost your wellbeing.
