The Canberra Science Fiction Club usually meets twice each month. The first Thursday is a General Meeting and on the third Thursday members, friends, family or guests can gather together to talk and eat at a restaurant. Each person pays for their own choice of meal. Everyone is welcome. You don’t have to belong to the club to join in. The only requirement is that you notify the Secretary at least two days before attending the dinner.
The Secretary has pre-selected the restaurants for this year and the cuisines are varied – Chinese, Ethiopian, Indian, Malaysian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Nepalese, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese, just to name a few. Most restaurants have a banquet as well as a normal menu.
February’s choice was Indian cuisine. We gathered at Flavours of India at G90 Corrina St, Phillip We had dined there many times and said we would be back. And we were. As usual we were looking forward to an excellent meal. Yet again we were not disappointed.
They remembered us and had reserved a lovely table up near the door. Their staff are wonderful and so friendly and helpful.
As usual, while we waited for everyone to arrive, we were offered drinks. The drink menu is very wide and varied – wines, beers, ciders, spirits, soft drinks, juices, lassi and a selection of hot drinks. What more could we ask for?
This time we didn’t have the usual banquet. Everyone ordered their favourite meal. So on with some of our selections.
- Butter Chicken – Barbecued boneless chicken pieces. A favourite!
- Sweet Potato and Spinach Chaat Sweet potatoes, spinach, wheat crisps, date and tamarind chutney. Mouth watering.
- Samosa Deep-fried crisp triangles of spiced peas and potatoes, Beautifully cooked and so tasty. You have to try them to see just how good they are.
- Golgappa (Down Memory Lane) . Arguably the most famous Indian street snack where every mouthful is an explosion of flavours. So very different and soooo tasty.
- Onions and Corn Bhaji GF* Sweet corn and onion fritters.
- Kosha Mangsho (Goat) Bengali favourite of tender goat.
- Prawn Balchao Portuguese-influenced Goan dish comprising of prawns and other tasty ingredients.
- Chettinad (Southern Style) Lamb/Beef/Chicken/Prawns. An aromatic treat from the Chettiyar Business community of Tamil Nadu.
- Rice – A fragrant accompaniment to any meal.
- Riata – Yoghurt and cucumber to compliment the spicy tastes.
- Papadams. – Love those crispy wafer-like snacks.
And this is not the full list of their dishes. Just look at their menu online, or better still, look in person.
Dessert for those who wanted it –
- Gulab Jamun and Belgian Chocolate Mousse. so sweet and chocolate laden
- Mango Rasmalai Homemade cheese patties. Oh so yummy!
- Almond Pista Kulfi Homemade Indian ice-cream with almonds and pistachios and berry coulis. Mouth watering.
- Vanilla Ice-cream. Choice of toppings: Mango/Strawberry/Caramel/Chocolate. Who can resist it?
Then coffee or tea to round off the meal.
What a meal! Our dinner did not include dessert, but after the feast I don’t think anyone had room for dessert.
What can I say to add to everyone’s compliments? It was just so good! While I thought the chef was top-notch after our last visit, I am now convinced he is even better. Perfection.
We all had a excellent time and very, very much enjoyed the food. We will definitely be back there again.
~ S.H. ~