美しさと驚きのモダン インディアン - Daughter In Law(2020年01月号)

移り変わりの早いメルボルン市内を歩いていると、いつの間にか新しいレストランができていることがよくある。今回紹介するインド料理店 Daughter In Lawもフラリと歩いている時に見付けた店のひとつ。他店では味わうことのできないオリジナリティー溢れる料理が味わえる。今回は初めて訪れる人にお勧めのTasting Menu($55)をいただいた。

Daughter In Law

最初はストリートフードから4品。Gol GappaやPani Puriと呼ばれるストリートフードをモダンにアレンジしたBalls of Happinessは、通常のGol Gappaより小ぶりで食べやすい。サクッとしたボール状の皮の中には、微かにスパイスの効いたトロリとした甘い液体が入っていて、なんとも不思議な食感。

Balls of Happiness (Gol gappa)
Balls of Happiness (Gol gappa)

インドと中国の料理が融合したColonel Tso's Cauliflowerは、サックリとした衣をまとったカリフラワーにエビチリを彷彿させるピリ辛ソースが絡まり、ビールとの相性抜群。

Colonel Tso's Cauliflower
Colonel Tso's Cauliflower

色鮮やかなビートルートのチャットニーに濃厚なヨーグルトで作られたコロッケが浮かぶYoghurt Croquette は、程よくスパイスが効いてクセになりそうだ。

Yoghurt Croquette (Vegetarian kebab)
Yoghurt Croquette (Vegetarian kebab)

インド料理らしからぬScallop Cevicheは、爽やかなライムの酸味とコッテリとしたココナッツクリームのコクが帆立の甘味を引き出している。

Scallop Ceviche (add on $5)
Scallop Ceviche (add on $5)

壷窯型オーブンタンドールの料理からは、Aussie Lamb Chops。ヨーグルトやさまざまなスパイスを使ったタレに漬け込まれたラムは、しっかり味がついていてふんわり柔らかい。ミントとヨーグルト2種類のソースが付いてきて、ソースが違うとこんなにも味わが変わるのかとビックリ。

Aussie Lamb Chops
Aussie Lamb Chops

インド料理で外せないカレーはThali Plateで。定番中の定番Butter Chicken、ココナッツの甘さが前面に出ているCoconut Curry、スパイスの香りが印象的なLamb Rogan Josh、こってりとした味のPork Neck Vindaloo、ケールのフリッター入りPunjabi Kadhi、黒いレンズ豆の煮込みAunty Dhalの6種類が楽しめる。つい知っているメニューを選んでしまうので、いろいろ試せるのはうれしい。

Thali Plate
Thali Plate

食事の最後を飾るデザートは、インドから中東の幅広い地域で愛されている伝統的なアイスクリームKulfi。ミルキーで甘くほんのりスパイシーだ。更に今回は特別に、コッテリ濃厚なChocolate ice cream、口に含むとココナッツの優しい甘さとコクが広がるCoconut sorbet、どこのインド料理店にもある定番のデザートGulab Jamunを盛り合わせたDessert plateを作ってもらった。

Dessert Plate
Dessert Plate* (Gulab Jamun/chocolate ice cream/coconut sorbet) *Not on menu, served via special arrangement

既存のインド料理店のイメージを覆す、おしゃれでゆったりとした内装と創作性が高く美しいプレゼンテーションの料理で客足が途絶えない人気の店。ごちそうさま。

 

The Beauty and Surprise of Modern Indian

Shops come and go all the time in Melbourne, so it’s common to stumble across new restaurants as you walk around town. One such discovery is Indian restaurant Daughter In Law. Owner-chef Jesse Singh has a number of restaurants under his belt, both in Australia and America, but this marks his first since returning from the US. The menu is packed with highly original dishes, so to try as many as possible, I opted for the Tasting Menu ($55). 

We started off with four dishes from the Street Food section. The potentially risqué Balls of Happiness are modern interpretations of Gol Gappa (also known as Pani Puri). Smaller than usual, they’re easier to eat, and combine a crispy, bowl-shaped outer skin with a faintly-spiced, thick, sweet sauce. It’s a mix of textures. The Colonel Tso’s Cauliflower mixes Indian and Chinese influences to create a dish where crisply battered cauliflower is coated in a mildly spicy sauce, akin to what you’d find in Chilli Prawns. It’s a dish that would go perfectly with a nice, cold beer. Continuing the fried food theme, the Yoghurt Croquette is served on a brilliantly-coloured bed of beetroot chutney, and its rich, thick yogurt filling and faint spiciness is very moreish. Rounding out the quartet is the very un-Indian sounding Scallop Ceviche, which uses the refreshing tartness of lime and richness of coconut cream to bring out the sweetness of the scallop. 

Next we sampled the Aussie Lamb Chops, cooked in the tandoor. Marinated in yoghurt and spices, the lamb had absorbed all those flavours and was super tender to boot. Served with both raita and mint chutney, we were shocked at how much each sauce changed our taste experience. 

The Thali Plate followed, replete with a selection of different curries. There was the amusingly named Unauthentic Butter Chicken, a Coconut Curry, which packed lots of coconut sweetness, the spicy and fragrant Lamb Rogan Josh, richly flavoured Pork Neck Vindaloo, the Punjabi Kadhi, with kale fritters in it, and the Aunty Dahl, with slow-simmered black lentils. To my shame, I tend to stick to dishes I know in Indian restaurants, so trying the various curries on offer was fun. Personally, I liked the depth of flavour the Aunty Dhal offered the most. 

For dessert, we started with the Kulfi, a kind of Indian ice cream popular in both India and throughout the Middle East. It was milky, sweet and slightly spicy, but we weren’t done yet. The Daughter In Law staff went to the trouble of preparing a special dessert plate for us, which included a rich chocolate ice cream, gently sweet, yet full-bodied coconut sorbet, and the always popular Gulab Jamun. 

With its chic, yet relaxed interior, creative cuisine and beautiful presentation, Daughter In Law upends the traditional idea of an Indian restaurant, and judging by the continuous stream of customers, is being richly rewarded for it. Gochisousama.  

 

Daughter In Law
37/41 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
03 9242 0814
Mon-Fri 12~2:30pm, Sun・Mon 5~9pm, Tue~Sat 5~10pm
daughterinlaw.com.au 

Before each meal in Japan, you say ‘itadakimasu’, and afterwards, ‘gochisousama’. Itadakimasu conveys your gratitude to both the ingredients that gave up their lives to feed you, and everyone involved in bringing you your food. Gochisousama, meanwhile, conveys thanks purely to the people who prepared and served your meal.