Following back-to-back booked out events last year, Port Melbourne’s The Cricketers is bringing back its Masterchef collaboration series, giving fans the opportunity to try 2019 Masterchef Top 11 contestant Sandeep Pandit’s cuisine, which received a perfect score from the judges.
Commencing Thursday, 29 August and available each Thursday thereafter until 19 September, Pandit will craft and cook a weekly-changing set menu of chakhna—Indian tasting plates, served tapas-style—elevated by the impressive use of spices that saw him dubbed ‘The Spice Angel’.
“I’m excited to cook at The Cricketers and showcase a different side of Indian food—something beyond curries. Indian food is an incredible combination of complex cooking techniques and spices. Chakhna dishes are what Indians enjoy when they’re sitting down to catch up over drinks, so I thought it would be perfect to serve this style of food at a local pub,” says Pandit.
“We had so much fun last year with Loki’s curry nights and, as soon as Masterchef started this year, our customers were asking when we would be bringing back the Masterchef pop-ups. We’re stoked that Sandeep will be cooking at The Cricketers and can’t wait to share his food with Port Melbourne and beyond,” says Nick Allardice, Managing Director of Bon Vivant Group, the team behind The Cricketers, The Firehouse in Ringwood and Mount Buller’s The Villager.
As with previous collaborations, community-centric Bon Vivant Group will be donating 10% of proceeds to local charity St Kilda Mums, an organisation that donates second-hand nursing equipment and clothing to babies and children in need.
Serve’s up
The set menu ($45) will include:
Chicken Tikka—12 spice Garam Masala-marinated chicken thighs, hung yoghurt
DIY Masala Papad—deep-fried poppadoms, kachumber salad, chat masala
Aloo Tikki—‘Indian hash browns’, choley, spiced yoghurt
Kanti—stir-fried lamb, ‘bhuna’ masala of tomatoes and onion, fresh herbs
To top it off, accompaniments will include pickled onions, parathas, and Sandeep’s signature ‘killer chutney’.
Bookings are essential and can be made via The Cricketers website, with three sittings available at 6:30pm, 7:30pm and 8pm.
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