S Haslam
Mullumbimby now has its own Indian restaurant at the Mullumbimby Golf Club. Mullum Indian Restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday from 4–8.30pm and whilst they serve takeaway, now that restrictions have lifted you can enjoy not only the spacious interior but also dining on the decks in the spring and summer evenings. It’s a wonderful view out over the golf course, and of course the huge size of the place means that it’s very safe to eat there (just don’t tell anyone from Western Sydney how good it is!).
The menu has all the Indian restaurant favourites that you’ve grown to love over the years, such as chicken tikka masala, or butter chicken (or mango chicken for that matter), and is very reasonably priced with entrees like pakoras from $7.90. Main courses range from $15.90 up to $18.50 for favourites like korma, madras, rogan josh, vindaloo or saagwala with a choice of chicken, lamb or beef. Plus, of course, there are all the accompaniments like raita, mango chutney, and lime pickles that make the meal really sing – Bollywood style, and a great range of traditional breads. The popular Punjabi naan, for example, is made in the tandoori oven and stuffed with cheese and spinach.
Indian restaurants always cater well for the vegetarians among us, and of course the menu contains many vegan items, with gluten free available on request. Whilst the lockdown has thrown up a few unexpected quirks in food supplies in the first few weeks of opening, the restaurant intends to source all its fresh ingredients from the local Byron Shire farmers markets; as seasonal and local as possible, with an emphasis on quality ingredients.
If it sounds like owner PJ has a pretty good handle on how to run a good Indian restaurant, that’s not surprising as he’s been in the game for over 25 years, and in fact this is his third restaurant. But although the other restaurants in Brisbane are larger, the Mullumbimby restaurant is very close to his heart, as he says he only moved down here to start the restaurant because he loves the place so much.
PJ’s family, on his sister’s side, have been here for over 100 years, and now he is living in The Pocket with them, which is quite a commitment as his own family have stayed behind in Brisbane to run the other restaurants. Because the Mullum restaurant is closed a few days a week, PJ was hoping to pop back to Brisbane each week to see them, but the sudden border closure (just lifted) means that he has gone months without seeing his own family.
So, pop in this week and welcome PJ and the crew at the Mullumbimby Golf Club in their first week of accepting diners at their new Indian restaurant!
Mullum Golf Club, 1600 Coolamon Scenic Drive.
Ph 6684 2273 (option 3) or 0448 300 684
