THE honest waiter at Copper Chimney warned us that we were ordering too much grub, but our Swan Valley friends had been itching to go back there for three years, so we ignored the astute advice and over- ordered.
D’Angerous Dave and I have eaten there many times, including the amazing breakfast dossa, and the Indian eatery just gets better and better.
Robbie had been dreaming about the honey and ginger paneer ($14.50) for three long years, so he ordered it for an entree.
The house-made cottage cheese was slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Coated in ginger, onion and caramelised honey, the paneer were sweet and salty and tasted absolutely divine.
The boys shared the white bait ($15): fighting each other for the last crispy morsel of the tiny local fish dusted in spicy masala.
Having polished off everything, we really weren’t prepared for the feast to follow, even though we’d ordered it.
Our real problem wasn’t the quantity, but the quality, because everything was so damn good we just kept going, and going, and going.
Fortunately the fish amritsari ($15) and fish tikka ($18.50) were entree size, because shortly afterwards, the food mountain arrived—Bombay aloo ($15), lamb shank rogan josh ($20.50), gobhi manchurian and two vegetarian byrani ($12.50), not to mention pappadam and garlic naan.
The lamb was slow cooked and had all the allure of the sub-continent with cumin, cardamon, cloves and cinnamon in a rich brown, onion and tomato gravy.
“Really tender, and great,” our friends said.
The fish dishes were very different: the amritsari had a crisp, chickpea batter and the tikka came with a spicy sauce.
It’s hard to say if one was better than the other, as both were delicious.
Aloo is a favourite and this one didn’t disappoint, with chunky potatoes with cumin seeds and onions in a tomatoey sauce. And the biryani was the perfect foil for each dish.
Ready to burst, we eyed the many left overs.
“Do you want to take that home?” the waiter asked, as we struggled for breath, let alone words.
by JENNY D’ANGER
Copper Chimney
330 South Terrace, Fremantle