IT was our 10 year “tin” wedding anniversary and we were on lockdown. To celebrate I suggested we dress up as the Tin Man and Dorothy and watch a David Lynch movie – but it was met with one of those looks only possible after a decade of marriage.
We compromised on a takeaway from The Cove and some Jennifer Aniston fluff on Netflix.
I’d heard good reports about the Indian restaurant and was encouraged by their menu, which had a nice range of authentic dishes including saag lamb, fish malabari and tandoori chicken.
It wasn’t long before the delivery man was knocking on our window and placing the bag of Indian goodies on our doorstep.
The Cove passed the first test – the food was piping hot. I hate takeaways that are lukewarm and need to be reheated in the microwave.
We kicked things off with some light and crunchy pakoras ($11.50), which were crammed with smooth potato and a good assortment of veggies.
These were the best vegetable pakoras I’ve had in years, largely down to the light batter, which didn’t leave you feeling like Clive Palmer after the Sizzler.
The onion bhajis ($11.50) didn’t quite hit the same heights as the pakoras: They were pleasant enough, but lacked a flavour punch and had a so-so texture.
As Jennifer Aniston toyed with her hair, my wife was getting stuck into her chicken korma ($23).
She raved about the thick aromatic sauce and the tender chunks of chicken, with every mouthful accompanied by a “mmm” or “this is delicious.”
“The sauce is super creamy and you can really taste the cashew nuts,” she said, before bursting into laughter.
“Oh, Aniston is brilliant in this.”
My prawn madras ($27.50) was outstanding. The dish was packed with tiger prawns and had a thick, moreish tomato sauce with a sour lemon tang.
I ordered the mild version, but the mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves were still pretty fiery.
Thankfully they didn’t overpower the prawns, which were cooked to perfection and enhanced by a splash of coconut cream.
We mopped up our sauces with a mouth-watering garlic naan ($5) that was thin with crisp edges, and had been cooked in the tandoor oven.
It was a pleasant surprise as most naans are doughy monstrosities that camp in your stomach for weeks.
The accompanying pilau rice ($6) was moist with pleasant traces of saffron and aromatic herbs and spices.
This was the best curry I’ve had since leaving Glasgow, which has a large Indian and Pakistani community and is regarded as one of the best cities for curries in the UK.
The Cove is slightly more expensive than some of its competitors, but it’s high quality and worth every cent.
As I finished my last mouthful, my wife slowly turned to me and smiled.
“Guess what?” she said.
I turned in anticipation of a romantic forget-me-not.
“It’s a double bill – there’s another Jennifer Aniston movie coming on…”
by STEPHEN POLLOCK
The Cove Indian Restaurant
568 Canning Hway, Attadale
http://www.coveindian.com.au
9330 2633