TWO fat blokes came to my rescue on Easter Monday.

The majority of restaurants in Mt Lawley were shut, including the new Mexican I had planned to visit, so with the wife and hungry kids in tow, the pressure was on.

Thankfully 2 Fat Indians were open for business, although there was a 10 per cent holiday surcharge.

Situated on Beaufort Street, just down from the Astor Theatre, the Indian stalwart has been around for years, thumbing its nose at covid and the various economic catastrophes that have come and gone.

Despite its longevity and popularity, I had never eaten there – the Voice likes to take the road less travelled and 2 Fat Indians has always looked a bit polished and mainstream.

But I put aside my prejudices and buried my head in the oversized menu which had a wide range of curries with chicken, lamb, seafood, paneer, goat or veggies.

All the old favourites were there including korma, madras, tikka masala, vindaloo and biryani, as well as some chef specials like dum pukht chicken curry (classical dish from Lahore with slow cooked pieces of chicken in a sealed pot with aromatic spices) and Laal Maas (traditional lamb dish from Rajasthan which is smoked and spiced and flavoured with fresh garlic).

There was also a comprehensive range of starters including tandoor dishes from the clay oven, samosa, onion bhaji, lamb chops and soft shell crab, as well as banquets to share.

I was disappointed they didn’t do the tandoor clay oven as a main meal option, as that is one of my favourites, and they also didn’t have any pakora.

The service was warm and welcoming with lots of smiles and “Hellos” and they asked how our meal was throughout the night. 

It’s a welcome change from some eateries I have visited recently and probably one of the reasons the fat blokes have outlasted the competition.

We kicked things off with some onion bhaji ($15.50) The presentation was great with four giant balls of fried onion wobbling precariously on the plate. Fresh, light and crammed with flavour theses were superior bhajis that didn’t sit in your stomach like a bowling ball and warmed your tastebuds up nicely for the main event. They were accompanied by a little bowl of soothing raita.

My Adraki prawn masala ($29.95) was a moreish delight – lots of plump juicy prawns in a thick masala sauce with fresh ginger and cilantro.

They had got the heat spot on – you could still taste the lovely stir-fried prawns while getting a latent spicy kick.

There was a bit of a hiccup with the saffron rice ($7.50) which didn’t arrive with the rest of the meal, but once I informed the manager he quickly brought it over and gave us another free rice on the house. So great recovery and service.

The fluffy aromatic rice went well with the curries and had a light fragrant quality.

My wife “Special K” is a sucker for a sweet Kashmiri naan ($7.95) and this was one of the best she’s had – taking great delight in dunking it into her lamb korma ($26.95).

“A nice thick sauce and the lamb is just falling apart when you touch it with you fork; although it feels ever so slightly dry,” she noted. “But overall a lovely dish.”

I liked the restaurant’s modern interior – it was spacious and uncluttered with great views of Mt Lawley from the large floor-to-ceiling windows. The view was the star as opposed to lots of baroque decor trying to feebly recreate downtown Delhi.

Across the table, Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles were enjoying their butter chicken curry ($26.95) which they wolfed down with no complaints.

2 Fat Indians is getting up there price-wise for a curry and it may not be the most cutting-edge dining experience, but the food, service and location are great and I doubt you’ll ever get a bad meal there. 

However, given the recent controversy over the word “fat” in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I wonder how long before the restaurant is renamed 2 Rotund Indians.

2 Fat Indians (Mt Lawley)
607 Beaufort Street, Mt Lawley
twofatindians.com.au

by STEPHEN POLLOCK