Perth Voice Interactive

LIONS and Tigers on Bannister Street in Freo is not your average Indian restaurant.

If you rock up expecting beef vindaloo and garlic naan you’re in for a surprise. A great surprise!

My handsome co-reviewer and I rolled on in one Saturday for lunch, to be greeted by the loveliest server ever. She took us through the menu and how it works and made sure we totally understood things.

There’s the Chef’s Choice menu for those amongst us who are undecided – $68 per head gets you an amazing selection of dishes that can be tailored to suit your needs (if you don’t do seafood for example).

We decided to choose a few dishes, which are share plates, so everyone could have a bit.

Curry leaf “nemesis” papadums ($24). Now, these are not your usual papadums. They were bubbly. 

Steve #1: the sourdough Naan (Steve is the name of the sourdough starter) with whipped ghee, black cardamom and jaggery ($11).

I can officially say I am addicted to whipped ghee, and proceeded to put it on everything. Apparently jaggery is a type of sugar. I am probably addicted to that too.

Leek and Onion Bahjis with roast chilli aioli ($12). A traditional Indian treat sneaking in here with the onion bahjis. So very good.

Wagyu Beef Skewers with fermented chilli, chana hummus and mint chutney ($24). Simply the most divine wagyu beef ever. Only two skewers, which left room for more deliciousness. The fermented chilli was surprisingly mild; good if you’re not a lover of the hot stuff.

Chicken Supreme, Sandalwood and Pistachio Korma, Rosemary Chicken Skin Crumble ($39). This one was fascinating. Apparently the skin is removed, fancied up, then put back. The meal is simply amazing, and we were stoked when our server was able to answer all our stupid questions about sandalwood in a korma.

Crushed Fried Potatoes, kasundi and curry leaf aioli ($14). Honestly I was getting very full by this point and the potatoes ended up coming home with me. I may or may not have eaten them for breakfast the next day and they were absolutely top notch. Kasundi is like a relish. There. Saved you a Google.

We were vaguely surprised that the dishes didn’t come out in perhaps the order we expected. 

For example, the papadums and crushed fried potatoes came out very late in the meal when we were expecting them earlier. This did nothing to change the abject marvellousness of the meal.

As a wheelchair user, Lions and Tigers is truly a delight. The front entrance is flat (a rarity) and the disabled toilet is easily accessible at the back of the restaurant.

If it was busy you may have to ask the odd person to move.

I have spent my wheelchair career in search of the perfect bathroom and this may just be it.

No baby change table competing for room so plenty of space to manoeuvre the chariot. Sink and mirror at wheelchair height (you’d be surprised how many disabled bathrooms have standing-height mirrors, usually allowing for a lovely view of my upper forehead) and paper towels to wipe your hands.

Those blowy things are crap, and wheeling with wet hands is a challenge. So it’s a win, win, win.

Overall a 10 out of 10 experience. Amazing food, wonderful service and a brilliant accessible venue.

Lions and Tigers
8 Bannister Street, Fremantle
lionsandtigers.com.au

by BELINDA GREEN