#restauramt

The Six Bells, a pub and North Indian restaurant in Shinfield, offers an exceptional fusion of traditional pub culture and the rich, aromatic flavors of North Indian cuisine. Their carefully curated menu reflects the vibrancy of India’s northern regions, with each dish prepared by expert chefs. If you’re eager to explore North Indian gastronomy, here are the top 5 must-try dishes at The Six Bells.

Expectations :

Location: 184 Sydney Rd Brunswick

Contact: (03) 9381 2374 

Licensed & BYO

When: Weds-Sun 8am- 11pm

Dine In

Pricing: Mains under $20

CC & EFTPOS

Vego & Vegan :)

“Asian-inspired” menus don’t exactly inspire me, they bring to mind misinterpreted Asian flavours like curry powder and deep fried satay sticks. Australians, and plenty of other nations alike have been presenting Asian meals fairly embarrassingly for years. I’m sick of weak, mono-flavoured dishes which have no inkling of the East except that they’re served with rice and a few prawn crackers. An ex-boyfriend of mine had a great story about a time when he saw a very bizarre Nasi Goreng in a Berwick Pub for thirty-five smackers. 

Now perhaps finally the era of bad Asian-inspired cuisine is coming to an end. Tom Phat on Sydney Road in Brunswick is run by non-Asian people (not in a racist way or anything) and it manages to deliver some kick-ass food without dampening it’s influences. This Asian-inspired café isn't exactly trying to replicate Balinese street food but it is taking it’s favourite Asian flavours and putting them to good work in a new way. You'll find spicy Vietnamese mint muddled with palm sugar, chilli and fennel in many of their dishes, and no hint of lame-ass curry powder (as far as I can tell). 

So what did your friendly neighbourhood reviewer eat for lunch? The Sticky Soy Wrap with tofu and tempeh, salad leaves and roti for $10.90. The serve is perfect and doesn’t mess you about with a few token salad leaves on the side. There’s a generous side of zingy carrot, sprout, fennel and herb salad that’s both dense and refreshing. The sticky roti is a little sweet but the wholesomeness of the tofu and burnt sesame tempeh makes you feel like you’re eating lunch, not dessert.

Next up, Minced Beef Stir Fry with Basil which like the roti, is dark and sticky but deliciously smoky as well. Plenty of juicy Pak Choy is mixed through to balance a bitter, green flavour to the sweet richness of the dish. Everything comes together well in a generous serve presented on soft white rice and topped with crisp cucumber sticks. Although I didn’t get to dessert, the menu offers more than tinned fruit with ice-cream. Roti banana pancake with palm sugar and coconut jam, I’ve got my eye on you baby.

Sticky Soy Wrap $10.90

In terms of a dining environment, Tom Phat works it’s space well. At lunch time only the narrow room is open, with the bar and registers taking up almost the entire left side. Sturdy polished wooden tables run down the right side, single file while a communal table and some casual drink couches look out the open front wall into Brunswick’s main hipster shopping district. The restaurant/cafe sets it’s casual-cool tone immediately with large warehouse-fashion hanging lights, rugged wooden furniture glossed to a shine and a cutsey mural on it’s left wall of cherry blossoms, mountains and clouds. Lighting is low and the music is consistently good, ranging from The Strokes to Bright Eyes.

With plenty of smoothies, juices, coffees and cocktails on offer you could easily stay the whole day at Tom Phat. Fortunately it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner most days so you’ll rarely be kicked out. Service isn’t overly friendly but the food arrives on time and water is provided as you sit down, not when you ask for it.

Food: 4/5

Service: 2.5/5