New Indian restaurant fails to execute boundary-pushing concept

At Kokum, the Indian restaurant at the Gold Coast’s ritzy Palazzo Versace, the website’s claim the menu “takes you on a journey to explore inspired Indian cuisine you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere” is quite right. But not in a good way.

Kokum by Chef Mural at Palazzo Versace, Main Beach, Gold Coast. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Radically pushing a cuisine’s boundaries is only going to end one way: harmonious fusion or utter confusion.

At Kokum, the Indian restaurant at the Gold Coast’s ritzy Palazzo Versace that opened in November last year, the website’s claim that the menu “takes you on a journey to explore inspired Indian cuisine you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere” is quite right.

Top 10 Brisbane breakfast cafes revealed

Best of Brisbane: Vote for Brisbane’s best coffee

Best Bites: The top foodie finds in Coorparoo

I have never before seen Indian nachos, let alone a version topped with tofu, pineapple, avocado, cumin and yoghurt, nor chicken with paprika, lemon myrtle, mountain pepper and cheddar.

Kokum by Chef Mural at Palazzo Versace, Main Beach, Gold Coast. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Native Australian ingredients – saltbush, eucalyptus, Kakadu plum – are also pressed into service and wasabi and edamame beans make unlikely appearances in this all-in bonanza.

The meal gets off to a dodgy start with one of the staff pouring a beer from at least 30cm above the glass on the table, creating as much foam as Cyclone Oma on nearby Main Beach. Our waitress is chatty and says she is able to advise on all dishes besides those involving vegetables, as she “doesn’t know anything about them”.

“The sambal barramundi is dramatically, if bafflingly presented, with four small squares of fish in a lurid yellow dressing sitting amid puffed pieces of deep-fried silverbeet atop a clear box filled with whole spices.”

She suggests beginning with tandoor prawns ($18), which arrive barely warm and pink with a jug of extra yoghurt pomegranate marinade, which does nothing to improve the flavour of the crustacean.

Our other starter, sambal barramundi ($18), is dramatically if bafflingly presented, with four small squares of fish in a lurid yellow dressing sitting amid puffed pieces of deep-fried silverbeet atop a clear box filled with whole spices.

They’re cold (“No, they’re not meant to be,” says the waitress), the largest piece is not cooked through and, despite a topping of masala caviar, they are strangely bland.

Potli samosa ($16), bundles of beef, galangal and apparently eucalyptus, although it’s indiscernible, are lukewarm but the best of the line-up.

“Our waitress eventually allows us to order the Kashmiri lamb curry on its own, which is lovely, with a rich depth of flavour and tender meat.”

We head for the safety of tradition although annoyingly, curries can only be ordered in a batch of three ($55), and the same goes for naan ($10). Why?

Our waitress eventually obligingly allows us to order the Kashmiri lamb curry on its own ($19). It’s lovely, with a rich depth of flavour and tender meat, and the naan breads (garlic, sesame and spinach) are straight from the tandoor and as light as the breeze wafting in from the Broadwater that can be seen through the glass at the end of the room.

Of the three dessert options, we order gulab jamun ($15), described as a saffron cheesecake log with pistachio crumb, but the waitress returns to report there is none as the freezer isn’t working.

“Two squares of the pudding arrive prettily presented but with the look and texture of pink kitchen sponge, and none of the advertised raspberry sorbet.”

We opt for chai kulfi ($15), saffron, chai and macadamia ice cream with falooda panna cotta, but are told they have run out of it. However, garam “puddin’” ($15) is available.

“It’s very sweet,” the waitress says doubtfully as I order it.

Two squares of the pudding arrive prettily presented but with the look and texture of pink kitchen sponge, and none of the advertised raspberry sorbet.

To her credit, the waitress removes the cost of the barely eaten dessert from the bill along with the barramundi.

While the concept of taking Indian cuisine and shaking it up might have merit, it’s lost in the execution in at least some of the dishes in this collaboration with Manjunath Mural, who is also involved with Heritij in Brisbane and is executive chef at Singapore’s Michelin-starred Song of India restaurant.

The global wine list is solid with plenty to pique interest but training is also needed for service to live up to the promise offered by the attractively decorated dining room and the name of the chef.

Kokum by Chef Mural at Palazzo Versace, Main Beach, Gold Coast. Picture: Russell Shakespeare.

KOKUM BY CHEF MURAL

Palazzo Versace

94 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach

kokum.com.au

BOOK

[phone]

OPEN

Mon-Sat 11.30am-2.30pm; 5.30pm-9.30pm; Sun noon-9.30pm

MUST TRY

Kashmiri lamb curry

VERDICT

Food 5

Service 5

Ambience 8

Value 5

OVERALL: 5.5/10