The Cricketers calls up MasterChef favourite for dinner series

One of this year’s MasterChef contestants is out to prove there’s more to Indian food than curry — and he hopes his month-long guest chef spot at a Port Melbourne pub will win fans for bar food from his homeland.

MasterChef alum Sandeep Pandit with dishes for The Cricketers.

He’s already raised the bar on curry and now Sandeep Pandit wants to elevate the humble bar snack.

The 2019 MasterChef contestant is putting his spin on typical Indian fare at The Cricketers for a month-long Thursday dinner series.

“We’re not doing a typical curry night,” Pandit said.

“There is so much variety in Indian food we thought that instead we’d recreate typical Indian bar food — expect something spicy and complex that matches well with beer.”

Pandit is planning a menu of chakhna dishes served tapas style.

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“Chakhna dishes are what Indians enjoy when they’re sitting down to catch up over drinks, so I thought it would be perfect to serve this style of food at a local pub,” he said.

His $45 set menu will include chicken tikka featuring 12 spice garam masal, aloo tikka — Indian hash browns with choley and spiced yoghurt — and kathi roll with Pandit’s signature “killer chutney” and “George chutney”.

Pandit’s kathi roll with signature chutneys and pickled onions. Picture: David Crosling

“I had to include my George chutney, which I named after George Calombaris,” Pandit said.

He will also serve DIY masala papad — deep fried poppadoms with kachumber salad and chat masala.

Bon Vivant group managing director Nick Allardice said the collaboration followed a similar partnership in 2018 with Loki Madireddi.

“We had so much fun last year with Loki’s curry nights and, as soon as MasterChef started this year, our customers were asking when we would be bringing back the MasterChef pop-ups,” Mr Allardice said.

“We’re stoked that Sandeep will be cooking at The Cricketers and can’t wait to share his food with Port Melbourne and beyond.”

Bon Vivant Group, which owns The Cricketers, The Firehouse in Ringwood and Mount Buller’s The Villager, will donate 10 per cent of proceeds from the pop up to St Kilda Mums, an organisation that donates second-hand nursing equipment and clothing to babies and children in need.

The pub is the perfect fit for the cricket mad cook.

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I’m a massive cricket fan. I wanted to stop when Sachin Tendulkar retired but as he once said — ‘the sport is greater than any sportsman’ — so I’ve kept watching,” Pandit said.

He urged his own fans to keep an eye on his future moves which include plans to launch his own range of spices.

“I’m also in the process of putting together recipes from Kashmir on my website thefoodpandit.com, which I’d love to film for TV too,” he said.

Bookings are essential for Sandeep Pandit’s dinners and can be made at thecricketersport.com.au with three sittings available at 6:30pm, 7:30pm and 8pm.

The Cricketers is at 69 Cruikshank St, Port Melbourne.

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