Tassie’s hottest new foodie experience sets bar high for 2025
Indian-inspired cuisine featuring local Tasmanian produce – by Melbourne pop-up team Biji Dining – now on offer at Swansea, lives up to the hype, writes TasWeekend’s Alix Davis
Food and Wine
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food and Wine. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s not quite that scene from When Harry Met Sally, but the groans of delight coming from the table next to us aren’t far from it. Our food hasn’t arrived yet, but given the relish with which the couple next to us are devouring their meal, our sense of anticipation is rising. Spoiler alert – it lived up to the hype.
We’re in the delightfully daggy dining room at the Waterloo in Swansea – the original chalkboard menu is still in place – as are faded snaps of photo finishes from greyhound races of years gone by. Don’t let the decor put you off – the food here, by Melbourne pop-up team Biji Dining, is beautifully executed, using local Tasmanian produce to create dishes inspired by Harry Mangat’s childhood in Punjab that are full of complex flavours and contemporary sensibilities.
If you’re looking for a butter chicken with garlic naan, keep walking – Biji Dining is serving up Indian-inspired cuisine that builds on a rich culinary history and delivers something fresh and new.
We opt for the “feed me” menu ($75 per person) and ask for a small change, which is happily made by Sandy Soerjadhi, Harry’s partner and the friendly front-of-house manager. Regular readers will know that my husband is no fan of chilli (he considers it a personal insult), but every dish here is full of nuance rather than straight-up heat and he enjoys it all without breaking a sweat.
A snack of cucumber pickles ($8) is fat chunks of lightly pickled cucumber, sprinkled with pepper and served in a puddle of soothing buttermilk. Thick slices of freshly baked missi bread ($12) are served with coconut butter and a pile of gunpowder spice to sprinkle on top.
Missi roti is a traditional Punjabi dish made with chickpea flour, but here it’s a classic Western loaf studded with seeds and extremely more-ish. The “gunpowder” is a classic southern Indian spice blend that includes dried Kashmiri chillies, curry leaves, sesame seeds and urad dhal – it adds a flavour-filled kick to bread and butter and this seemingly simple dish is what had our neighbours groaning in delight.
Mangat and Soerjadhi have taken over the Waterloo site for six months and if you’re not already planning a trip up the East Coast, I’d start now.
“Mid this year when Sandy and I were travelling in Europe, we were trying to decide where we wanted to be in summer and take residency,” explains Harry of how the gig came about.
“We both picked Tassie and the first person I texted was Zac [Green, who has been running the Waterloo Inn with partner Alex Sumner], asking if he knew anywhere we could pop-up and he said how about Waterloo, we were a bit surprised but then he said they are having a second baby. They want time off from long hours for their growing family. Sandy and I said yes and here we are! I know Zac from Melbourne days when we helped our mutual friend for his pop-up.”
It’s not their first restaurant rodeo in Tasmania though, “we did a five-week pop-up at The Flinders Wharf on Flinders Island, in 2021, and a one off at Sonny, in 2022. We love Tassie.”
The feeling’s mutual and as the meal progresses I’m already trying to work out how I can get more Biji Dining in my life. Their take on cheese and crackers is a seriously tasty plate of spiced crackers served with a fresh, soft Indian cheese, charred asparagus and a chilli oil that’s off-set by the creamy cheese. The larger dishes are just as impressive – with flavours that are recognisable but put together in unexpected and utterly delightful ways.
“Our style of food is a more modern interpretation of Indian flavours,” explains Harry. “It’s a sharing style and very personal that reminds me of my Biji (his grandmother). Something that connects my heritage with my new home, Australia. Dining at our place is casual, fun, relaxed and familial. We want to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. And always happy to have a good old chin wag. And most importantly good service, great pours and tasty food.”
Vegetables are given the star treatment here and charred zucchini ($22) is meltingly soft and served in a spiced and tangled pile atop a creamy tahini yoghurt sauce. It’s the perfect foil for the main event of slow-cooked lamb ($42), that’s falling off the bone and is a sneaky riff on a korma curry. I loved everything about this meal and only wish I could have eaten it twice.
Biji Dining has set the bar high for eating out in 2025 – don’t miss out!
BIJI DINING
1A Franklin St, Swansea
@bijidining
Opening hours: Monday, 5pm-8pm; Tuesday closed; Wed, 5pm-8pm; Thurs-Sat, 12pm-3pm / 5pm-8pm; Sunday, 12pm-4pm.
On the menu
Missi bread with coconut butter, $12; paneer and papdi, $18; charred zucchini, $22; slow-cooked lamb with cashew korma, $42; pan-fried blue eye with coriander curry, $36.
Wharf eatery is perfect spot to lap up some Greek Isle vibes
After a balmy night at this Hobart eatery transported me to Greece – I was thrilled to hear that when new chef Paul Foreman originally worked here it was a Greek restaurant, says Alix Davis.
NoHo’s newest eatery will help you spice up your life
This latest addition to the North Hobart restaurant scene, a sibling to Sawak in the CBD, offers diners a taste of the magical fusion of flavours known as ‘Nyonya’ cuisine, writes Alix Davis