Iconic Adelaide restaurant Jasmin Indian Restaurant in Hindmarsh Square to close after almost 50 years
One of Adelaide’s longest-running – and most beloved – restaurants is closing its doors for the final time early next year. Find out why.
Adelaide culinary institution Jasmin Indian restaurant will close forever early next year, almost five decades after their first service.
The acclaimed family-run business was opened by Jasbeer and Anant Singh in 1980, and has served everyone from visiting international cricketers, former prime ministers and global celebrities, along with countless devoted locals.
Owner Amrik Singh, 69, said he agonised over the decision but the “time was right” for he and sister Sheila to retire from their award-winning Hindmarsh Square diner.
“We are so emotionally attached. The thought of not having it anymore... it was very hard to let go,” he said.
“But as you get older you start to think, ‘How many good years do you have to enjoy yourself?’ It’s still going well, so it’s probably a good time to leave.”
Mr Singh admits that telling his mother, family matriarch Anant, now aged 94, was the hardest part of the process.
“She’s not quite come to terms with it. It was difficult. She wanted to know why,” he said.
“She did understand though, we can’t keep doing it forever. But it is her baby and saying goodbye is difficult – for all of us to be honest.”
Anant’s homestyle recipes, passed down through the generations, have been the backbone of Jasmin’s menu for 46 years.
A host of big names have dined there, from Sir Elton John and Cat Stevens, to ex-prime ministers Gough Whitlam, John Howard and Kevin Rudd.
Comedian Billy Connolly and Hollywood actor Dev Patel are huge fans while celebrity chef Marco Pierre White described his dining experience at Jasmin as “the best Indian meal” of his life.
It’s also been the restaurant of choice for India’s touring cricketers including icons Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
Former Premier Mike Rann is another regular, as is Chris Sumner, the state’s longest serving attorney general.
Then there’s the local couple who’s dined at Jasmin every Thursday night for more than 30 years.
“They actually call to tell us when they’re not coming. They sit at the same table, in the same spot every week,” Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh said the family had many opportunities to expand the business or move interstate but he always remained loyal to Adelaide.
“Lots of people have offered to invest in us... but we’ve never wanted to go anywhere else,” he said.
Consistency and passion have been the key to their enduring success, Mr Singh said, and the accolades have followed. On several occasions they’ve been named SA’s best Indian restaurant, and Mrs Singh was declared an Adelaide Food Legend at the 2017 Advertiser Food Awards.
In announcing Jasmin’s closure, with their last service set for late January, Mr Singh said he feels like he’s “letting down” his loyal customers.
“They come here for special occasions, their wedding anniversaries... they all say, ‘I’ll see you next week or next year’,” he said.
“I feel like I’m betraying them in a way. But all good things come to an end.”
Mr Singh is currently looking for a buyer to take over the business, and the family’s much-loved recipes – though the Jasmin name is unlikely to be passed on.
“Whoever takes over, we wish them luck for the next 46 years,” he said.
JASMIN’S CELEBRITY CLIENTELE OVER THE YEARS
Sir Elton John
“What I remember most was he had the hottest thing that we make, something I don’t even eat: the chicken tindaloo. We describe it as the dish for people who find our vindaloo mild. I was so worried that he wouldn’t be able to perform the next day! He actually wanted to come back later in his stay but unfortunately we were closed.”
Virat Kohli
“He was interesting. I was nervous when he came in but he was so delightful, probably the nicest one in the team. He was joking around, he was the clown of the team, and so thankful to all our staff. He blew me away, he was so easy going.”
Marco Pierre White
“We’d heard all these horror stories that he’d walked out of many places... I was worried but he came in with Jock Zonfrillo and he was really lovely – and absolutely loved it. My mum is a big fan and she was like a schoolgirl around him, she was so excited to meet him.”
Billy Connolly
“He was really wonderful. He carries on when on stage but in real life he doesn’t drink and he’s so, so gentle. So polite and so caring. We did a surprise birthday for him many years ago and he was so happy to see us and came into the kitchen to see mum, and give her a hug. Every time he comes to Adelaide, he comes in for dinner.”
Gough Whitlam
“He came for lunch one day. Very eloquent and charming. He came in with some of the law lecturers at Adelaide Uni. A lovely man.”
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