Globetrotting chef Harry Mangat brings taste of pop up dining to Swansea’s Waterloo Inn

The concept of pop up restaurants are taking off and Tasmania is soon to host a globetrotting chef. Find out what’s on the menu.

Harry Mangat with partner Sandy Soerjadhi will open Biji Dining as a temporary take over for six months at the Waterloo Inn in Swansea. Picture: Biji Dining

Chef Harry Mangat has taken his pop up restaurants around the world and Tasmanians will soon be able to savour his Indian inspired dishes.

Mr Mangat and wife Sandy Soerjadhi will take over the popular Waterloo Inn at Swansea for six months from December 5 while the owners spend time with family.

The globetrotting Melbourne couple have spent the past eight years taking their pop up restaurants to Flinders Island, Queensland’s Daintree Forest, Belgium, England, India and New Zealand.

“We rarely stay in Melbourne for that long,” Mr Mangat said.

“We were in Flinders Island after Covid with a pop up for a month and then to the Daintree Forest for five months

“We got to see that amazing Island, I was just like, ‘wow’. I was blown away how beautiful it was.”

Waterloo Inn at Swansea with views out to the Hazards. Picture: Anna Critchley. For TasWeekend Indulge review.

Mr Mangat came to Australia from India when he was 21 to study to be an accountant.

While he jokes that he could have made more as an accountant he has no regrets about becoming a chef.

“I was still studying but I only lasted a year.

“I started working as a kitchen hand for extra pocket money and then I just fell in love with being in the kitchen, and just never looked back and I decided I don’t want to be an accountant.”

Harry Mangat with partner Sandy Soerjadhi will open Biji Dining as a temporary take over for six months at the Waterloo Inn in Swansea. Picture: Parker Blain

Despite the stresses, Mr Mangat and Ms Soerjadhi, who does front of house, and met at a restaurant, love establishing pop up dining and connecting with farmers and producers.

“It’s a very rewarding way of working and then on the other side, you travel a lot, you see new places.

“Our first pop up was in November 2016 in Melbourne and I had a full time job as a head chef, and I was just doing it as a creative outlet.

“People loved it and then we started doing more.

“People asked us to come to different areas and different places.

“We can pop up at a venue we have done outdoor dinners, we have done laneway dinners.

“We like taking an established place, because we don’t have to move lot of stuff, but it is a lot of fun, like starting a new restaurant.”

Harry Mangat with partner Sandy Soerjadhi will open Biji Dining as a temporary take over for six months at the Waterloo Inn in Swansea. Picture: Parker Blain

Their restaurant at the Waterloo Inn will be called Biji Dining and is already taking bookings for lunch and dinner from Thursday to Sunday with just lunch on Sundays.

Biji means grandma and while he trained in European cuisine Biji will offer Indian inspired but not traditional Indian dishes.

“It’s more about flavours and combining local produce and whatever is in season and it’s inspired from that healthy home cooking that your grandma will cook.”