LOUIS BURKE | Culture | CONTACT
In further proof that life isn’t fair, an Australian regional pub is not getting the culinary acknowledgement it deserves for serving a curry with chips.
Traditionally served with rice or flatbreads, curry is a sauce based South Asian dish, often containing leaves of the curry tree and usually being just bloody lovely.
With a galaxy of regional variations, it is no surprise that a twist on this global favourite has found a home in Betoota, specifically at the Betoota Railway Hotel in the heart of the town.
At the time of writing, the Railway Hotel’s in-house kitchen, Rauri’s Bistro, has been selling the same iconic ‘Curry of the Week’ for the last six years.
“It’s an authentic curry recipe from the Pataks region,” stated head chef Rauri, pausing his vape break to have a cigarette break.
“I like to get out there and purchase the ingredients myself. We also really can’t afford to pay anyone to do that right now so I don’t have a choice anyway.”
One ingredient that the curry special cannot exist without is a big glorious side of oil-hardened, well-salted pub chips that soak up lucious orange gravy like it was always the chip’s destiny.
Not only does serving curry with chips instead of rice save money and time, it is also a great way to get locals who are still a little afraid of ‘world food’ to try something new.
Acknowledged by the town to be a culinary masterpiece, Rauri’s Curry of the Week with chips is yet to get the critical recognition it deserves from dinning guides like Michelin.
“We’ve got some good reviews on Tripadvisor but every time we think a secret Michelin judge come in it’s almost always just a tourist wearing a dodgy toupée.”
Although the UK has paired curry with chips for years and many South Asian curries are paired with fried potatoes, Rauri continues to make his claim that curry with chips is his invention and it’s about time some Lonely Planet boofhead gave him a sticker.
More to come.
