Harry Mangat, Biji Dining. Photo: Biji Dining/Instagram.
Rizla’s Andrew Day is teaming up with Harry Mangat of Biji Dining for a week-long residency that will showcase modern Indian dining and the versatility of riesling. It’s the second time Harry has come from Melbourne to cook in the Braddon bar, with their last popular collaboration now over two years ago.
Biji Dining is a nomadic pop-up restaurant, with chef and owner Harry taking over kitchens around Melbourne to showcase his food. Taking inspiration from his Grandmother’s cooking, Indian-born Harry has developed traditional dishes into a unique modern cuisine that makes clever use of the abundance of Australia’s native foods.
When it comes to creativity and skill, Biji Dining is head and shoulders above the rest. Photo: Biji Dining/Instagram.
Andy and Harry met in Canberra several years ago when they both worked in Canberra restaurants. Since then, Andy has opened Rizla, and Harry has moved to Melbourne and runs Biji, but they have remained friends.
“Harry was head and shoulders above the rest in terms of his creativity and his skill,” Andy told Region.
“We did a pop-up a few years ago, which was really successful, and we’ve been planning to do another one ever since.”
The sample menu on Rizla’s website highlights dishes like the missi roti (chickpea flour roti) with coconut ghee and an Australian take on a South Indian spice blend called gunpowder spice. At the other end of the menu, desserts include a baked cheese dessert, chenna poda, with rhubarb, white chocolate and Geraldton wax.
Andy Day of Rizla has built his whole venue around the versatility and approachability of riesling. Photo: Rizla.
The menu follows the same format as the regular Rizla menu with snacks, more substantial dishes to share, sides and desserts. As always, you can ask the staff to ‘sort it out’ with an $80 set menu. Andy describes the kitchen as “a shoebox”, but Harry is up for the challenge!
“Most people think our kitchen is tiny, but Harry walked in and said, ‘Oh, there’s heaps of space!’” Andy laughed.
“The size does mean there’s a limit on how many plates we can do at once, but that’s why we’ve focused on the share menu.”
Riesling’s versatility is what makes it a perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of foods. Photo: Biji Dining/Instagram.
The award-winning wine list at Rizla is almost entirely made up of riesling and riesling-adjacent wines. With a strong focus on local drops, along with a few national and international names, the full range of riesling’s natural diversity is on display.
Andy explained that riesling’s versatility is what makes it a perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of foods, and Indian spices and flavours are a particularly good match to the fresh, citrus and fruit notes of the white wine.
“I think riesling is so undervalued: you can get a really great bottle of local riesling for $30, but you’d need to pay more than that for something like a really great Pinot Noir. So it’s a very accessible wine.”
Rizla is located at U146/24 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. The Rizla-Biji collaboration will run from Tuesday, 16 July, to Saturday, 20 July, from 5:30 pm and for lunch on Friday, 19 July, and Saturday, 20 July, from 12 pm.
Visit Rizla’s website to book, or follow Rizla on Facebook or Instagram. Follow Biji Dining on Facebook or Instagram to get a sneak peek of Harry’s menu.
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