Mahar Fusion (Wembley Food Court)

Mahar Fusion

Pretty damned good Thai food – for a food hall.

Category: Food Hall Outlet

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I’ve eaten dozens of times at Mahar Fusion. It can best be summed up as reliable nosh, a cut above most food hall outlets of whatever type. Restaurant quality? No – but it’s not a restaurant, it’s a food hall outlet, and if you are after a quick and inexpensive Thai meal you can do far worse.

It’s located in Cambridge Forum International Food Court, behind The Wembley Hotel, Cambridge St, Wembley. It’s a moderate size food hall –  10 outlets of the usual suspects, all Asian cooking of various types with the exception of the Roast/Carvery and a coffee/drinks/desserts “cafe”.

They vary in quality from very good to very ordinary (avoid the Chinese and the Indian – “mediocre even by food hall standards” is being kind). The Japanese, the Dim Sum and the Thai are the picks of the bunch, mainly because there are no bain maries – they all prepare each meal individually, even if many of their ingredients are clearly pre-prepared frozen materials – what did you expect? It’s a food hall.

The food hall is well-patronised, tends to be a bit noisy (shocking acoustics with an echo that even the sound-deadener they added to the ceiling didn’t fix). There’s a lot of parking and you can normally find a spot with no problems unless there’s a big footie or rugby game being shown at the Hotel. Tip: try the underground carpark at the back: it’s often half empty when the  carpark is jam-packed.

Back to the Mahar Fusion (amusingly their big illuminated signs misspell their own name; they say Mahar Fussion in large lettering; all their menus and promotional material spell it correctly). Mahar Fusion been there for at least 15 years, with at least a couple of owners, perhaps more, and it has always been reliable.

I take lousy photos – even with colour correction it still looks weird! It’s not this green, really!

It has a fairly varied range of typical Thai dishes – nothing exotic, just what you would expect, including soups, noodle dishes, green and red curries, lemongrass dishes etc etc, plus a few from other regional styles, like samosas, Mongolian lamb and Indonesian-style dishes (no doubt this explains the “Fusion” in their name). They do take-away too, of course.

I wanted a quick & pleasant meal at a reasonable price, and that’s exactly what I got. I ordered their Green Curry with Beef as a main meal ($13) with a small steamed rice ($2.50). The green curry is also available with chicken, squid, prawns or mixed seafood, as are many of their dishes. Prices vary slightly depending on which ingredient you choose, from a low of $13 to a high of $16. You can also order a smaller serve which includes rice (good for those small appetites or for children), and these are slightly cheaper at $12 to $14 dollars.

They bring the meal to your table and it arrived quickly; from ordering to my first taste was around 8 minutes. On busier nights it can take a little longer but it’s never a long wait.

And this is what I got:

Yep – it’s green curry and steamed rice! And another crappy photograph. Sigh.

First impressions – when they say “small steamed rice”, they really mean it! For $2.50 I expect a larger serve; it’s OK quality, and reasonably similar to “real” Thai rice; adhering to itself without being glutinous or overcooked. But I think they are doing themselves a disservice by having such a small serve – rice is cheap, and people go to food halls expecting value for money.

On to the green curry: It’s a decent-sized serving; not huge, but definitely not skimped the way the rice is.

There’s plenty of beef in this meal – no skimping here either – and it’s fairly thinly sliced and all very tender. Clearly most of the vegetables are frozen, not freshly prepared – the fluted edges to the carrot slices are a bit of a giveaway. Nevertheless they were quite OK; not over-cooked and with adequate “crunch factor”. OK, no authentic green curry would even have carrot in it, but – yep, it’s food hall. I don’t think I’ve ever had a food hall green curry that didn’t contain carrot, either sliced or julienned. And broccoli.

Flavour – pretty damned good for a food hall! The flavours are well-balanced, there’s enough coconut milk for a fairly smooth mouth-feel, there’s even a couple of real kaffir lime leaves in there. Tastes good.

Nice level of chilli with a bit of heat; not really hot, but food hall outlets naturally tend to be a bit conservative when it comes to chilli – they know their patrons aren’t necessarily into authentic levels of chilli, and they cater to the average taste. But compared to most food hall Thai food, the overall flavour and authenticity is definitely much better than average – there are some shockingly bad ones out there!

I’ve eaten in some very good local Thai restaurants (and some utterly mediocre ones too, where the food was no better than at Mahar Fusion, just more expensive), and I’ve been to Thailand twice. This is NOT going to satisfy the aficionado looking for a top-quality and truly authentic green curry. But hey! This is a food hall, and as Perth food hall Thai goes this is in the upper echelons. If you want top quality Thai food go to a good restaurant and expect to pay two to three times as much.

Or go to Thailand, where even the tiny sidewalk cafes do better than this. And expect some real fire in the chilli – authentic Thai food can be amazingly hot, the real “Oh God, I can’t tell whether my lips are burning or have gone completely numb in shock” chilli experience. Great if you like that (and I do, once in a while), but I don’t have to have all my chilli meals at that almost masochistic burn-level to enjoy them.

I was  satisfied, both as to flavour and price – it’s not much more expensive than eating at Maccas, and that is an experience I hope never to have again. Honestly, isn’t there some sort of consumer protection law that could be invoked? I mean, they claim their burgers are food and that is blatant false advertising.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars, in the Food Hall Outlet category.

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Foodhall outlet details:

Mahar Fusion
Cambridge Forum International Food Court
350 Cambridge Street,
Wembley WA 6014
(08) 9387 8811

BYO (but only alcoholic drinks – you are requested not to bring any non-alcoholic drinks; doesn’t seem to be policed though)

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday) 11.00am to 9.00pm

Festival India

A South Indian dining experience that is not to be missed.

Category: Specialty Restaurant

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I’ve twice eaten at Festival India, and on both occasions I’ve been very impressed. Delicious food, well-presented, and at a very reasonable price. Service is attentive, but not overbearingly so; the wait-staff are helpful and pleasant.

It’s not your average Indian – it specialises in the regional cuisine of Kerala and the Malabar coast of south-west India. If you have read (and loved, as I have) Arundhati Roy’s ‘The God of Small Things’ then this is the restaurant for you. This is not the place if you are looking for a generic vindaloo; it’s a place for an authentic South Indian dining experience.

I always think that you can tell a lot about the authenticity of the cuisine from the patrons of a regional restaurant: the Festival India is always packed with South Indians. It’s not a big restaurant – perhaps 60 seats – but it’s busy, clean, the decor is attractive (not sure about the revolving ceiling light though!) and the music is just the right level. (I don’t know about you, but I hate it when the music is intrusive). It’s unlicensed, so BYO alcoholic drinks.

On my most recent visit I started with Masala Dhosa, a crisp rice/lentil rolled pancake stuffed with vegetables and potatoes. The pancake is huge, maybe 60cm across, which is rolled around the stuffing, which is smooth – almost like a thick puree – rich, spicy, but not chilli-hot. It’s a main meal in itself: a delightfully crunchy pancake containing a generous serve of vegetables at the centre – the stuffing fills perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 of the pancake, leaving the crisp ends empty ($12.50).

Pancakes of various kinds are a feature of the menu; previously I’ve had the Masala Uthappan ($13.50), described in their menu as “Savoury stuffed (onion, tomato, green chilli & fresh coriander leaves) rice flour pancake”. Unlike the Dhosa, this is a soft pancake, and it is a taste sensation – much more chilli bite than the Dhosa, equally enjoyable.

Of the courses I’ve had, the meals have been spicy, but not overly hot. Think rich, mouth-filling flavours rather than chilli-burn.

For a main I had Malabar Chicken Curry ($16.00) with Pulao rice ($4.50) and Naan ($4.00). The chicken was delightful: richly flavoured with an onion, tomato, ginger and garlic sauce. The Pulao did not disappoint. The Naan was good, but not great. A little oily.

On my first visit I had the Malabar Kerala-style Lamb Curry for my main ($16.00). Fantastic! Nothing like any other lamb curry I’ve had, this was a real treat. It’s described as “medium” and that is entirely accurate; it has a goodly chilli component but this is not a curry that will have you sweating or reaching for your water glass. I had the plain steamed rice ($4); it was as good a steamed rice in the Indian style as you will find anywhere; every grain is separate and not a hint of glugginess.

I accompanied both meals with Lassi, with salt ($5.00). If you haven’t tried a salt Lassi, I strongly recommend you do. It’s entirely different from a sweet Lassi and it complements the richness of the curries. They also do a mango Lassi, which I have not yet tried.

The only downside of the meals was the wait: both nights it was over 40 minutes before I received my entree. However, the restaurant was packed and the wait was worth it.

Festival India has an extensive vegetarian menu, offering 7 main course dishes, 11 Dosa/Vada meals, and a number of vegetarian entrees, plus the rice and breads. It’s a good place for vegetarian diners looking for something different from the usual paucity of vegetarian offerings.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, in the Specialty Restaurant category.

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Restaurant details:

Festival India
4/240 Main St
Osborne Park WA 6017
(08) 9344 5776

BYO
Opening hours: Open 7 days. Lunch: 11.00am to 2.30pm; dinner: 5.00pm till late.

View the menu: Page One; Page Two