Garam Marsala - Indian In Darwin

Xpose was hungry. Very hungry. So, of course, we decided to eat. The only decision to be made was which restaurant would have the privilege of hosting us.

Didn’t we feel special when we had the Buddha Room at Garam Marsala all to ourselves. Talk about ambience. Wow. I forgot for more than just a second that it was Monday night in Darwin, and was transported to Pondicherry with vibrant colours, cushions and candles. For me personally, I love to eat on sitting on the floor. Whether this is because it derives feelings of authenticity, or simply because it reminds me of pizza and chocolate bavarian in front of the TV at home I’m unsure. But I still love it.

Beginning with the wine list, there was a wide range available at reasonable prices. We opted for the Stonier Pinot Noir, a lovely drop from the Mornington Peninsular, and incidentally one of the most expensive on the list. Choosing the meals was a touch more difficult. I wanted it all. Do we have seafood for mains or entrées? Lamb or chicken? Hot or mild? Rice or naan? What about some chutneys on the side? I’ve always loved condiments. Finally to both our and the waitstaff’s relief, we were ready to order.

A lovely touch is the sorbet between courses, it always manages to raise the bar a smidgen when your out, makes you think ‘Ooh, we’re going real posh tonight!’ Add on top that it was wicked sorbet. Like all the food actually. It tasted like we expected from the menu, was hot, was sensational. Seeing as though we’d taken our sweet arse time ordering however, by the time we actually were done eating (and only half done gas bagging), it was getting reasonably late for a Monday evening. This is where the downfall came. And it didn’t just fall, it plummeted.

Firstly, the music ceased. All of a sudden that oh so special ambience diminished. A little trip to the bathroom revealed that we were not only alone in the Buddha Room, but in the entire restaurant. That’s fine. Until we overheard the waitstaff on the phone announcing that he was ‘all done, just waiting for these people to leave’. Well excuse me, we still had a full glass of wine left each and were beginning to contemplate dessert. I had no intention of going anywhere until I overstuffed myself with sweets and a cup of tea, and even, perhaps (God forbid) a few Drambuie’s. And then the final straw. With still half a glass each of wine and a mere 10:15pm, we were told that we would have to finish up. When we questioned the possibility of desserts, we were told that the kitchen closed long ago. Since when does a kitchen close before all the customers have had desserts? I was visibly distraught! We figured that we probably would have added at least another $30-$40 to our bill had they let us stay another half hour, surely that would have paid the wages of the one remaining staff member, plus some.

So lesson be learned. Book early, order quickly, and you’ll be delighted.