Lorne institution Raas Leela and its sister restaurant, Torquay’s Jashn Courtyard have both been named as state finalists for Indian Restaurant Of The Year in the 2023 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence - VIC & TAS.
Restaurateurs Aditi and Rachit Kapoor are behind both venues, which respectively offer unique Indian dining experiences.
Aditi and Rachit also own one of the oldest hospitality venues in Torquay – the 13 year old Indian restaurant Jashn Courtyard. Regularly booked out, Jashn delights diners with its buzzy atmosphere, iconic Indian food and live entertainment.
Set just off the Lorne main beach, Raas Leela offers authentic Indian street cuisine presented with a modern twist.
The 2023 Award for Excellence winners will be announced on September 18th, 2023.
Raas Leela, meaning ‘Dance of Passion’, offers a unique culinary experience that looks to tell the stories of India, providing cultural connection through its cuisine. This approach is progressively turning Raas Leela into a culinary destination, with many loyal customers regularly travelling to Lorne from Melbourne for the experience.
An original example of this unique food style is the Pav Bhaji – usually consisting of a vegetable gravy served with soft dinner rolls, Raas Leela have turned the ingredients into croquettes, with the bread served as a freshly sliced crouton.
“There is not a single day where we don’t sell this particular dish at Raas Leela. It really shows that thinking outside the box can create a whole new experience to look at and to consume”, Aditi said.
Numerous other innovative dishes followed the success of the croquettes, including spicy vegetarian samosas. In Raas Leela style, the samosas are not the traditional pyramid shaped curry puff but instead tiers of deconstructed layers that showcase the fresh and fragrant ingredients.
“With the samosa, we have created a unique dish – true to the original flavour, but with a twist”, said Rachit.
The delicious food isn’t the only thing attracting curious visitors and loyal locals to Raas Leela. The restaurant’s own ‘Karma Bar’ has a reputation in Lorne for serving up exceptional hand crafted cocktails. Diners can enjoy Happy Hour at the Karma Bar from 3pm – 5 pm every day, with $10 cocktails, $9 pints (including fresh Guinness) and $7 wine + spirits.
Aditi and Rachit also own one of the oldest hospitality venues in Torquay – the 13 year old Indian restaurant Jashn Courtyard. Regularly booked out, Jashn delights diners with its buzzy atmosphere, iconic Indian food and live entertainment.
Aditi reflects on the dish that has brought diners back for more since the beginning of Jashn’s operation.
“The Gobhi 65, our sweet and spicy cauliflower fritter, is an original menu item that has been Jashn’s signature dish for 13 years now,” Aditi said.
“Some other crowd favourites include our Indian version of bao bun and our famous spicy Bollywood chicken. Of course being near the ocean, diners enjoy our tiger prawns marinated in butter garlic. The perfect way to complete a meal is with our delicious Nutella Naan for dessert”, Aditi said.
Within Jashn Courtyard, diners will also find the ‘Whiskey Library’ – with over 100 choices of whiskey and other favourite spirits on offer at the bar. Folks can enjoy Happy Hour every weekend from 3pm to 5pm.
The 2023 Award for Excellence winners will be announced on September 18th, 2023.
Raas Leela is located at 116 Mountjoy Parade in Lorne. Jashn Courtyard is located 24 Bell Street in Torquay.
Book a table via raasleela.com.au/reservations and jashncourtyard.com.au/reservations.
