EP. 1208 BOLLYWOOD HITS THE NORTHERN BEACHES, SYDNEY 🥁💃

Embark on a journey to the heart of Indian culture with our esteemed guest Nirup, the maestro of flavors from the Spice Bazaar Indian takeaway in Narrabeen. For a quarter-century, she and her husband have been enchanting the palates of locals with their culinary masterpieces. In our latest episode, Nirup unfolds her tale, from her initial steps as a qualified chef to the triumphs of entrepreneurship. She invites us all to the upcoming Bollywood party, a night where the spice of Indian dance meets the savor of authentic cuisine, promising an unforgettable dive into one of the world's most spirited cultures.

Prepare your taste buds for a story that's not just about food, but about the journey of an iconic dish that's claimed the hearts of Narrabeen residents - the signature Chicken Tikka Masala. As Nirup shares the secret behind the symphony of spices that has customers lining up, you'll find yourself planning your next meal at Spice Bazaar. We wrap up by setting our sights beyond the shimmering coastline of Narrabeen to the vibrant land of India, where Nirup leads cultural tours that can redefine the art of travel. Don't miss this episode where we celebrate the glory of Indian heritage, the thrill of rhythmic footwork, and the allure of a cuisine that speaks directly to the soul.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

On the northern beaches. We are going bollywood with Neroop, restaurant owner in Narrabeen. Stay tuned, we're gonna talk about it right now. Good morning guys. Neroop, thanks for joining us.

Speaker 2 0:31

Good morning. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 0:34

We're really excited for this one. It's like Hollywood.

Speaker 2 0:40

That's right, you got it in the back.

Speaker 1 0:52

It's a big thing, like I didn't realize. You know the population in India and you know, I guess, being in Sydney, australia, we're a long way away, but it's a big place. It's a big place. India's just got a lot of people.

Speaker 2 1:10

Yes, india is big even in land area, so it takes quite a bit of time to see all of that. I think Billy's been to India.

Speaker 1 1:19

I've been closed, but that's still in the bucket list.

Speaker 2 1:37

I've been in Australia for 27 years and we've had the spice bazaar Indian takeaway in Narrabeen for the last 25 years.

Speaker 1 1:47

Really, yes, you're more locals than the locals.

Speaker 2 1:55

I like the sound of that.

Speaker 1 2:00

You are You've fed a lot of people over those times, which is a beautiful, I think, to feed people. You know you're gonna have a beautiful heart, so tell us you're in Narrabeen on the northern beaches and you've been. Is this been the same location the whole time?

Speaker 2 2:16

The same location the whole time. Yes, Great. Yes. My hair's gone, gray over there in the shop.

Speaker 1 2:29

And our favorite dish served what's the most popular one there.

Speaker 2 2:35

Chicken Tikka Masala that's the favorite dish that we sell.

Speaker 1 2:39

Yes, Wow, and when you came to Australia? Sorry, I'm intrigued by this as well, but when you came to Australia, what made you go to? Did you first come to northern beaches, or where did you go first?

Speaker 2 2:54

Yes, we went to DIY first. That's where we first came. We had friends in DIY, so that's the first place we moved to. My husband and I, we are qualified chefs. We used to work in the city in the Marriott and we used to work at the Redskullton. So two chefs in the house. We thought we better start our own business. We don't have to hire anyone. So that was the business model. Until today. It's the same. The business model hasn't changed.

Speaker 1 3:24

Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that beautiful? What a story. And tell me, so long time standing. You've decided to have a little bit of fun. We're going to have a Bollywood party in Narrabeen shortly. Can you tell us more?

Speaker 2 3:40

The Bollywood party actually is sponsored by another company of mine called Neroop's Cultural Tours of India. So I actually have the workspace in Spice Bazaar, but it's a tour company which is affiliated to the restaurant. So the Bollywood night is actually to promote travel to India and to sort of bring some sort of excitement into the prospect of traveling to India. Now the event is being held in Terry Hills at the Checkers Resort and Convention Centre. It's on the 27th of April.

Speaker 1 4:18

Oh, this is big.

Speaker 2 4:20

Yes, this is big. We're expecting over 100 people.

Speaker 1 4:24

Wow, this is big Billy's going to come in Indian clothing. We're going to dress him up.

Speaker 2 4:34

That would be great.

Speaker 1 4:37

He's going to be your token, your token, pomi English Boat. So what happens on the night?

Speaker 2 4:47

It is basically a touch of India. So you have Indian food, we have a DJ, we have a dancer. He's teaching us the moves. So it's not just an open floor. Of course, the floor is open for dancing, but there's going to be a dancer who's going to teach us the basic steps. So and then we'll also have a little talk on India and why India's a terrific travel destination.

Speaker 1 5:13

I got shown some of these dance moves.

Speaker 2 5:16

Did you the?

Speaker 1 5:18

light bulb yeah, the light bulb, yes.

Speaker 2 5:24

Patting the dog, wiping the windows, sweeping the floors, all of that oh my God, I'm coming, and with India.

Speaker 1 5:39

why would someone want to go with India? I've got about 100 reasons in my head, but I want to ask you, why would the average northern beachers person want to head off on a tour to India with you guys?

Speaker 2 5:55

I know it sounds a bit cliche but most people go for the colour, the culture, the food. And you know it's a very popular saying and many famous people have said this Most people go to India to find themselves. So you know it's quite a spiritual journey. Once in your lifetime you have to do it.

Speaker 1 6:18

I haven't heard that that is beautiful. So how long do you do your trips for, and when's the next one? I want to come.

Speaker 2 6:28

Oh, fantastic. The next one's in November to India, that's to Rajasthan. It's during the camel festival, so we're going to Pushkar and I think before that is Sri Lanka and Maldives. That's happening in September. So I do the Indian subcontinent, sri Lanka, nepal, india. And how long are the tours? They're 15 days, 15 days tours.

Speaker 1 6:56

Good two weeks, yeah, it's starting.

Speaker 2 6:57

Yeah, two weeks, is it expensive? It's not that long. It would be because we stay at the boutique places. We stay at some of the best places. It's not a rustic tour by any means. India is known for its luxury tours, and why not? It's a place where Maharajas lived, so why not feel like a Maharaja while you're there?

Speaker 1 7:23

There's a lot of inclusions.

Speaker 2 7:25

We do a lot of activities as much local interaction as possible to find out about local life. What India is really all about.

Speaker 1 7:38

Amazing. That's inspirational. So first things first, there's a couple things out of this that people can get, particularly if they want to travel to the northern beaches or if they live on the northern beaches. One they can come for a great meal to narrow bean. Two, we want them to come to the Bollywood night, where they're going to learn about the prospects of finding themselves in India. They're going to have a beautiful meal. They're going to learn how to change the light bulb dance and what date is that 27th of April it's a month from now.

Speaker 2 8:17

What's the cost? It's $90 if you buy an individual ticket, but if you buy a table it's $85. For $850, it's a table of $10.

Speaker 1 8:29

So for that, they're going to get a meal, they're going to get some dance moves that they can use for the rest of their life and a bit of colour culture.

Speaker 2 8:38

The most important thing, I would say sorry to interrupt is we are raising funds for a charity called Mary's House Services and they support women and children facing domestic and family violence. So everything that we do and the money that we raise on the day is going to charity. The whole idea of this is to give back to the community as well as learn something about another culture, another community, Wow.

Speaker 1 9:04

You sound like an amazing woman, thank you. An amazing chef.

Speaker 2 9:10

I've tried.

Speaker 1 9:11

I've tried.

Speaker 2 9:12

Oh, thank you so much, you made me do it.

Speaker 1 9:16

Can't hold you down from running a family and a business and a new country and now travel business and now supporting the community with the charity Wow.

Speaker 2 9:29

Thank you. I just love people, I just love the interaction, and all this is the inspiration for whatever I do. I'm sure it is for you both as well. You interact with so many people on a daily basis.

Speaker 1 9:43

We do, and occasionally we find really special ones and bring them on to our morning minutes and talk with them. That's you. So this night is going to be about Bollywood people, even if they don't have to go to this trip, but they're going to learn about this trip for a little bit. You're going to talk about going to India 14 days on these tours. I personally heavily recommend going to India. I don't know if I found myself when I was there I'm still looking but I do have to say it was culturally. It wasn't on my bucket list. It should have been on my bucket list and I recommend it to go on everyone's bucket list. I've tripped to India. He's just an amazing experience, an absolutely amazing experience.

Speaker 2 10:37

It is, absolutely is.

Speaker 1 10:40

Thank you so much Awesome.

Speaker 2 10:43

Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for having me. It's just fantastic to be able to have a forum and talk about this with people. Thanks for giving that platform, thanks for spreading the word and I hope to see you both there, if I can.

Speaker 1 10:59

If you don't see us there, you're going to see us in your restaurant very soon. I know that, and it's chicken masala, is it?

Speaker 2 11:06

Yes, it is chicken masala.

Speaker 1 11:10

And Billy is going to pop the address in. I thought it would have been butter chicken.

Speaker 2 11:16

It's a variation of the butter chicken. Actually it's chicken masala. There are other things in it, other masalas. It's the luxury version. That's true.

Speaker 1 11:29

It's the luxury version. There's the website link. It's got the address. Type it up, see it online. It's all there.

Speaker 2 11:41

Thank you.

Speaker 1 11:42

Oh, fantastic, neroob. Thank you so much for coming on. Billy, everyone, you guys are the best. We'll see you in narrow bean.

Speaker 2 11:52

Look forward to it All the best.

Speaker 1 11:54

Alright, thanks so much, take care, bye, bye.