Bismi has been sending ripples through the foodie underworld for the past couple of months for their budget-friendly, 100 per cent halal Singapore-style Indian cuisine. This is ably supported by dishes recognised as Indonesian, such as nasi goreng, ikan bilis and mee goreng. The breads they make to order at this rather basic shopfront at the Coburg end of Sydney Road are another drawcard.
There's something slightly mesmerising about watching as a thin film of dough is tweaked and pulled to spread across a large hotplate. Then it might be folded up to envelop a filling of sardines, chicken or lamb to create the wonderful delicacy of murtabak.
Our murtabak comes with the bread crispy and heat-scorched from the griddle. The minced lamb inside is moist, spiced and mixed with shredded egg, onions and cabbage. It's the sort of combination that is probably made in heaven, as well as in Coburg.
At Bismi, the paratta also come stuffed with everything from bananas to potato mashed with spices, peas and mustard seeds, although I still reckon this filling combo really needs the tang of a good dosai (a robust Indian crepe) to make it sing. They serve dosai at their vegetarian Sunday lunch.
You'll also find a bain-marie of earthy curries such as goat masala, lamb curry or a chicken korma where the meat is often on the bone and best attacked with the fingers. To drink, there is a fridge of industrial soft drinks, as well as lassi and the more intriguing and rather refreshing - if rich and comparatively expensive - avocado juice.
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