Biggest Mobs Yummy - Ella by Minoli

Ella by Minoli

In case you are busy I will cut to the chase .. I think this is one of Darwin, and the Territory’s, best restaurants.

Maybe THE best.

When I booked Ella, I was trying to lock in a place that would be really good and also help make my new girlfriend, Her Territory (HT), like me more. Tough combo.

While reading the reviews, two things stood out:

1. They have a curry with kiwi fruit in it. Whaaaat?
2. People REALLY liked it (with the odd little whinge here and there because, well, humans)

I also REALLY liked this place. It’s pretty great and I hope it continues to thrive (and i think it will).

Ella was opened 6 months ago by former MasterChef contestant, the lovely Minoli De Silva (meet her here: Magic Minoli — Her Territory) who has joined the ranks of people well known enough to use just one name. She is our Barack.

People were taking selfies with Minoli when we arrived but, as a chef, she is also known for making cracking Sri Lankan food (which also is photographed heaps).

The other owners are Seth Chin (who is also lovely but has his act waaaaay too together for my liking .. ha ha, jealous much!) and Shir Kelly who I don’t know but who I am sure is lovely too.

Every dish at Ella was created by the uber talented Minoli and the restaurant features ‘modern flavours and mouth-watering cocktails’ (so says the website) .. but it’s true, they do those things and I am kinda an expert as I have been to Sri Lanka before on a short holiday.

Sri Lanka is a great place that, like its food, is full of colour, spice and character. It’s an interesting but more subtle version of neighbouring India on and off the plate (and their taxis had taximeters).

While Minoli didn’t quite win MasterChef, she did well because her food looks and tastes great .. and she is good TV talent. She ‘cooks with love’ as they say on that show (a lot).

The restaurant setting is classy, dark and moody (in a nice way, just like HT) and even a tiny bit fun and sexy (too much info?). Sure, it will be a touch loud and busy for some people’s liking (ie. people like me who get freaked out by that stuff) but it was still excellent. Other couples were 30cm from us on either side but I eventually zoned their conversations out

What was good:

The kiwi fruit curry is soooooooo good. Far out, I REALLY loved it. I ate the living daylights out of this dish. Minoli cooked this dish in her audition for MasterChef .. so she knows it’s good too! It is also the restaurant’s signature dish and, apart from kiwi fruit, features mustard seed, coconut and turmeric.

Fruit in breakfast/lunch/dinner is a big winner in my books and this odd curry is worth the visit alone.

HT’s black pepper pork belly was tops. Pork belly seems to test / trouble some restaurants but not here. Ella’s pork belly is braised in a tamarind coconut sauce and has pineapple salsa.

The Betel leaf salmon was a tasty entree. It features salmon belly, crisp shallots, ginger, coconut and tamarind relish.

The restaurant has a small funky bar and we both had a lemon cheese cake cocktail which was yummy right up to the point it wasn’t. It’s a good cocktail to share as it gets a little sickly towards the end.

I almost certainly can’t cook or make anything I had here so that makes this place a big winner too!

Nice job Ella by Minoli.

Thumbs up rating: 4.5/5