Serving up a slice of India, Down Under

Flinders Street is one of the busiest in this city, and a hanging red neon sign points out one of the best-known addresses here.

Flinders Street is one of the busiest in this city, and a hanging red neon sign points out one of the best-known addresses here. It8217;s a small food joint8212;Spice of India8212;and the menu at the entrance features Indian favourites like chhole, rajma, chawal, chicken biryani, and not to forget the samosa.

The setting is typically bar like8212;with the stools8212;but one can spot a Rajasthani painting or listen to popular Hindi movie songs while trying to navigating ones way to a table. Business is brisk, as the crowd here shows.

Inside, washing dishes, is the owner of the joint. He looks up and smiles, and greets with a namaste8212;Kim Huynh sounded a lot like a Chinese name. 8220;I am Vietnamese,8221; he corrected this reporter quickly. 8220;And I am the owner of this joint.8221;

Astonished? 8220;This is dignity of labour, and I have come up the hard way in life. So what if I am the owner, why can8217;t I help my friends here?8221; he asks.

Kim is a refugee from the Vietnam war. He was very young when he lost his family and his home was ravaged by the Americans. He escaped in a little boat and he rowed all the way for a month to escape to Malaysia. Some years later, he went back to Vietnam but could not find his family and close relatives.. The International Red Cross Society, trying to help the war victims, sent him to Australia.

Several years on, and having earned enough to set up his own business, he is now providing a shelter to Indians8212;by serving quality Indian food to a sizeable Indian population here who are always looking for an alternative to the bland Australian fare and providing those in need with jobs.

Take Sonia. She came from Amritsar and is pursuing a hotel management course here. She needs the money for the expensive course fees. Her husband works in a factory nearby, but that was not enough to provide for the family and also fund her studies. Kim offered to help her with a job that solved her problem. 8220;I have one more year left and then I too hope to own a restaurant of my own. Kim is a wonderful man and has been very helpful,8221; she said.

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To prepare authentic Indian food, Kim has hired a chef from Ludhiana. The rest of the help are also Indians. 8220;I love Indians and there are quite a lot of Indians living here, so business wise it helps, I think Indian food is amazing, and I also dig into the food almost every day,8221; he said,

Spice of India is gearing up for the New Year. 8220;It will be open till 2 am tomorrow,8221; says Kim, hoping that at least in 2008 he will be able to keep his resolution. So what8217;s that? 8220;I want to see India at least once in my life, I have never been there. I want to see the Taj Mahal, and maybe find an Indian bride for myself.8221;