Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
“We Have Them For Life”
Shiju Parmabeth is the head chef at Tamborine Mountain’s most iconic Indian restaurant: Masala Shanti. Running his kitchen for over a decade now means that he knows quite a bit about what makes Masala Shanti so popular— and he’s more than happy to share.
by Kyle Hitchmough
What was your inspiration to open an Indian restaurant on the mountain?
My in-laws had been living on the mountain for a while, and every time they wanted to go out for an Indian meal, we had to travel off the mountain, and most of the time we came back disappointed. My background is as a hospitality professional, having been trained in 5-star hotels in India. My wife has hospitality experience as well, along with her parents. We thought it was a good idea as the mountain needed something new and refreshing. The family always wanted to have an Indian restaurant, but the timing had never been right. This venue became available and we decided to open the restaurant, and we’ve never looked back.
Are there any dishes you serve that are more popular than others?
The most popular are butter chicken and rogan josh, which is probably the crowd favourite. I think it’s entry-level Indian food for most people as they’ve heard of the names, so they just order it. Over the years we have introduced Indian food to numerous people for the first time in their lives. People who are 70+ years old and have never had Indian food. We’ve brought variety onto the mountain and we strive for consistency, so what you get is the same every time. That was one of the driving points for us opening a restaurant, because every time we went out there was no consistency. You’d get a great meal somewhere and then the next time it’s terrible.
Do you have any particular favourite dishes?
My personal favourite is home-style curry, which is another crowd favourite. Another favourite would be dosas. I like everything on my menu— if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t serve it.
What goes into an average workday for you?
Most days I start at 8:30-9:00am, which gives me enough time to prep all the sauces for the day. Then we have a break from 2:30 to 4:00, which gives us time to pick up the kids from school, see the family. Back here at 4, and finish at about 9pm. We close Mondays and Tuesdays.
Do you have any particular trends in your clientele?
There are customers who come every week, there are customers who come twice a week, and there are customers who come every second week. A handful of them have a set day for their Indian fix . On the occasion we have time off, they’ll get take away from us in advance and keep it in the freezer so they don’t break their tradition! Most of our client base is locals, which are our regular returnees. But we always welcome tourists with open arms. It’s always good for us to have the tourist population coming in because we believe that we are trying to deliver Indian food as it’s meant to be, rather than what people’s perception of what Indian food is. A lot of the time, people who try our food for the first time who are visiting or staying on the mountain come right back to us when they come back to the mountain, and they become regulars for the yearly holidays they take up here. Once they come through our door, we have them for life.
Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
Yes, I live just around the corner. In my personal opinion, people come here to live a peaceful life and I’m blessed to be living here already. This is a little paradise.
Do you have any particular things you like to do on the mountain?
Most days I’m busy with work, but other days usually take the children to the park, drive around, go to the lookout… one of my favourite things to do is go for rainforest walks. Occasionally I do go out and eat at other restaurants here, to support fellow business owners.
What do you think Masala Shanti really provides to the mountain?
Variety options. For people who want things more interesting than just steak and chips, we are here. We’re not formal dining, we provide a casual dining experience. We pride ourselves on being a family-run restaurant, so we welcome families. We’re providing more ethnic options to people on the mountain.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The satisfaction I get when people tell me to my face that they’ve enjoyed their food, or what stood out for them from what they received. It gives us immediate satisfaction. A lot of the times when you have long hours, one person saying to you “the food was really good” makes your whole day, any pains are forgotten.
Do you have any standout stories or experiences from your time working here?
We’ve had a few wedding receptions happen here, which is always very memorable. Lots of birthday functions, ceremonies… Functions are always great because you want to create an atmosphere for that function, which is something that stands out.
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