MELBOURNE | Truganina is one of those suburbs that I really should make more of an effort to visit to eat. It’s full of Indian restaurants, catering to local residents of whom 37% were either born in India, or have a parent who was born there. There’s also big representation from the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Dessert Corner Lounge is a recently opened spot in Truganina, evolving from what former software developer Deval Patel started as a lockdown hustle, then food truck. Housed over two levels in a commercial park, it’s a warm and colourful spot which aligns with Deval’s food. I was recently invited in to take a look.
Across the extensive 18 page menu, you’ll find an assortment of sweet and savoury dishes, all of which are vegetarian and made fresh on site each day using only natural ingredients. Indian flavours and influences, in particular those of Deval’s Gujarati heritage, feature prominently.
The most popular item on the menu is the rose (gulkand) falooda. It’s a light, fragrant mix of rose syrup, vermicelli, sweet basil seeds, milk, and ice-cream, that immediately transported me back to moments spent enjoying the dessert’s forebearer, faloodeh, in Iran.
There’s kulfi sticks, with flavours like pistachio, mango, and rabri (condensed milk with sugar, cardamom, and saffron). I really enjoyed the latter flavour, which I had as an ice-cream flavour. Gulab jamun, available hot or cold, and served in a cardamon and rose spiced condensed milk syrup, are another must try.
Ordering from the savoury section of the menu isn’t any easier. There’s a lot to entice you, and everything that I enjoyed was a fun mix of familiar flavours presented in ways that were new to me. The DC Special Bahubali Sandwich is a three-layered toasted sandwich filled with butter, corn, paneer, capsicum, sev, mayonnaise, tandoori mayo, cheese, and a special masala. It’s a meal in its own right.
Also worth trying is the aloo chana chaat (a zesty mix of mix of potatoes, chickpeas, zesty coriander, tomatoes, lime, and green chilies) in filo wrap cups, and the crispy, saucy, gobi pakora (spicy fried cauliflower).
Everything is keenly priced, and it’s worth grabbing several things to try. Anything you can’t eat, the staff are happy to pack away into biodegradable take away containers for you. In fact, I was told that most dine-in customers end up taking food home.
What are your favourite Truganina food spots? Let me know in the comments so that I can add them to my list. After my experience at Dessert Corner Lounge, I’m keen to explore more of the suburb’s gems.
Dessert Corner Lounge
13A Tallis Crescent
Truganina
Victoria 3029
Australia
Telephone: (03) 8381 0248
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Thu: 12:00pm to 10:30pm
Fri: 12:00pm to 11:30pm
Sat: 11:00am to 11:30pm
Sun: 11:00am to 10:30pm