Spirit of Punjab — Restaurant in Victoria

What an absolute treat to eat at this wonderful restaurant. Feeling let down unable to find any other restaurants or pub's kitchen's open at 8pm on a Sunday in peak holiday season we were kindly told when phoning to head down and they will arrange a table for us. A scenic 10min walk from the Halls Gap Breeze Caravan we arrived to be greeted by friendly staff who asked our preference on an inside or outside table. It was a lovely warm evening with some storm clouds threatening rain but decided to take the chance and enjoy the balmy evening dining on the terrace. Well we couldn't have hit the jackpot anymore. Not only did the wildlife turn it on for us with dear meandering in the surrounding field, dragonflies. birds and butterflies playing about as a rainbow appeared in the distance from the short light sprinkle of rain. The restaurant staff waiting patiently for us to order while we took it all in. The food once ordered came out promptly and the presentation was everything you would expect from a top class restaurant. We ordered the tandoori chicken for entree, Mango Lamb, Beef Korma, Garlic Naan and Basmati Rice along with a side of Raita a couple of Corona's and a glass of the Raven SB which I was most impressed with. It was the most delicious Indian both myself (a lover of Indian cuisine) and my partner (not so much a fan of most Indian meals) have ever had...that's saying a lot! We are both from WA and I will most definitely be making this a priority restaurant to return to the next time we visit the area. One thing...the midgee's were out and about so best to bring some mosquito repellent if dining outdoor's as there is water in the surrounding field that is possibly a breading ground. Thank you Spirit of Punjab for a wonderful dining experience while visiting Halls Gap...we look forward to seeing you again as we eagerly await our next delicious Spirit of...

I would have given it a five star but the interaction with the Indian female in glasses...

I was here for my Easter weekend trip to Grampians. It was Saturday night (08/04/23) and they were completely reserved but the English elderly lady at the counters politely greeted me and asked me to wait as she got someone to help me out. As the only option was an outside table and it was cold I planned on a take out. Here comes the Indian waitress into the scene, and a few of her actions that annoyed me:

There were other people who wanted to order takeout as well, this girl asked me to wait while she wanted to take their order, even though I arrived there first. Thanks to the other customers as they were polite to go first while they had a look at the menu. It would hurt to ask who was first if there are lot of customers around.

When my food arrived the old lady bought it out for me and asked me if I needed cutlery. While I was waiting for her to get some, this Indian girl saw the food parcel in my hand and said "That's everything" (indirectly asking me to leave I assume), and I said that I was waiting for cutlery.

The tone at which she addressed me was nothing like someone from the service industry, she needs to learn how to talk to a customer in a restaurant from all of her colleagues.

One suggestion to this lady, it's better to shut up and not talk anything rather than talking something to show you are working or I may say actually bossing around on the FOH in restaurant.

P.S. Tried to be as polite as possible.

But despite my experience guys, if you're into Indian food and around Halls Gap, this place is a must visit. Might seem a little pricey but which place...

This review is based on two experiences over a two week period - one when we dined in and the second was a takeaway.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag here - dining in, the food was mostly good - a plus for the Beef Korma but the Lamb Saag was disappointing. Roti’s were fine and the wine list (pleased to see these are from local wineries) was good and extremely cheap. No excessive mark up - a very pleasant surprise.

Service was fine but almost zero effort to speak with us. A little warmth and engagement would have been nice. We were one of only three tables so they weren’t rushed at all. Disappointing.

The takeaway experience was sadly a little different (and not in a good way) - extremely small portions and despite requesting the meals be ‘medium’ we couldn’t eat the Lamb Roghan Josh. Even the Beef Korma was a struggle. We’re well travelled, love Indian food (I’m from the UK where curries tend to be hotter) and I’ve worked and travelled in India. We prefer medium heat but can easily eat hot. These were most definitely not Medium and even if we’d asked for Hot I would still have said the Lamb was too much. Disappointing - again.

As locals we don’t have much choice up here. This is our third time eating with Spirit and it’s been disappointing each time. Might give them one more chance but that’s it - polite suggestion…1) engage with your customers and make them feel welcome 2) listen to the order (!) and 3) your takeaway portions are too small and don’t...