Eat your way around India with F.A.W.C! by 5 dish

Thali Taster Indian Feast of Four. Photo / Supplied

June heralds the beginning of winter but that's no reason to stay indoors because Winter F.A.W.C! is back and, along with it, F.A.W.C! by 5.

From June 9 until July 9 you can dine your way around Hawke's Bay with spectacular deals from some of the region's top restaurants, cafes and bars.

F.A.W.C! by 5 is all about food, wine and excellent value for money with menu selections in $5 offerings.

So grab some friends and make a date to enjoy some delicious food, wine and beer at one of the participating venues.

I will be previewing some of the meals so you know what you have to look forward to.

Namaskar Indian Restaurant, 10 Joll Rd, Havelock North
Thali Taster Indian Feast of Four, $30.

Namaskar owner and operator Alan Singh was so pleased at how last year's FAWC! by 5 was received he decided to stick with the same formula.

The Thali Taster Indian Feast of Four offers diners the chance to try four dishes with big flavours.

It's perfect for people like me who always stick to the same tried and liked flavours - for me - tikka masala or rogan josh.

After trying these dishes I'm now confident about being a lot more adventurous.
It's like eating your way around India from north to the south and east to west.

It all looked incredible - I started with the organic chicken dish from the south which was succulent and packed with flavour.

The north dish was goat. I've never tried goat before but really enjoyed it. It was similar in taste and texture to lamb - a bit hard to get the true taste when it is immersed in such an incredibly aromatic and tasty dish with strips of ginger .

The west dish was lamb and as it's my favourite red meat I knew it would be good. It had a bit of heat to it. The dish is served with rice and we added some and naan bread so I was spooning this dish on to the bread. Divine.

The east dish was vegetarian and it was my favourite. It had a refreshing, slightly sweet taste that balanced the meal perfectly.

I love the atmosphere at Namaskar. Mr Singh is so relaxed, chatting with diners and ensuring things run smoothly.

It obviously rubs off on his staff who are helpful and very friendly.

"It's very hard to get good staff but luckily we have a great team," Mr Singh said.

Everything is made from scratch at Namaskar. The F.A.W.C! by 5 dish is gluten and diary free apart from a little cottage cheese in the vegetarian dish. Mr Singh said he would be looking at updating the menu for winter after F.A.W.C!

The wine and beer list is wide and varied with plenty of Hawke's Bay wines, craft beers and ciders plus a range of international beers from Kingfisher - a strong Indian beer - to Corona.

I thoroughly enjoyed tasting my way around India. The meal was light and satisfying, but most of all it was delicious.

To book call Namaskar on Ph 877 7208