Orient Express Restaurant and Bar to take Te Awamutu locals on culinary journey

Te Awamutu's Orient Express Restaurant & Bar restaurant manager Babloo Panjeta (left) and head chef Anshul Sethi.

A new food place opened its doors in Te Awamutu in January: Orient Express Restaurant & Bar whose staff hope to take locals on a culinary journey, inspired by the Mediterranean cuisine of its namesake passenger train.

Restaurant manager Babloo Panjeta and head chef Anshul Sethi said they want to bring out the traveller in every guest.

Orient Express’ dishes feature flavours from France to Italy and into the exotic Middle East and are served with takeaway, local delivery and dine-in options.

“The concept of the restaurant is basically the journey that the Orient Express covers. The menu is Mediterranean cuisine with a Turkish touch – kebabs, pizzas, burgers,” Sethi said.

“What we are trying to deliver is the dine-in experience, that feeling of service and atmosphere. We want people to enjoy cuisine that a lot of them haven’t experienced before.”

Sethi said the Orient Express is also a new journey for him, after previously working as a junior sous-chef at Novotel Hamilton Tainui.

“It’s in the genes, my grandpa and my father used to cook meals at home. When I was in 10th grade, I knew I wanted to pursue cooking. After my studies, I came here from India. It’s been a good journey for me – there’s no struggle when you love something. In the past five years, I have gone from kitchenhand to head chef,” Anshul said.

“We’ve learnt a lot from the start. We’ve gone to the customers for feedback and we’ve changed our flavours a little bit.”

Orient Express is open 11am to 10pm from Tuesday to Sunday at 235 Sloane St near Woolworths.

To order, or for more information, visit orientexpress.nz or phone 07 870 1717.

Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.