By Trevor Pepys revisits Pucca Noosa
This was overdue. Trev’s last visit was in the dying days of 2020, when Pucca, like Covid, was new and exciting.
Over the intervening 14 months Trev had heard several glowing reports of both food and ambience, and since he and the missus didn’t get past the entrees last time round, it was definitely time to give this “culinary experience inspired by southern coastal India, the spice ghats of Kerala and its Euro-Indian heritage” another go. And despite the preceding slightly over-the-top hype, walking into this stylish indoor/outdoor space in the heart of the Junction and taking a table in the alfresco section where we could watch the buses roar by immediately transported Trev back to a couple of noisy but excellent street food meals just along from the Bolgatty Palace way back in the mists of time.
Having been shocked by the starting price of the voluminous wine list, and the undrinkability of the house wine, this time Trev and the missus had booked in for Thursday BYO, a wise call as we were soon quaffing a very good and salmony-pink Kiwi Pinot Gris from Marlborough called The Ned. Our minds were made up to actually eat curry off the mains list, but Trev noted that Dad’s Puchkas ($11) were still offered in the starters, and since last time he’d been put off them by a woman at the next table sending them back, he decided to man up and give them a go, coupled with a serving of Spanner Crab Samosa with cucumber raita ($16) and some paratha ($9).
For mains we elected to share the Pork Belly Vindaloo curry with pickled onion ($37) and the Keralan Swordfish Curry with toasted garlic and spring onion ($41), helped along with coconut rice ($8).
Now it turned out that the lady who’d sent back Dad’s Puchkas was a fair judge. The puffed Pani Puri balls, which you crack open and fill with chickpeas and coriander, was completely tasteless and the chickpeas not much better. The accompanying pepper water was the only saving grace. So we weren’t off to a flyer, but the crab samosa was excellent in both texture and taste, as was the paratha.
A huge fan of pork belly in most of its presentations, Trev was so looking forward to a spicy treat, but the vindaloo was also slightly disappointing, far too mild for Trev’s taste but somewhat lacking in flavor too. Fortunately, the swordfish curry was excellent. Billed as mild, it actually packed slightly more heat than the alleged vindaloo, but its main quality was the delicious separation of spices, all of which brought out the flavours of the succulent fish. The undoubted star of the evening.
Unfortunately we ran out of Ned before we ran out of curry, so Trev had to order a couple of glasses of very good Provencal rosé ($15) to see us out as the place filled up with BYO patrons and night fell over the strangely appealing Junction.
The verdict: While Pucca still hasn’t knocked it out of the park yet for Trev, we’ll persist because not only are there touches of brilliance coming out of the kitchen, but the staff is attentive and knowledgable, the fit-out is stylish yet casual, the art on the walls is interesting and, well, to use the vernacular, it’s a cool place to hang. Just avoid Dad’s whatsits.
Pucca Bar and Restaurant, 19 Sunshine Beach Road, Noosa Junction, phone 5613 3202.