Akash Pacific Cuisine is a large diner-style restaurant that offers Indian and Fiji-Indian cuisine. Fijian cuisine draws on influences from Polynesian, Indian, Chinese and Western cuisine. Fijian Indian curries tend to be thicker in style than mainland Indian curries, with the sauce more like a heavy gravy.The menu covers all bases with burgers, steaks and schnitzels available, but most patrons are happiest with the Indian tali – compartmentalised metal trays with rice, curry and chutney.
Kokoda ($5.50) is the Fijian version of ceviche. Pieces of white fish are cured in lemon juice and served with a coconut dressing. Sweet and soft mouthfuls of New Zealand hoki contrast against a salad of tomato, cucumber and Spanish red onion. It's light and refreshing, with coconut cream and lemon adding a taste of the tropics.
The junli murgi curry ($12.90) is a Fiji-style jungle curry made with free-range chicken. The chicken is lean and has plenty of flavour, but you'll need to exercise some patience, as the pieces are small and fiddly, and served on the bone. Goat curry ($12.90) is much easier to tackle, with chunks of tender meat easily falling off
the bone. The sauce is dark and spicy, redolent with garlic and ginger. All curries are served with rice, chutney, salad and a pappadum.
Chicken chop suey ($12.90) is the last thing you'd expect to find here, but this dish commonly found across Fiji, and is one of Akash's most popular dishes. Every second table is ordering it and it arrives with a thimble of fresh chilli vinegar on the side. The saucy stir-fry of chicken, cabbage, onion, carrot and Chinese vegetables has some crunch, and is sweet and comforting.
There are chicken pakoras ($6.50) or samosas with chicken ($3.50) or vegetable ($2.50). If things get too spicy, you can always order a soothing lassi - a yoghurt drink mixed with mango, banana, sugar or salt ($3.50-$4.50).
