Thuggee Bill's Indian Restaurant in Cairns, Queensland, Australia | Restaurant

Thuggee Bill's Indian Restaurant

Locality: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 412 770 200

Address: Formerly 42B Aplin St 4870 Cairns, QLD, Australia

Website:

Likes: 75

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Restaurant
• Indian restaurant

25.01.2022 ... If you are in Melbourne on December 1st for the opening or just a visit up to the 15th December THIS is definitely worth a visit !!! https://www.facebook.com/events/1799199517003274/ "A photographic exhibition mapping the evolution of the humble Indian restaurant archetype and the stories behind them."

22.01.2022 ... righto all you Indian food admirers ... currently at 'the movies' is a feature film where the star is an Indian Restaurant ! Get to your local cinema to see "The Hundred Foot Journey" which also stars Helen Mirren and Om Puri amongst others. Seems our star Indian Restaurant is in a battle with a Michelin starred French Restaurant ... haven't seen it myself yet ... but the trailer has shades of "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" but with the addition of food! http://www.eventcinemas.com.au/mov/The-Hundred-Foot-Journey

21.01.2022 ... there's something "je ne sais quoi' about this ... I am in London and passed my old 180 year old secondary school ... St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School for Boys next to Tower Bridge. Abandoned as a school decades ago the building is now being beautifully rejuvenated into a luxurious 5 star hotel - 'The Lalit London' - by an Indian consortium. The beautiful Great Hall of the school ... where we were forced to eat school dinners garnished with mountains of soggy stewed cabbage and spotted dick 'afters' ... will now be (after opening on Jan 26th) a beautiful fine dining Indian restaurant - 'Baluchi at the Great Hall'.! On my next London visit 'Baluchi' will be my first port of call ! http://www.thelalit.com/the-lalit-london/dining-en.html

17.01.2022 ... Thanks to Bill Abeleven (who along with brother John and their lovely mum operated the great 'Toko Baru' restaurant in Cairns back in the day) ... for sending me this cutting from his scrap book of a newspaper ad for "Thuggee Bill's Indian Restaurant" from circa 1980.

17.01.2022 ... just heard the very, very, VERY sad news that Cairns best current Indian restaurant by far ... 'Marinades' ... is firmly closing it's doors on Feb 14. Will miss Dev and his fine food hugely ... !

16.01.2022 ... a comprehensive read on the 'Thuggee' cult and Captain William Sleeman (Thuggee Bill) from the 'Damn Interesting' site ... and it is ... go see ... http://www.damninteresting.com/the-thugs-of-india/

15.01.2022 ... wow ... despite being closed for nearly thirty years now ... Thuggee Bill's Indian Restaurant still ranks as number #388 out of 423 Restaurants in Cairns according to TripAdvisor ! Not too shabby ... https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurants-g255069-c24-Cair

14.01.2022 ... this recently turned up on FB ... Cairns Post adds for Cairns restaurants during the 1980's with the three 'Asians' ... Toko Baru (Indonesian), Rahmah's (Malaysian) ... and, of course, Thuggee Bill's Indian Restaurant ... in pride of place ! :-) Cairns had great food in those days ... all three 'Asians' served great authentic foods with real variety and individual style ... unlike todays restaurants who across the board seem to serve the same dishes in every one.

13.01.2022 ... yet another new Indian 'Franchise' restaurant opens in Cairns ... this time it's 'Indian Brothers Restaurant' in Orchid Plaza, Lake Street. Have yet to sample their product but will report back ! https://www.facebook.com/Indian-brothers-restaurant-Cairns-1087861084579317/

11.01.2022 ... the City of Cairns has seen an explosion of Indian eateries over the last few years ... many of which have disappeared already without making an impact. A new Indian establishment has just opened that may well be the answer to that "I need an urgent decent curry 'fix' but don't want to spend an arm and a leg and only have a few minutes for lunch - but that isn't a 'food hall' curry?" question. Yes ... it is a franchise operation ... but it has a pretty decent product and ...the prices are great. 'Miss India' is tucked away in a little centre opposite Earleville on the corner of Balaclava Rd. If you fancy a nice quick lunch ... how about this? A generous portion of Lamb Vindaloo (or any other curry they have), rice, onion salad (Kachumber) and Lime, Mango or Chilli Pickle for just $9.45! The proprietors are Indian - the service friendly - and you can eat in the funky little dining room or take it home. You can find the menu and details on their web site at ... http://www.missindia.ws ... and here's a little pic I made the other lunch time ... See more

10.01.2022 ... "Thuggee Bill's Indian Restaurant" gets a mention in a book by Sri Lankan born former journalist Professor Shelton A. Gunaratne entitled "From Village Boy to Global Citizen: The Travels of a Journalist". It appears that the Professor had dinner at "Thuggee Bill's" in January 1979 at the completion of a long tour in northern Australia. You can buy his book here ... http://www.amazon.com/From-Village-Global-Citi//147714238X ... or read it online here ... https://books.google.com.au/books

10.01.2022 an astonishing and bizarre encounter in Sydney yesterday I had just visited the Head On Portrait Prize at the Museum Of Sydney and was walking near Martin Place and saw a menu outside a new Indian restaurant ‘Indu’ A woman walked up to also study the menu. interesting menu I said. Yes she said Are you English? Yes from London I said.... So am I she said From south east London I was born in Lewisham Hospital south east London I said. So was I ! she said. Came to Australia decades ago and opened the first Indian restaurant in Lismore. I came to Australia decades ago too and opened the first Indian restaurant in Cairns! said I before that I was a photographer (doing school photography) she said I’m a photographer too I replied By now this was well and truly getting a little ‘goose bumpy’ She carried on I’ve just been to the Head On Portrait Prize to see a photo that my daughter took she was a semi finalist and we saw her image on the screen. (nb - it’s a wonderful inky portrait of a woman with a massive croc.) You’re kidding said I I’m a semi finalist in the Portrait Prize too and have just done the exact same thing! Dr Mary (now from Bunbury) and I just had a go for a coffee and a sit down and an amazing natter about Lewisham and Ladywell in London, photography and Indian food. Talk about synchronicity I’m still stunned ! (nb Mary’s indian restaurant in Lismore was The India Lounge, mine in Cairns was Thuggee Bill’s Indian Restaurant both in the 1980’s.) See more

09.01.2022 ... a bit 'o good news !! The successor to Marinades ... 'Aangan' ... is at last open for lunch with special Thalis ... and they are great value ! For 14 bucks you are served a thali with a lamb AND a chicken curry, dahl, rice, PICKLE, raita, salad, a papadum AND a naan !!! 12 bucks gets you the veg version. I spent countless lunch times at Marinades over the years ... and it was a bit of nostalgia again having lunch in surroundings that haven't changed a bit. In further news Aangan will be changing their name to 'Red Pepper' soon ... the boss explaining that people struggled with the name Aangan.