A family with a strong culinary legacy has brought generations of Indian cooking to the Sunshine Coast with the opening of a new eatery at Noosa Marina.
Owner and chef Preet Madan said his restaurant, Maharani Marina, is “really a family story that finally found a home here in Noosa”.
Originally from Toowoomba, Mr Madan and his wife Nadia have worked in hospitality across several countries, including Thailand, before arriving on the Sunshine Coast last year.
“It has taken many years to feel ready to do something that’s simple,” he told Sunshine Coast News.
“And this would be our most personal work.”
The restaurant draws on four generations of family recipes.
“Even today I’m almost 50 and my mum and dad are present in Maharani Marina’s kitchen,” Mr Madan said.
“There’s a lot of homemade chutneys like mango sweet chutney – that’s my grandmother’s recipe which has been passed to my mum and she comes in the morning and she does that for us and Nadia knows how to do that as well but my mum still prefers to do that.”
Mr Madan explained the philosophy behind his cuisine: “Everything is cooked fresh – ginger, garlic, chillies, flaxseeds, hemp seeds and even our turmeric is ground in-house from fresh roots.”
“Our saffron is hand picked from Kashmir. We also import spices very carefully from markets in India, Lahore, Kabul and Egypt.”
Maharani Marina serves dinner and light lunches, with plans to introduce an Australian comfort-food breakfast menu.
Dishes include charcoal-roasted eggplant, cumin lamb cutlets, deconstructed spiced chaat, fire-seared roasted chicken with basil and garlic, and spiced and crusted barramundi fillets.
“We don’t use any red chilli,” Mr Madan said of the spice level in dishes.
“We use all green chillies and everything is very fresh and natural and it brings more flavours rather than adding just heat.”
The restaurant’s name reflects both heritage and family pride.
“Maharani in Sanskrit means ‘great queen’,” the chef explained.
“My mum’s nickname is Rani as well. She feels very proud.”
Maharani Marina is very much a family affair, with the Madans, one of their three children and Mr Madan’s parents all working in business.
“Even when the restaurant is busy, if you walk in my kitchen, you’ll see my mum and dad there, watching over my cooking and giving their advice on what goes out to the dining room,” Mr Madan said.
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The Noosa Marina location was carefully chosen.
“The community here values quality, nature and well-being, and basically that aligns exactly with how we cook and how we live,” Mr Madan said.
Since opening, Mr Madan said community feedback had been overwhelmingly positive.
“The response has been incredibly humbling,” he said.
“Communities around have been very curious, supportive and very very encouraging indeed.”
For diners, a relaxed approach is encouraged.
“Everything is made fresh to order,” Mr Madan said.
“For that reason, some dishes may take time to be served, because we don’t take shortcuts to ensure the quality is the best it can be. I hope people can come come with open hearts and time to relax, enjoy the views and the vibes, and the food will definitely follow.”
Maharani Marina is currently open for lunch seven days a week, with plans to refine hours as the business grows.
