Jimmy Shu, the best chef in North Australia

I met Jimmy Shu in 2018 at Darwin’s legendary Deckchair Cinema. There, after dark, you take a seat outside in deckchairs in front of the screen while consuming drinks and light snacks. Announced is the culinary film Ramen Teh, which is about the Japanese noodle dishes of the same name.

Jimmy Shu zieht überall in Darwin die Aufmerksamkeit auf sich / © Foto: Georg Berg
Jimmy Shu attracts attention everywhere in Darwin / © Photo: Georg Berg

The cinema is almost full when the show has to be cancelled due to a defective projector. Fortunately, the chef, who is well known in Darwin, steps in and spontaneously supplements the dishes prepared by a Japanese colleague with a culinary seminar in front of a large audience.

Der kulinarische Impresario Jimmy Shu präsentiert im Deckcheir Cinema, was die japanischen Kollegen anbieten / © Foto: Georg Berg
Culinary impresario Jimmy Shu presents what his Japanese colleagues are offering at Deckcheir Cinema / © Photo: Georg Berg

Jimmy Shu as a television reporter

In 2020, the eight-part series Taste of the Territory aired on the Australian public television station SBS. In it, Jimmy Shu explores the diverse culinary scene of tropical Darwin through the sights, smells and stories of the sometimes secretive milieus of the multicultural melting pot.

The Hanuman in Darwin is worth a visit

A visit to his restaurant the next evening is quickly arranged. The Hanuman can be found in the Hilton Esplanade building complex, but is still a restaurant in its own right.

Die Kleiderordnung ist im tropischen Darwin fast überall leger. So auch im Hanuman / © Foto: Georg Berg
The dress code is casual almost everywhere in tropical Darwin. That’s also the case at Hanuman / © Photo: Georg Berg

The 70-year-old tells how he came to Australia from Sri Lanka in 1974 and then actually made it from dishwasher to chef. Raised in Sri Lanka as the son of a Chinese father and a Singaporean mother, he fuses the various Asian influences into a versatile Nyonya cuisine that remains authentic in Australia in part because he employs chefs from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, India and Indonesia.

Asiatische Köche, Woks und heiße Zutaten sorgen später am Tisch der Gäste für Geschmacksexplosionen / © Foto: Georg Berg
Asian chefs, woks and hot ingredients later create flavor explosions at guests’ tables / © Photo: Georg Berg

An exciting menu

Because of the extensive menu, I have Jimmy Shu put together a personalized menu with clearly delineated dishes. After various greetings from the kitchen, the excitement is built for the appetizer.

Zugedeckt mit konischen Keramik-Deckeln kommen die heißen Hanuman Oysters auf den Tisch / © Foto: Georg Berg
Covered with conical ceramic lids, the hot Hanuman oysters arrive at the table / © Photo: Georg Berg

Under the conical lids, the Hanuman oysters wait in a hot broth seasoned quite mildly with ginger, lemongrass and cilantro, then sprinkled with fresh basil. Diners may add a spicier accent to this signature dish themselves by using a sour chili sauce.

Gemüse und Kräuter, die aus Asien nicht eingeführt werden dürfen, werden von Shu's Lieferanten aus Darwins Umgebung in gleicher Qualität geliefert und in der Küche frisch verarbeitet / © Foto: Georg Berg
Vegetables and herbs, which are not allowed to be imported from Asia, are supplied by Shu’s suppliers from Darwin’s surroundings in the same quality and freshly processed in the kitchen / © Photo: Georg Berg

Jimmy Shu’s radical decision

In Sri Lanka, Jimmy Shu grows up as a typical chop suey kid. In the morning he goes to school and in the afternoon he has kitchen duty in his father’s restaurant. His mother is responsible for his favorite dish. She has cooked fresh pieces of fish in coconut milk. He happily pronounces it as if the taste of his childhood is melting in his mouth: Meen Moolie.

Ein Zweig mit frischen Curryblättern auf dem Meen Moolie - wie damals auf Sri Lanka / © Foto: Georg Berg
A sprig of fresh curry leaves on the Meen Moolie – just like back in Sri Lanka / © Photo: Georg Berg

For his first restaurant, the Isthmus of Kra in Melbourne, Jimmy Shu has been searching for the best fish for a long time. When he finds prime silver barramundi 3,500 km from Melbourne in Darwin, he makes a radical decision. Jimmy sells the Isthmus of Kra and starts from scratch in Darwin. And at Hanuman, fillets of wild barramundi are served in a coconut-turmeric broth with fresh curry leaves for the Meen Moolie.

Im Tandoori-Ofen werden sogar Gewürze angeröstet / © Foto: Georg Berg
Spices are even roasted in the tandoori oven / © Photo: Georg Berg.

The second main course is announced spicier compared to the barramundi served in advance. You wouldn’t necessarily expect that from a buttered chicken. But the tomato curry in cashew milk tastes so powerful, thanks to the 14 spices roasted in the Tondoori oven before grinding, that it makes the Butter Chicken stand out brilliantly.

Butter Chicken in Silky Cashew und Tomatencurry u.a. mit Cumin, Kardamom und Rosenblättern / © Foto: Georg Berg
Butter Chicken in Silky Cashew and Tomato Curry with cumin, cardamom and rose petals, among others / © Photo: Georg Berg

When someone from Sri Lanka calls something spicy, it’s guaranteed to be very spicy. And so I brace myself for quite a bit with the Beef Masaman. And yes, it is spicy. But in such a way that the nutmeg, tamarind and ginger can still stand out well in the aromatic curry.

Dem Beef Masaman sieht man die Schärfe schon an. Deshalb sollte es als letztes Hauptgericht genossen werden / © Foto: Georg Berg
You can already see the spiciness in the Beef Masaman. Therefore, it should be enjoyed as the last main course / © Photo: Georg Berg
Jimmy Shu verlässt sich in der Küche auf seine Kollegen und packt bei Bedarf mit an / © Foto: Georg Berg
Jimmy Shu relies on his colleagues in the kitchen and lends a hand when needed / © Photo: Georg Berg

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Our mode of operation is characterized by self-experienced, well-researched text work and professional, vivid photography. For all stories, travel impressions and photos are created in the same place. Thus, the photos complement and support what is read and carry it further.

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