Caulfield North scores a neighbourhood restaurant with fine-dining cred
When Aanya – the Jessi Singh-backed Indian fine diner that chefs Nishant Arora and Janos Roman were set to open in Collingwood – fell through, Arora was at a loss.
'Things really didn't go to plan so we had to walk away from it,' says Arora, citing a breakdown in his and Roman's relationship with their business partner. 'I was so burnt out that I almost left the hospitality industry. I started doing a finance course.'
But an unsolicited LinkedIn message jolted the Indian-born chef back into the kitchen.
The message was from Adam Aflalo, who comes from the tech world but was on the hunt for a chef to co-found a restaurant. Over a few meetings, including a boozy dinner at Hopper Joint, they clicked. And now they've opened Banksia, a neighbourhood restaurant in Caulfield North, where Arora's fine-dining cred makes a statement on Hawthorn Road.
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