Indian Mirchi and Travel Doctor

Vijan is spicing up Victoria Harbour

Ambitious entrepreneur Vijan Patel is already making an impact on Docklands opening up Victoria Harbour’s first Indian restaurant, Indian Mirchi, in February.

The restaurant, tucked around the corner from Victoria Harbour Pharmacy, is already experiencing full-house bookings at night, less than a month after opening.

Vijan believes it is the authentic food and great customer service that is drawing in the clientele.

“I can guarantee you the best service and food around and we also have some very authentic Indian dishes that aren’t commonly served in Australian Indian restaurants,” Vijan said.

With years of experience in food outlets, Vijan has grown his mini-empire to include four Subway franchises and two Indian Mirchi restaurants and he will soon be opening another Subway.

“We opened our first restaurant in South Melbourne last year and it is going well and if both restaurants are going well I also have plans to open another Indian Mirchi early next year in Richmond,” he said.
With a passion for food, Vijan has gone to great lengths to make his restaurant the best it can be and has even sponsored a chef from half-way across the world to bring the best food to Docklands.

“When I was travelling through Japan two years ago I had a craving for Indian food and went to this restaurant where I tasted the best Indian food I had ever had. So I got talking to the chef and asked if he wanted to come to Australia,” he said.

Vijan said he kept in contact with chef Ranbir Rana and sponsored him to come to Australia last year to run his restaurants.

“He’s a fantastic chef with over 30 years experience cooking Indian food all around the world and I am very confident in him and that people will love his food,” he said.

Opening his South Melbourne restaurant nearly 10 months ago, Vijan said he had planned to open his Docklands restaurant first.

“The process to open our South Melbourne restaurant was a lot quicker but we had planned to open the Docklands one first because it is an upcoming suburb and I think there is a need for an Indian restaurant in this area.”

“Docklands is a beautiful area with great clientele and that is what drew us to open up a restaurant here.”

With an immense love and passion for Indian food, it is clear that Vijan’s restaurant will be a hit among local residents and workers.

With mains starting from $12.50 and the restaurant being fully licensed and BYO be sure to make Indian Mirchi your next food destination.

Everything you need for travel, PLUS more

One of the world’s largest individual suppliers of travel medicine services, The Travel Doctor, has recently opened up a medical clinic called Travel Doctor Plus + in  Collins St.

Managed by Jane Daniels, who has experience in primary health care with a special interest in travel medicine, the clinic provides Docklanders with expert travel health advice, travel medical kits, vaccinations and anti-malarials, as well as up-to-the-minute advice on current overseas health alerts.

However, as well as providing the usual Travel Doctor range of comprehensive, one-stop travel health services, the new Travel Doctor Plus + also has a focus on lifestyle health issues and provides a range of additional services including:

Lifestyle and health checks;

Wellness programs;

Weight loss and fitness programs;

Nutrition and diet advice;

Back care;

Skin checks; and

Convenient medical services

Working alongside Ms Daniels, medico Chris Oh and nurse Sarah Arkley are trained in international public health and travel medicine, as well as general practice with expertise in skin checks.

The Travel Doctor  is part of Medibank’s health solutions division and was established in 1987 with the goal of providing the most up-to-date international health advice and medical services to people intending to travel.

The Travel Doctor sets itself apart by:

Associating itself with overseas clinics;

Electronically providing support to travellers and expatriates overseas;

Providing practitioners with experience in travel and international health;

Performing more than 100,000 patient consultations annually;

Providing a range of travel products; and

Providing current information and advice.

Located on the walkway next to the Medibank building at 700 Collins St, The Travel Doctor Plus + is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am-5pm and also by appointment.