Enjoy a meal at La Tadka

According to Daya Sunkari, an authentic Indian curry and a cold beer make a great match.

Mr Sunkari is co-owner of La Tadka, Docklands’ newest Indian restaurant, which offers not only delicious meals but also a fully stocked bar, with beer on tap.

Mr Sunkari owns the restaurant alongside Gulshan Malhotra, Anil Devedi and Navadeep Singh.

La Tadka is their first business venture together. According to Mr Sunkari, the business partners chose to open the restaurant in Docklands because of its location and the strong market for Indian cuisine in the area.

La Tadka is conveniently located on Batman’s Hill Drive, just a short walk from Etihad Stadium and Southern Cross Station.

During the week La Tadka is popular with the business crowd, many of whom enjoy the $10 lunch special.

According to Mr Sunkari, from Monday to Friday La Tadka offers a great value lunch deal. For $10 customers receive two curries, rice, naan and roti bread and salad.

The special is available from 10am until 3pm on weekdays and can be enjoyed dine-in or takeaway.

“It’s a cheap and delicious meal delivered with great customer service,” Mr Sunkari said.

“It’s great for people who want a quick and easy meal.”

Apart from the lunch special, the restaurant also has a large menu with a range of meal options, which are also available dine-in or takeaway.

Mr Sunkari said La Tadka’s chef had extensive experience in preparing delicious meals, having worked in the industry for 10 years.

On the weekend, La Tadka looks to the footy crowd which floods Etihad Stadium.

Mr Sunkari said the restaurant was a great place to enjoy a meal and a beer before or after a game.

“We think it’s a great pairing, mixing spicy Indian food with a cold beer,” Mr Sunkari said.

From next month, La Tadka will also begin offering breakfast and will introduce an outdoor seating area.

La Tadka is located at 757 Bourke St (enter via Batman’s Hill Drive).

The restaurant is open from 11am – 10pm Monday to Thursday, 11am – 11pm Friday and Saturday and 5pm – 11pm on Sunday.

For more information contact La Tadka on 9078 9286.

Do you know what Pilates is?

For many people, the term conjures images of a meditative, yoga-like activity, full of gentle stretching and deep-breathing.

But according to Brett Webster and Sarah Tarnawsky, they couldn’t be more wrong.

The Pilates instructors, co-own Pilates on Bourke, and say the practise is, in fact, quite a work-out.

“You will sweat and you will become stronger,” Brett said.

According to Brett, Pilates involves the use of a range of equipment to strengthen and condition muscles. It focuses on alignment, posture, form, activating muscles and movement.

“It puts muscles back in balance and it gets muscles working,” Sarah said.

And its benefits are broad, according to both Brett and Sarah.

Clients of the studio vary and include people requiring rehabilitation following injury, office-workers dealing with the effects of sitting all day, sport players who want to add something different to their fitness routine and elite athletes who use Pilates for conditioning and injury-prevention.

Sarah works with the Richmond Football Club, which uses Pilates as a strengthening and conditioning tool to complement what it does in weight training and on the field.

“It helps them get their bodies in the right condition and we can push them really hard. It helps with their performance, their endurance and to keep their muscles flexible,” Sarah said.

For individuals, Pilates on Bourke offers the options of one-on-one classes or small classes of four.  

“The thing about Pilates is that it can cater for all types of people, all in one class,” Brett said.

According to Sarah, the small class sizes mean they are personalised with tailored programs for each individual.

Apart from Pilates, the studio also offers yoga, massage and osteopathy.

Sarah said this integrated approach led to better individual results for clients, with the different specialists able to collaborate on Pilates programs for individuals.

For example, Brett said, a massage therapist might identify a certain muscle that is tight or weak, which can then be addressed in a Pilates setting.

For local workers and residents who want to learn more about Pilates, Pilates on Bourke is offering a Pilates starter pack for $140.

The pack includes a Pilates personal training session, two semi-private Pilates classes and two bonus yoga classes for Docklands News readers.

The studio is also offering readers four weeks of unlimited yoga classes for $99.

Pilates on Bourke is located at the base of the Channel 9 building at Shop 4, 717 Bourke St.

For more information see

www.PilatesonBourke.com.au

Talk to the animals

Veterinarian Anne Dynon says she has always loved animals.

Growing up on a farm, Dr Dynon spent her days riding her pony and “best friend” Thistle, checking on sheep and cattle, and, occasionally, looking after orphaned lambs.

A vet for 40 years, Dr Dynon has owned and operated Flemington Veterinary Hospital since 1989, with the aim of providing high-quality pet care.

Dr Dynon said the three vets who worked at the clinic each had areas of special interest.

Dr Dynon has a particular interest in animal dentistry, Jeff Brady focuses on animal surgery and Peter Cameron has an interest in “pocket pets” like lizards, rabbits and guinea pigs.

According to Dr Dynon, the clinic has quite a few patients from Docklands.

It’s just a 10-minute drive away via CityLink, making it one of the closest vet clinics for Docklands residents.

For cat owners, apartment living can present some unique challenges, Dr Dynon said.

She suggests Docklands cat owners ensure they do a bit of “environmental enrichment”.

“Cats can usually go outside and play with bugs and things like that,” Dr Dynon said.

“So living in apartments they need to have plenty of toys, scratch poles, boxes, paper bags, cats love playing with them.”

According to Dr Dyson when cats get bored they can become stressed, which can lead to behavioural issues and urinary tract problems.

On the other hand, apartment living doesn’t seem to affect dogs too much, according to Dr Dynon.

“Dogs I see from Docklands seem to cope pretty well.”

“The owners are pretty diligent about taking them downstairs a few times per day.”

According to Dr Dynon, Flemington Veterinary Clinic offers a range of services from consultations to surgery.

The hospital provides pet grooming, X-rays and scanning procedures and a cattery, while visiting specialists carry out ultrasounds, endoscopies, skin examinations and some surgeries

A new technology offered by the hospital is DNA testing, which can identify the exact mix of breeds in an animal, informing owners of issues they should look out for as their pets age.

Currently Flemington Veterinary Clinic is offering Docklands News readers 20 per cent off consultations and vaccinations during April, May and June. Simply mention this article to claim the discount.

Flemington Veterinary Hospital is located at 187 Mt Alexander Road, Ascot Vale.

Contact the hospital on 9376 5299 or via [email protected]