Curry and cricket, an ideal combination for GOGO’s Madras Curry House in Perth

GOGO’s Madras Curry House is one of the most happening places in the sleepy town of Perth, Mount Lawley which is dotted with pubs and restaurants and wakes up shortly after the sunset. It isn’t just famous for the food it serves, but also for the way it connects cuisine with cricket and culture.

Sixteen years ago, Govindha Rajalu Govardhan popularly known as GOGO, bought this property and set up a theme restaurant, called GOGO’s Madras Curry House. Previously, an art house restaurant, Govindha, the cricket fan wanted to link cricket with food.  Having worked in Sheraton in India and in different restaurants in Japan before getting to Australia, his aim was to serve the best of Indian cuisine and culture.

An Indian restaurant abroad is almost always on the radar of the Indian cricketers. And Gogo’s restaurant was given a big thumbs up by none other than Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. “The most iconic thing in my restaurant is Sachin’s bat. However since I live here and have spent a lot of time with the Australian cricket team, GILLY’s last wicket keeping gloves would come as at a close second for me,” says Govindha in a report on NDTV.

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“Once I decided to have a cricket themed restaurant, I concentrated on getting the best pieces of memorabilia. How did I get them? I fed them the most awesome Indian food. And they gave me their best memories to exhibit,” he added. Govindha in the past has cooked for sports teams like AC Milan, then for the Australian swimming team, followed by the Pakistan cricket team.  As years went by, he cooked for other cricketers as well.

There is no guessing as to who he likes to cook for the most, he says, “It will have to be Sachin. He has come here a few times. And the reason he is close to my heart is that every time he has come here, he has called me later to thank for the food the hospitality. Very few celebrities do that in their prime.”

The warmth and the hospitality is reserved for each one of his customers who steps in to soak in the ambience and enjoy some gourmet food. One of the diners, Peter McDonald said, “It is the most fabulous private cricket collection.”

“Before stepping in here, I had no idea about the cricketing treasure this place had. I love GILLY’s gloves, Ponting’s shirt and Hayden’s bat,” says Nikita Breen, another diner. Govindha wanted to bring Indian culture, curry and cricket together and he has very successfully done so in this restaurant. The Indian cricket team loves his food.