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While locals visiting Andy’s Divine restaurant in Warkworth might not recognise owner Indika Pinnawala’s face straight away, chances are they have probably eaten his food.
That’s because the Sri Lankan-born chef has been cooking in two popular local restaurants for more than six years, firstly at Matakana Market Kitchen and, more recently, at the Warkworth Hotel.
Prior to moving to Mahurangi, Indika was at the renowned Elephant Hill Winery restaurant in Hawkes Bay and before coming to NZ, he worked in 5-star hotels in Sri Lanka.
With this extensive experience in both Sri Lankan cuisine and western classics, he felt the time was right to start his own business, and so Andy’s Divine restaurant and takeaway in Neville Street was born.
The name is a tribute to his family – his wife is Anne and their two children are Andrew and Andrea.
“I’ve cooked a long time here, most people will have eaten my food, but they don’t know me because I’m always in the kitchen,” he says.
“Now is the time to tell the story of who I am and my food – I want to bring my specialities to new customers, food cooked in my own way and using my own recipes.”
The menu is a flavour-packed fusion of fragrant Sri Lankan favourites, such as kottu roti, a blend of chopped flatbread and curried meat or vegetables that is like a spicy pasta dish, as well as Kiwi classics, such as burgers, tacos and wraps.
