Indian

Anshumann Da Dhaba

Complimentary papadums

★★★☆☆

Fish Malabari

★★★☆☆

Dhaba Eggplant Masala

★★☆☆☆

Butter Chicken

★★☆☆☆

Garlic Naan

There was hardly any garlic flavour and ghee was used.

★★☆☆☆

Biriyani Rice

★★☆☆☆

Badam Shake

This was very sweet and considerably grainy (from the blended almonds) so chewing was needed with each sip.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I can’t say the food stood out but the service certainly did. But not in a good way. So once we had been seated and were ready to order, we attempted to get the attention of one of the wait staff. There were at least 4 of them standing close the counter just staring out into the dining area. We managed to get the attention of a few of them but as soon as they saw us, they would look the other way or turn around. It was so bizarre because they weren’t doing anything to begin with. Someone eventually came to take our orders and when we asked her what she suggested from the menu, she wasn’t very helpful. At one point we asked her what her favourite dish was from the menu and her response was “nothing”. It was kind of funny in a way.

Anshumann Da Dhaba

331 Clayton Rd, Clayton, VIC

(03) 9544 2291

http://www.anshumanndadhaba.com.au/index.php

Elephant Corridor

Sri Lankan Devilled Prawns

(marinated tiger prawns, onion, capsicum, tomato tossed with spicy sauce served on banana leaf)

Reminiscent of a Chinese sweet and sour dish.

★★★☆☆

Steamed Basmati Rice

★★☆☆☆

Goan Fish Curry

(fish cooked with coconut milk, spices, mustard seed and lemon juice)

Average curry with inconsistently cooked fish. Some pieces were nicely cooked while others were dry and chewy.

★★☆☆☆

Complimentary papadums served with mint sauce and tamarind chutney

★★★☆☆

Garlic Naan

More butter and more garlic would have been nice.

★★☆☆☆

Green Jack Fruit (Polos) Curry

This was my first experience tasting green jackfruit and I really enjoyed it! It had an interesting chewy texture that is very similar to the texture of pulled pork. No wonder it gets called ‘vegetable meat’.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Elephant Corridor is a busy place that offers respectable Indian and Sri Lankan food, efficient service and a lively atmosphere.

Elephant Corridor

179 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9561 8810

https://elephantcorridor.com.au/

Muskaan K Indian Gourmet

Garlic Naan (flour bread with crushed garlic)

Butter Chicken Curry (chicken in tomato cream sauce)

Aloo Baigan (eggplant, potato, tomato, onion, coriander)

Chilli Cheese Naan (flour bread with cheese, green chilli, coriander)

★★☆☆☆

Goat Curry

★★☆☆☆

Mango Lassi

Sweet, yogurty, refreshing.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

After reading so many fantastic reviews about this place, I left feeling a little bit disappointed. The food was unexceptional and the place was more like a takeaway shop than a dine in restaurant. Nevertheless the service was great as were the prices.

Muskaan K Indian Gourmet

3/273 Huntingdale Rd, Huntingdale, VIC

(03) 9544 9005

http://muskaankindiangourmet.com.au/

Base Camp Northcote

Onion Bhaji

Crispy fried onion rings served with sweet tamarind chutney

★★☆☆☆

Butter Chicken

Tandoori roasted chicken tikka cooked in a rich tomato butter cream sauce

★★★☆☆

Cheese and Garlic Naan

We couldn’t decide whether to get the cheese naan or the garlic naan, so our waitress suggested that we get both. It was a great choice as this naan was simply soft and delicious!

★★★☆☆

Baigan Aur Mirchi Ka Salaan

Eggplant and capsicum in a slightly piquant sesame, tomato and coconut sauce

★★★☆☆

Pilau Rice

Fragrant and delectable

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The food here was certainly impressive and the portions were good, while the service was prompt and the atmosphere casual. This place is one of the better Indian restaurants that I have been to in a while, and undoubtedly worth a visit.

Base Camp Northcote

102 High St, Northcote, VIC

(03) 9482 1168

http://www.basecamprestaurant.com.au/

Om Vegetarian

Level 1, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 9663 0062

Overall:

All-you-can-eat for $6.50? Yes please!

I must admit that I was initially uncertain as to what the quality of food would be like (I mean how many places offer all-you-can-eat for this price nowadays?). So the set menu here includes:

2 Vegetarian curries (one lentil based and one vegetable based)
Butter Naan (that is freshly cooked in their Tandoor)
Basmati rice cooked with peas, saffron and cumin
A serve of pickle

The curries were light (ie. thin and watery) but they did however taste nice and healthy. The rice was ordinary and I didn’t touch the pickle (as my friend had tried some and advised me to steer clear). The highlight of the menu was without a doubt the hot freshly baked buttery naan bread (I ate so much of this!). The staff were pleasant and the decor was very simple. This is very much a quick in-and-out sort of place that is great for those who are on a budget and those who are after a simple vegetarian meal that includes sensational butter naan.

Red Pepper

14 Bourke St, Melbourne 9654 5714

Vegetarian Thali

Aloo Baingan

Butter Chicken

Thoughts:

Vegetarian Thali – includes one paneer dish, one seasonal vegetable dish, daal makhani, rice, one plain naan and raita. Our vegetable dish was a spicy cauliflower and potato curry which turned out to be my favourite dish of the night. The paneer dish and the daal makhani were tasty but nothing extraordinary = Good

Aloo Baingan – eggplant cooked with potatoes, herbs and spices, served with raita and one plain naan (we requested garlic naan instead). This dish actually had a slightly sour undertone. I’m not sure if that was the intention, but I wasn’t a fan = Not bad

Butter Chicken – tender pieces of boneless tandoori chicken in creamed fresh tomatoes served with either two plain naans, one plain naan and small rice, or rice only. (we also requested garlic naan instead with this dish) = Good

Overall:

Although some of the staff had no idea what certain menu items were and that service was noticeably slow, this simple eatery does serve up cheap and enjoyable Indian food. Note that orders are taken up at the counter and that this place opens until 3am.

Palms Restaurant

213-215 Blackburn Rd, Mount Waverley 9803 9668

Cheese roti

Paneer Masala Thosai

Chappathi and Thosai

Garlic Naan, Paneer Naan, Aloo Paratha

Beef masala curry

Thoughts:

Cheese roti – simple and scrumptious = Good

Paneer Masala Thosai – savoury pancake with a paneer, potato masala and vegetable filling = Good

Chappathi and Thosai – two chappathi, one plain thosai, one delicious vegetable curry, sambar, chutney and vadai (an interesting savoury doughnut made from ground lentils) = Good

Garlic Naan = Not bad

Paneer Naan = Good

Aloo Paratha – wholemeal bread stuffed with spicy potatoes and peas = Not bad

Beef masala curry – tender pieces of beef cooked with capsicum, onion, tomato, ginger and spices, topped with coriander = Not bad

Overall:

Four different types of cuisine are offered at this restaurant: Malaysian, Chinese, South Indian and North Indian. Once you have perused through the extensive menu, you head up to either the Chinese/Malaysian ordering station at one end of the room, or to the North Indian/South Indian ordering station at the other end of the room to place your order (Make sure to remember your table number, as the food is served to your table when it is ready). This place is set out like a food court in terms of appearance but don’t let that fool you. The service is good but more importantly the food is delightful and is great value for money.

Mehfil Indian Restaurant

291 Corrigan Rd, Keysborough 9798 7544

Mango lassi

Pakoras (Cauliflower and spinach fritters)

Paneer Pakora (Cottage cheese fritters)

Beef Madras, Baingan Ka Bharta and Chicken Butter Masala

Masala Kulcha (Naan stuffed with potatoes, onions, green peas, cheese and coriander)

Garlic Naan bread

Thoughts:

Mango lassi – very thick with a subtle hint of mango = Not bad

Pakoras – hot crispy batter that contained lots of spices. I preferred the cauliflower fritters over the spinach ones as the spinach fritters were simply batter = Not bad

Paneer Pakora – crispy on the outside, soft cottage cheese on the inside = Not bad

Beef Madras – spicy beef curry that was cooked with capsicum, coconut milk and a touch of vindaloo = Good

Baingan Ka Bharta – tasty eggplant curry that was cooked with onions, tomatoes and an abundance of peas = Good

Chicken Butter Masala – chicken cooked in a tandoor oven that is simmered in a sweet tomato sauce and is finished with butter, cream and cashew nuts = Good

Masala Kulcha – there was hardly anything stuffed into this naan bread except for a paper thin scraping of potato. However the naan bread itself was yummy = Not bad

Garlic Naan bread – tantalising naan that had been brushed with crushed garlic = Good

Overall:

Although this place may look ordinary from the outside (plain red brick building that looks like a house), it certainly serves up some tasty North Indian and Tandoori cuisine. Keep in mind that the level of spiciness of the food is mild unless you specify that you want it medium or hot. Although the service is friendly, it can sometimes be a bit slow depending on how busy they are at the time. Note that this place is in the Entertainment Book.

India Delights

59 Mahoneys Rd, Forest Hill 9877 7593

Masala Dosa

Egg roti with dhal and curry sauce

Hor Fun

Keow Teow Goreng

Aloo Ghobi

Butter Chicken

Nasi Goreng

Chicken Nasi Briyani

Curry Laska

Roti Bomb

Roti Tissue

Thoughts:

Masala Dosa – thin indian pancake with a curry, potato and onion filling, served with coconut chutney, sambar and curry = Good

Egg roti – generous serving = Not bad

Hor Fun – soft flat rice noodles, chicken, prawns, squid, fish cake and shallots all covered in a delicious egg gravy = Excellent

Keow Teow Goreng – smoky flat rice noodles wok fried with egg, chicken, prawns, vegetables and bean shoots = Good

Aloo Ghobi – a rich creamy curry of potato and cauliflower = Good

Butter chicken – chicken cooked with tandoori, onion, sweet chilli, tomato and of course butter = Not bad

Nasi Goreng – generous serving, rice was a bit too dry = Not bad

Chicken Nasi Briyani – saffron rice served with chicken curry = Good

Curry Laksa – combination of hokkien and rice vermicelli noodles in a rich spicy coconut curry soup served with chicken, prawns, fish cakes and fried tofu (my favourite as they are able to soak up lots of the soup!) = Good

Roti Bomb – sickly sweet thick round roti = Not bad

Roti Tussue – crisp paper thin roti drizzled with condensed milk, sprinkled with sugar and chocolate powder. Yum! = Excellent

Overall:

Although named India Delights, this is in fact a Malaysian/Indian restaurant. While the decor is not the best (eg. giant asian folding fans hung up on the walls next to posters advertising Pepsi), the food here is cheap and very tasty. I’ve noticed that a lot of Malaysians and Singaporeans eat here so I’m guessing that they find the food to be quite authentic. Service here is fantastic with lovely staff who are friendly and very accommodating.