Curry

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

Home

Whet Restaurant

Whet house chicken curry served with basmati rice, tomato and apple chutney and pappadums

Fiery curry that was packed full of flavour.

★★★★☆

Tempura battered local wild caught barramundi served with chips and house made tartare

Average fish with really good chips.

★★★☆☆

Chicken, avocado, rocket, tomato and bocconcini served on a freshly baked baguette with basil aioli and chips

Once again it was the chips that made this dish.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Set amongst tropical Daintree rainforest, Whet has an earthy and natural vibe. Whet is in fact fully self-sustained with generated diesel power, a tertiary level sewerage and grey water treatment plant, plus they have their own private water supply and rubbish removal. Pretty impressive! Service was average but the food was enjoyable so I’m glad we stopped by.

Whet Restaurant

1 Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation, QLD

(07) 4098 0007

http://www.whet.net.au/

Jinda Thai Restaurant

Green Apple Salad (deep fried soft shell crab topped with green apple salad dressing)

★★★☆☆

Pad Thai with prawns

★★★☆☆

Tofu Combo (tofu and mixed vegetable tempura served with crushed peanuts and sweet chilli sauce)

★★☆☆☆

Yellow Grilled Chicken Curry

Great for those who can’t do spicy.

★★★☆☆

Red Roasted Duck Curry

★★★☆☆

Minced Chicken Larb (hand roasted then grounded rice, crushed dry chilli, mint, red onion)

★★★☆☆

Cha Yen (Thai iced tea)

Just like it is in Thailand: intensely sweet.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

There was only one reason why I wanted to come here: crepe cakes. So when we were told that the maker of these popular desserts was on holiday in Thailand and that there were no crepe cakes available that night, I was DEVASTATED. The waitress tried to tempt us with some of their other desserts but none of them seemed on par with the crepe cakes. But luckily the other food we sampled that night was thoroughly enjoyable so I didn’t leave the place feeling completely disappointed. I was told by a friend that portion sizes had reduced over time, so we simply ordered an extra dish to compensate. The atmosphere was lively while service was average as it was difficult getting the staff’s attention at times. In any case, I must return one day for those sought after crepe cakes!

Jinda Thai Restaurant

7 Ferguson St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9419 5899

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/

Persian Flavours Takeaway & Eat In

338 Springvale Rd, Forest Hill 9878 3087

‘Dough’ yogurt drink

A traditional Persian drink comprising of yogurt, water, mint, black pepper and salt.

The predominant taste of this unfamiliar drink was yogurt and salt. In fact when it comes to quenching your thirst, this drink does the complete opposite. Nevertheless it is a good accompaniment for spicy dishes.

= ★★

Zereshk Polow

Rice with sweet barberries and smoky fried onions

= ★★

Plain naan, Maast-mose (yogurt with cucumber and garlic flavour), Mixed kebab (combination of chicken kebab, lamb tikka and lamb koobideh)

= ★★

Garlic naan, Chicken masti (chicken marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic, spices), Cheese naan

= ★★

Butter chicken curry (charcoal chicken cooked with onion, garlic, cashew nuts, cream in gravy and butter sauce),

Mixed veggies curry (mixed vegies with cashew nut cream and gravy sauce),

Beef massala (beef cooked with onion, garlic, yogurt, cream, sultana and tomato sauce)

Each curry was light and well seasoned however we found the butter chicken and the mixed veggies curry to be exceedingly sweet.

= ★★

Overall:

I really wanted to like this place but the food simply did not excite me. I couldn’t help but compare the curries we had to the rich Indian curries that I’ve had in the past, and the rice and kebabs we sampled to those that I’ve had at Afghan places. Perhaps Persian/Iranian cuisine isn’t for me. Service was quick and the decor was simple. A nice experience but not a place I see myself returning to.

Red Mango Thai Restaurant

3a Station St, Oakleigh 9569 6879

Pad gra prow with prawns

Stir fried prawns, chilli, onion, mixed vegetables and basil in a medium spicy sauce

More sweet than spicy

= Not bad

Red Duck Curry

Sliced Peking duck braised in a red curry with vegetables and Thai herbs

Minimal duck, minimal spiciness

= Not bad

Larb gai

A traditional Thai salad with minced chicken cooked in lemon juice, herbs, chilli and red onion

There was an overpowering taste of fish sauce and there was a lot more salad than chicken (which shouldn’t be the case when it comes to larb gai)

= Not bad

Pad Thai

Stir fried rice noodles with egg, ground peanuts, vegies and bean sprouts

= Not bad

Overall:

I am very particular when it comes to Thai cuisine as I always find myself comparing it to what I’ve eaten in Thailand or to my mum’s home cooking. Like many other Thai restaurants in Melbourne, the dishes at Red Mango Thai Restaurant have been tweaked to suit Western taste buds. So for me the food here was very average as was the service and the ambiance.

Note that this place only opens for dinner.

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.