Meal # 29: India (Part 1: Northern India)

Nestled between the Vindhya Mountains and the Son and Kosi rivers, Northern India is predominantly rural, with only 49% of households boasting electricity. And while it was a little tough to get water glasses, gladly we didn’t have to eat by candle light at this week’s meal.

Vandana’s Indian Restaurant
2/676 Centre Rd
East Bentleigh
5-10pm, 7 nights

This restaurant is hugely popular with hungry locals, who flock to Centre Rd to pick up their take-away meal, or squeeze onto a small table in the bustling, unassuming dining area. A large flag graces the shop-front window, and small Indian paintings and craft works decorate the neutral walls. A large elephant printed fabric draped over the counter catches the eye as you enter.

After repeated invasions by Arab, Turk, Afghan and other kingdoms, North India is now a mixture of Arab, Turk, Afghan, Indo-Aryan and Huns in their composition. Adding our genes into the mix this week were Helen, Deb, Paul, Marty, Sai and Naomi. Unable to make the regular dining time, Rami and Caroline also visited the restaurant the following evening.


Entrée:

Chicken Tikka Chat - Pieces of chicken tossed with cucumber, tomato and lettuce in traditional tamarind dressing.

Onion Bhaji - Onion rings battered with chick pea flour and deep fried.

Main:


Beef Vindaloo - Beef marinated in a blend of spices, vinegar and chili

Mutter Paneer - Cottage cheese cooked with green peas

Aloo Saag - Potatoes cooked with fresh pureed spinach

Malai Kofta - Potato and cottage cheese dumplings served in chef’s special sauce

Fish Malabar - Fish cooked with coconut flavor gravy in mild sauce

Sides:


Basmati and Saffron Rice

Naan and Roti

Papadam

Dessert:

Pistachio or Mango Kulfi (Ice cream)

Gulab Jamun - Milk dumpling in traditional sweet syrup

Entree:


A cursory decision to include "something tikka", due to its traditional place in Northern Indian cuisine, turned out to be a wise choice. The Chicken Tikka Chat was a delicious salad of tomato, cucumber and chicken cooked in a delicious combination of yoghurt, ginger and other spices. The juices from the sauce mingled with the salad vegetables, making this an enticing opening to the meal. The onion bhaji were expected to be onion and chickpea patties. However, in northern style, they consisted of rings of onions thickly battered with chickpea flour and deep fried- delicious. The chick pea coating was crunchy, but thick enough to ensure that the flavour of the oil was not overly dominant.

Main:

Herein lies the secret to Vandana's success; the curries are absolutely delightful. Our shared meal featured three vegetarian options. Aloo saag, primarily consisting of spinach, was highlighted by a complex blend of spices. The Malai Kofta, dumplings in 'special sauce' were similarly tasty and well balanced. The Mutter Paneer, with peas and cubes of cottage cheese, featured a rich, gravy-like sauce. The cheese was firm and superbly complementary to the sauce.


The carnivores at the table were excited by the arrival of the Vindaloo, even more so once the dish had been tasted. It's always exciting to enjoy an excellent example of an Indian dish found in average takeaways, and Vandana's Vindaloo sets high standards. The heat of the dish is immediately apparent, but is in no way detrimental to the intricate balance of spices in the sauce. The meat was tender and plentiful. The other meat based dish, the fish malabar, was a pleasant surprise. With firm chunks of fish, the coconut based curry was mildly flavoured, and was a strong variation from our other choices. And the best thing about the curries at Vandana? The sauces are delicious enough to be enjoyed with no other accompaniment than rice, which was generously served.


Dessert:


Dessert options were limited, but considering the offer of free dessert when you book for two, one can hardly complain. Kulfi, in two flavours, was sweet and very creamy. Gulab Jamun is a dish best shared; an interesting texture, but the sweet flavour of the syrup can quickly become overpowering.

Overall:


Service in this small, busy eatery was friendly, but haphazard. There seemed to be a lack of staff, and certainly a lack of dish-hands; it was tough to obtain water, and when it did arrive it was without glasses. It is clear that neither location nor outstanding service have punters returning to Vandana. Their motivation is simple; the food. Quite simply some of the best Indian food we've tasted, the balanced spices and wide variation of delicious sauces left us happily sated. A visit here can inspire extreme behaviour in the race for a favourite dish. We recommend ordering a large variety, and getting stuck right in, as Paul does below.

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Unable to attend the dinner on Saturday night, Rami and Caroline went to Vandana’s on Sunday, and had Banquet A. All the dishes were great; the entrees were highlights of the meal, as was the satay-like vegetarian curry. The chicken jalfrezi had a wonderful mixture of spices and flavours, and the lamb rogonjosh was an accomplished take on a standard Indian dish. The dessert was sickly sweet and no more than a mouthful was required.

Banquet A

Entrée:

Samosa – Home made triangular pastry with potato, peas & spices

Tandoori Chicken – Chicken marinated in spices and cooked in clay oven

Seekh Kabab – Lamb mince spiced and cooked on skewers in tandoor

Mains:

Lamb Rogonjosh – Tender lamb cooked in onion, tomato & oriental spices

Chicken Jalfrezi – Bonless pieces of chicken cooked with ginger, garlic, capsicum & onion

Vegetarian Curry

Sides:

Plain Rice

Naan – plain flour bread baked in tandoor

Papadams

Mango Chutney

Sweets:

Gulab Jamun – Milk dumpling in traditional sweet syrup