Next Stop: Iran

Persian cuisine is one of the oldest and richest cuisines in the world, however it is not widely recognized as it is often confused with Middle Eastern cuisine, a much broader and more general term, and this confusion is further perpetuated by restaurants and markets providing authentic Persian cuisine that label themselves as Middle Eastern. In reality, Persian cuisine is vastly different from what is found in the greater Middle East. It should be mentioned, however, that Persian cuisine has lots of similarity to Greek cuisines in its kebabs and to Indian cuisine in its stews.

Iranian cuisine, apart from its antiquity in the region, has also been a very influential and standard set of fare throughout neighboring countries. Afghanistan, the south-Central Asian states, and the cuisines of North India and Pakistan derive heavily in part from the cuisine of Iran. Iranian food is spicy. Herbs are used a lot, as is fruit from plums and pomegranates, to quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. The main Persian cuisines are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and plenty of garlic, onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, unique Persian spices such as saffron, diced limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes.

Traditional Persian cooking is done in stages, at times needing hours of preparation and attention. The outcome is a well-balanced mixture of herbs, meat, beans, dairy products, and vegetables. Major staples of Iranian food that are usually eaten with every meal include rice, various herbs (mint, basil, dill, parsley), cheese (feta or Persian panir, derived from goat or sheep's milk, and sometimes cow's milk), a variety of flat breads, and some type of meat (usually poultry, beef, lamb, or fish). Stew over rice is by far the most popular dish, and the constitution of these vary by region. Tea (chai) is the drink of choice on nearly every occasion, and is usually served with fruit, pastries, or sweets. You can usually find tea brewing throughout the day in most Iranian homes. Doogh, a yogurt drink, is also quite popular.

One of the oldest recipes, which can trace its existence back to the time of Persian empire, is khoresht-e-fesenjan, consisting of duck or sometimes chicken in a rich pomegranate and walnut sauce that yields a distinctive brown color, most often served with white rice.

Information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_cuisine

Meal #32: Pakistan

The journey to The Khyber Pass Pakistani Restaurant was just as hazardous as if we’d tried to cross the famous mountain pass of its namesake. Initially we planned to go to a Kashmiri restaurant, however Café Kashmir (our original destination) closed four years ago, it is now a funky Chapel Street bar. Seeing as the only other Kashmiri restaurant in Australia is in Darwin, we decided we would skip straight to Pakistan. We arrived at our destination (375 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley) only to find a car yard! A quick call to Telstra Direct and we got a new address…in Vermont South! Moral of the story: don’t trust the internet for up-to-date information on restaurant addresses!!!

The Khyber Pass
Pakistani Restaurant
3/272 Morack Rd, Vermont South
Open 6 Nights (Tuesday – Sunday)

The Khyber Pass is the only Pakistani restaurant in Melbourne, and is a friendly, family-run establishment. It is so family-oriented that there is a special room with couches and a TV for family members to lounge in and eat their meals. Furthermore, the kitchen was being used by the owner’s sister to cook food for a party the next day! Nevertheless, we were all entertained by the three small children as they ran around the place (although not in the main dinning area). All this being said, the restaurant is not attached to a dwelling and is a testament to the traditional Pakistani family.

The décor of the eating area is like that expected from a traditional Pakistani home (although some of the decorations were of a grander scale), giving diners the feeling that they have been invited to eat in the owner’s dinning room.


This week’s pursuers of the Pakistani palate were Nick, Sai, Rami, Caroline, Ruvinda, Renuka, Sylvester, Danesh and Debs (not to be confused with Deb!).

Entrée:
Somosas – Vegetables wrapped in pastry and deep fried
Shamee Kebabs – Savoury minced steak pattied pan fried in ghee
Vegetables Pakoras – Fresh vegetables dipped in batter and deep fried in ghee
Naggra Bhaji – Made with potatoes - served with a curried sauce

Mains:

MILD
Beef Mittakhatta – Prime lean beef pan fried with mushrooms, garlic and herbs (fresh cream optional)
Lamb Peshawri – Lamb in creamy lentil sauce, garnished with fried onion

MEDIUM
Murgh Multani – Chicken pieces cooked in a multani style sauce

HOT
Beef Tornado – This dish is popular for those who like it hot
Chicken Lahori – A variation of our Chicken Multani

GOURMET DISHES
Jinga Subzi – Prawns and vegetables
Shahi Sag Gosht – Lamb and spinach in a garlic & onion sauce

VEGETABLE DISHES
Alloo Mattar – Potatoes and peas

Sides:

Papadams
Khyber Pass Pillou – Lightly spice rice with coriander, cinnamon, cummin & cooked onion
Saffron Rice – Pillou rice with saffron, nuts and sultanas

Drinks:

Salty Lassi

Dessert:

Mango Mousse – Homemade
Kulfi – Pakistani ice-cream

Entrée:

All together we tried all but one of the entrées that The Khyber Pass had to offer. We enjoyed them all, from the spicy somosas to the naggra bhaji which was reminiscent of a spicy falafel drowned in dhal. The entrée was definitely a highlight of the meal.

Mains:

We had a nice selection of mains. Firstly, however, it must be noted that the Beef Tornado was a big disappointment – not nearly as spicy as was expected/hoped. Further, although the meat was very tender, the sauce had a strong burnt flavour. Thankfully this was the only dish that marred our meal (although it was still enjoyed by some diners and was completely finished by the end of the night).

According to the menu the Murgh Multani and Chicken Lahori are variations of the same dish – you could have fooled us as the former was sour, while the latter was sweet! Also, the Multani seemed spicier than the Lahori (which is not what the menu would lead you to expect) making us question if the waiter had correctly identified the two dishes when serving them to the table.

Speaking of sweet dishes, most of the Pakistani dishes were quite sweet, including the Beef Mittakhatta, Lamb Peshawri and Shahi Sag Gosht. The focus on sweetness really made this cuisine stand out from the other sub-continental meals we have tried.

Both rices nicely complemented the dishes, although there was much speculation whether the bright fluorescent orange saffron rice was due to food dyes and not saffron…

Dessert:


The Mango Mousse was nice, but would be more accurately described as Mango "Cream", while the Kulfi had a strong flowery flavour due to the use of cardamom.

Overall:

As the only Pakistani restaurant in Melbourne The Kyber Pass must be visited, however don’t expect your average dining experience. The front of house is run entirely by the owner, who at times seems to disappear completely into the kitchen. Nevertheless, the friendly family atmosphere of the restaurant meant that the children where more than happy to be messengers between the customers and staff. Due to the family focus of the establishment diners can expect a relaxed and laidback meal, and with mains costing on average $11-12, it is also very relaxing on the hip pocket...

Next Stop: Pakistan

Pakistani cuisine is generally similar to that of North India but while Indian cuisine is balanced between meat and vegetarian cuisines, meat plays a much more dominant role in Pakistani food. Due to its proximity with Central and West Asia, Pakistani food also tends to be modified by significant influences from these regions. It also varies greatly from region to region within Pakistan itself. The most popular cuisine in almost all areas of Pakistan is Moghul food. This is mostly barbequed food with the most popular dishes including Chicken Tikka, Kebobs, Chops, etc. The spices used can vary.

Curries, with or without meat, combined with vegetables such as bitter gourd, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, potatoes, rutabaga, saag, spinach etc. are the most common and often cooked for every-day eating. Various kinds of lentils called dal also make up an important part of the Pakistani dishes. Nevertheless, lentils have traditionally been considered as an inexpensive food source and hotel/restaurants may only offer a limited variety of these dishes. Lentil dishes are also typically not served when guests are invited at home or during special occasions. The one main exception is haleem which contains a variety of lentils along with meat. A batch of haleem will typically take over five hours to cook. This dish is known to have originated in Agra, where the Taj Mahal stands today.

A favourite Pakistani curry is karahi, either mutton or chicken cooked in a dry sauce. Lahori karahi incorporates garlic, onions, spices and vinegar. Peshawari karahi is a simple dish made with just meat, salt, tomatoes and coriander. Among well known dishes are chicken tikka, kofta, mutton korma, chicken korma, nihari, siri paya, shab degh and chakna. Dishes made with rice include pullao and biryani. Sajji is a Baluchi dish from Western Pakistan, made of lamb stuffed with rice, that has also become popular all over the country.

All of the main dishes (except those made with rice) are eaten alongside bread. To eat, a small fragment of bread is torn off with the right hand and used to scoop and hold small portions of the main dish. Pickles made out of mangoes, carrots, lemon etc. are also commonly used to further spice up the food.

Information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Pakistan

Meal #31 - Sri Lanka

The island nation of Sri Lanka has long had connotations of mystery and delight. Its old Arabic name – Sarandib, or Serendip – has even given us the word “serendipity” for the random discovery of something wonderful. It wasn’t complete chance that we ended up in Northcote looking for a Sri Lankan meal on Saturday night, but we did make a wonderful discovery nonetheless.

Sigiri
Sri Lankan Cuisine
338 High Street
Northcote, 3070

High Street in Northcote is rapidly growing as a restaurant strip, with a new eatery seeming to open up every time you blink. Sigiri has been there longer than most and is a popular Northcote haunt. Although it was quiet when we arrived, one of the first things we noticed was that every single table was reserved. The arrival of our own team of eight – this week including Rami, Caroline, Ruvinda, Dylan, Nick, Naomi, Sai and Marty – was just the beginning of a steady influx of merry diners.

The dining room was cosy and decorated in warm colours with tasteful touches of Sinhalese art – here a bird mask on a red brick wall, there a window decorated with the lion from the Lankan flag. The table settings were laid out with remarkable attention to detail. Water jugs and pre-filled glasses were there in advance and the gleaming cutlery had been arranged with mathematical precision. We were greeted by staff as friendly as they were professional.

In the middle of all this was… a bain marie. We exchanged glances. What was a bain marie, the ubiquitous symbol of cheap and greasy takeaways, doing amidst the trappings of a refined a la carte restaurant? Its presence was perplexing, like finding an elephant inside a house. We’d encountered our share of bain maries on our culinary odyssey and they’d seldom boded well.

This was no ordinary bain marie however. Sigiri, as it turned out, does a la carte meals most nights but on Friday and Saturday lays on a lavish self-serve all-you-can-eat banquet. With due warning to the staff that in our case they might regret those words – “all you can eat” - we set to with gusto.

The Meal:

It was hard to know where to start, with a spread of curries, rice, breads, fried snacks and the assorted pickles, or sambols, characteristic of Sri Lankan cuisine. Many of us started with these, treating them as entrees, although in Sri Lanka the sambols would normally be served as an accompaniment with the main dishes.

The sambols themselves were highly varied, comprising everything from raita to chunky mango chutney to dry chutneys based on coconut or caramelised onion and flavoured with lime, ginger, shrimps or Maldive fish. We didn’t always know exactly what was in them but we enjoyed them immensely. They could be sopped up with one of two breads, either the circular pol roti, a dense bread made with coconut, or godamba roti, a flat bread essentially the same as Indian naan.

Also on offer were vadai, or lentil fritters. We had encountered these the previous week in South India, where they were like lentil donuts, but these ones were smaller, crispier and tastier. They got wolfed down in large quantities along with the fish “cutlets”, which were deep fried balls of spiced tuna and potato.

The centrepiece of any Sri Lankan meal is of course the curries and our banquet had a good selection of these. There was a rich lamb curry, a yellow fish curry and spicy marinated chicken thighs. The lamb was particularly popular, drawing diners back for seconds. There was also kaju hodi, a cauliflower and cashew dish in which the cashew nuts had been beautifully softened in a mild yellow curry sauce, and a curry made with jackfruit. Last time we encountered jackfruit, several of our diners found its unusual texture challenging but there were no such problems with this skilfully prepared and flavoursome dish. Also on the vegetarian menu were snakebeans in spicy sauce and batu pehi, a particularly tasty dish made with charred eggplant. There were two types of rice to choose from – plain steamed rice or spiced (and slightly sweet) buriyani rice.

Rounding out our cultural experience were Sri Lanka’s famous “hoppers”. Hoppers (in Sinhalese appa) are crispy pancakes, made with rice flour and coconut milk, and cooked in a rounded pan so they come out basket-shaped. They weren’t available on the bain marie but could be ordered separately and brought to the table fresh. We had both plain hoppers and egg hoppers, which had a fried egg at the bottom, runny enough to be good for dipping.

By the end of this banquet, not all diners had room for dessert. Those who did (or who soldiered on anyway) had a taste of another Sri Lankan signature dish – Love Cake. A semolina cake made with pumpkin preserve and chunks of cashew, flavoured with cardamom and almond essence, this was thick and intensely sweet. It was served in suitably small portions with fresh fruit salad.

Drinks:

Sri Lanka is of course particularly famous for its tea and coffee, both of which were offered on the menu along with lassis and the usual run of beers, wines and so forth. In the search for authentic regional cuisine, though, we tried a Sri Lankan specialty – divul. This cold drink is made with milk, ice cream and the “cream” of wood apple. This is a fruit indigenous to southern Asia, and also goes by imaginative names like “curd fruit” and “pomme d’elephant”. When we asked about it, the waiter, in an outstanding display of helpfulness, went to the kitchen to bring back a can with pictures of the fruit on the label. As for the flavour of the drink itself, the diner who refreshed himself with a divul described the semi-tart-semi-sweet creamy flavour as akin to “an apple cheesecake milkshake.” (NB: It’s probably easier to go to Northcote and get a divul rather than trying to recreate this particular flavour combination.)

The Verdict:

It’s official. Best. Bain. Marie. Ever!

There are some meals which, when you're finished eating, make you wish you weren’t full so you could go back and eat more. This was one of those. From the arrays of sambols to the curries rich to the hot crispy hoppers, everything was pitch perfect. The $25 fro the banquet is the best $25 you’ll spend this side of Colombo.

Note to anyone wishing to install a bain marie in their restaurant - this is how you do it, with varied dishes in comparatively small servings, regularly refreshed so that nothing ever runs out or has a chance to go cold. The bain marie is a brief staging point between the kitchen and the table, not a long-term storage facility. At Sigiri, not only was this done well but the self-serve model actually seemed better suited to the style of cooking than table service would have. How else would you get to sample the full range of sambols, or restock on vadais? Given the quality of the food and the excellence of service, though, we certainly wouldn’t hesitate to drop in on a weeknight for an a la carte meal either.


Some of our diners were well versed in Lankan cuisine already but those of us new to it were pleasantly surprised at how distinctive a culinary style it was. There were elements familiar to both Indian and Indochinese cooking, as well as completely unique tastes. All in all, it is something of a shame that Lankan cuisine has not received much attention in Australia. When people think of Sri Lanka, they are more likely to think of fine tea than food. As we discovered at Sigiri, though, it is certainly worth staying for more than a drink.

Next Stop: Sri Lanka

Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage make it a world famous tourist destination. The cuisine of Sri Lanka draws influence from that of India, as well as colonists and foreign traders.

Sri Lanka's cuisine mainly consists of rice, which can be cooked in a variety of ways – e.g. boiled or steamed – but which ever way its cooked, in Sri Lanka rice is always served with curry. Sri Lankan curries are not just limited to meat or fish platters, they can also be vegetable or sometimes even fruit curries. A typical Sri Lankan meal would consist of a “main curry” which could be fish, beef, chicken or mutton, as well as several other curries made with vegetable and lentils.

Side-dishes would include pickles, chutneys and “sambols” which can sometimes be fiery hot. The most famous of the sambols is the coconut sambol made of ground coconut, or onions mixed with chillies, dried Maldives fish and lime juice. This is ground to a paste and relished with rice, as it gives zest to the meal and is believed to increase appetite. In addition to sambols, you have “mallung” – chopped up leaves mixed with coconut that has been grated and red onions. Coconut milk is usually added to any Sri Lankan delicacy because it gives it that extra bit of flavour.

The Dutch and the Portuguese too have left their stamp on the local cuisine - for example, delectable dishes like Lamprais - rice boiled in stock with a special curry, accompanied by “Frikkadels”, or meatballs, all of which is then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked. This is an original Dutch recipe enjoyed by Sri Lankans today. It has of course been adapted to suit the Sri Lankan palate. The Dutch and the Portuguese also bequeathed a number of recipes for various sweets which continue to be made to this day. There are British and Malay influences as well. Roast beef and roast chicken are enjoyed by many Sri Lankans.

Hoppers is another dish that is native to Sri Lanka. It is served mainly during lunch or breakfast and many eat it with “lunumiris” which is a fiery hot mix of red onions and spices. Hoppers (appa) are made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk and a dash of palm toddy. The batter of rice flour and coconut milk traditionally has toddy added for the typical sourish flavour and, more importantly, the fermentation which makes the centres full of little holes like crumpets. If toddy is not available, the same action is duplicated by using yeast, either fresh or dry. Many restaurants use yeast because toddy is not readily available always. After leaving to rise, the batter is swirled in a hemispherical pan, rather like a small, more acutely curved wok. Even without the traditional hopper-pan, it is possible to enjoy the unique texture and flavour using a small omelette pan. There are many types of hopper such as plain hoppers, egg hoppers, milk hoppers, and sweeter varieties like vanduappa and paniappa.

Being one of the largest producers of tea in the world, Sri Lankans tend to drink a lot of tea.

Meal #30: India (Part 2: Southern India)

South India is a highly linguistic-cultural region of India. The predominant Dravidian language family consists of 23 languages indigenous to, and spoken principally in, South Asia by more than 210 million people. The four major Dravidian languages of southern India – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam – have independent scripts and long documented histories. Nevertheless, for many diners there was something lost in translation with this meal.

Madras Banyan Tree
Specialising in South Indian Cuisine
924, Nepean Highway, Hampton East
Tuesday to Sunday 6pm to 10 pm

Madras Banyan Tree is a loud, busy restaurant specialising in South Indian Cuisine. It is so busy that in order to cater for our large group, they had to squeeze a couple of small tables together between the entrance and the service counter. The décor at Madras Banyan Tree is simple but stylish, focusing on earthy tones, small Indian paintings, and the occasional ‘shrine-on-a-ledge’.


This week’s sojourningly intrepid, South Indian sampling ingesters (alliteration is fun!) were Ruvinda, Dylan, Rami, Caroline, Sai, Paul, Deb, Nick, Naomi and Dom


Entrée:

Plain Idli – Plain rice cakes served with coconut chutney and sambar

Mains:

Vegetarian Thali – Rice, bread, sambar, rasam, two veggies, dhal, yoghurt, pickle, pappadam, medhu vadai and sweet
Non Vegetarian Thali – Rice, bread, sambar, rasam, veggies, chicken, lamb, pickle, pappadam and sweet
Lamb Masala – Lamb pieces cooked in a thick rich spicy gravy

Special Dosai – Surprise yourself with our house speciality king size dosai

Drinks:

Mango Lassi

Entrée:


Idlis’ are traditional South Indian steamed rice cakes made from fermented rice and lentil dough. They are fairly flavourless on their own; however they come to life when eaten with sambar (lentil broth) and/or spicy coconut chutney. Idlis’s are very crumbly, which makes eating them with cutlery almost impossible, so we resorted to the tradition eating utensil for this dish – the hand.

Mains:


Most diners opted for the set meal – Thali. The name for this dish comes from the “Thali” or dish in which it is served. The Thali comprises of a metal plate with a number of small metal bowls known as Katoris on it. It offers a variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes, papadam, bread and rice. It even included dessert! This meal enabled diners to taste a variety of dishes in small servings. Highlights included: sambar (lentil broth), lentils cooked with tamarind, onions, tomatoes and spices; lamb in a mild vindaloo-like sauce; chicken in a cinnamon-based sauce; and medhu vadai, a savory doughnut.

The special dosai was definitely special! As the description on the menu suggested, we were surprised by the king size dosai – it was friggen HUGE! Major props to Nick for eating the entire thing!!! Oh, and if you were wondering, dosai is a traditional savoury pancake made out of rice and lentil dough, and was served with a selection of dips including chutney and sambar.

Overall:

It is amazing how people on the same table can have completely different dining experiences. Half the table enjoyed their meal, while the other half were not overly fond of theirs. Most of this negative feeling was due to vegetarian thalis being served about 10 minutes after the non-vegetarian thalis, and that many of the thali dishes were served luke-warm. Our South Indian experts at the meal, however, thought that the food was excellent and very authentic (even being served on traditional metal plates), and that the food didn’t need to be any warmer. Perhaps Madras Banyan Tree was too authentic for some diners (although there is no excuse for a restaurant to not serve all the mains at the same time). At $16 and $18 respectively, the vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis are great value for the amount of food you get, although it may be advisable to bring your own portable microwave…

Next Stop: India (Part 2: Southern India)

Indian cuisine is distinguished by its sophisticated use of spices and herbs and the influence of the longstanding and widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society.

According to the traditional Indian medical system Ayurveda, food is either satvic (pure), rajasic (creative) or tamasic (resistant, destructive) depending on its character and effect upon the body and the mind.

Food is an integral part of India's culture, with cuisines differing according to community, region, and state. Indian cuisine is characterized by a great variety of foods, spices, and cooking techniques. Furthermore, each religion, region, and caste has left its own influence on Indian food.

The tomato, chilli, and potato, which are staple components of today's Indian cuisine, are relatively recent additions. They came to India from America through Europe. Islamic rule introduced rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches and plums. During this period the Portuguese introduced foods from the New World such as potatoes, tomatoes, squash and chilies.

South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the liberal use of coconut and curry leaves particularly coconut oil, and the ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called saaru) at meals.

South Indian cooking is even more vegetarian-friendly than north Indian cooking. The practice of naivedya, or ritual offerings, to Krishna at the Krishna Mutt temple in Udipi, Karnataka, has led to the Udipi style of vegetarian cooking. The variety of dishes which must be offered to Krishna forced the cooks of the temple to innovate. Traditional cooking in Udupi Ashtamatha is characterized by the use of local seasonal ingredients. Garam masala is generally avoided in South Indian cuisine.

The dosa (savoury crepe), idli (lentil patties), vada (lentil or potato pattie, shaped liked a donut), bonda (fried potato balls), and bajji (battered and fried vegetables) are typical South Indian snacks.

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