This is one I’ve struggled with a bit. I’ve probably averaged 1.5 visits a week to this place for the past 8 odd years. Why? 3 reasons: it’s veggie so it’s sort of good for you; it’s curry; it’s astonishing value for money. So why do I struggle with it? I guess authenticity is a bit of an issue. My Indian friends tell me that it’s not authentic, but what they really mean is that it doesn’t adhere to the cuisine of one region. So what’s wrong with that? It is a bit of a mishmash at times and they do get things wrong occasionally but that just adds to the fun. By and large the food is tasty and voluminous. Their mainstay is the thali shown in the pic…….$7.00. There’s usually a choice from 6 or 7 dishes which range from the sublime (the eggplant and potato in the pic was one of these, very tasty and very hot) to the monotonous, but 95% of the time the choices are jolly good. The rotis are fine even if they have been finished of by a quick trip to the oily frypan. Why do Indian cafes do this? There is nothing wrong with dry frying rotis, they taste better and are much better for you. The regular channa is always good, the mixed veg ones vary from OK to stunning, and the specialist veg ones like the saag paneer are always great. The only real downsides here are the fact that once in a while the choices are boring, and the clientele are a nightmare to cope with. The English invented queueing for good reasons, and also had a good crack at refining the art of parking. An even temper is often needed here! Avoid Sundays.
So, it’s a cracking plate of 3 vegetable and pulse curries cooked in canola oil (no ghee) with rice, rotis, relish and pickle for a paltry $7. Can you go wrong?
Quantity: 9/10 Quality: 7.5/10 Value for money: 8.5/10
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