Dear Reader, what is your idea of an adventure? For my food loving friends and I, an adventure was one in which we would arrive at a very special street in which bright lights twinkle like Christmas and restaurants in heritage listed houses serve us authentic Indian cuisine and we would eat our way up, down and across that street. Wigram Street in Harris Park is not your ordinary street. In fact when you drive down it at night, you might think that it were awaiting Saint Nick all year round with the sparkling fairy lights and lit up houses.
These Harris Park Indian restaurants are mainly concentrated in a one block radius of Wigram Street although Harris Park itself is replete with Indian restaurants with about 14 or 15 in the suburb due to the resident Indian population. Each restaurant has a distinctly different atmosphere and as we find, even while the menus may initially look the same, the execution is often quite different. Some focus on North Indian cuisine while others Southern Indian cuisine. And some…well they focus on a fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisine but you’ll have to stay tuned for that one! 
According to Saurav Gupta whose family owns Ginger, only five to seven years ago, there were only two or so Indian restaurants in Wigram Street. However, in the last three to four years, there has been an explosion of Indian restaurants with Wigram Road having ten restaurants in the short space of a small block. Wigram Road is said to mirror the famous Pandara Road in New Delhi India which has about numerous restaurants on the one road. Like Leichhardt’s Norton street for Italian food, this is a mini Pandara Road. Most of the restaurants in the area have a website with menu so you can check out prices and what they offer beforehand.
My partners in crime for this Indian feast were David (owner and chef at Xanthi), his wife Belinda as well as friends Louise and Viggo. They all love food just as much as Mr NQN and I do although I did discover that we might be pushing our love of a single cuisine by sampling six restaurants in the space of an afternoon and evening!
David suggested that we interject a cricket theme into the event to tie in with the Indian theme. After explaining the rules of cricket to me, David suggested that we order three main dishes at each restaurant that we visit along the street. Along with that, scores for naans and rice would count as one score and scores for atmosphere and service would count as one. Lastly, to make up the sixth score, we would combine the scores for the desserts of gulab jamun and kulfi. We would rate each dish according to a score out of six. Zero would be an “out” and six would be the highest and commensurate with cricket we wouldn’t include 5 as it happens so rarely in cricket. I must admit that they tried to explain why there was no 5 in cricket but I drifted off…it’s no wonder I was never picked for school cricket. The final score would be a “batting average”.
We arrived at Harris Park at 12 noon with empty tummies and took a quick look around. Indian families walked up and down the street and this part of Wigram Road plays host to Indian accountants, doctors, lawyers as well as shops selling clothing, motorcycle parts and grocery items. Clustered amongst these businesses and homes are about 10 or so restaurants. Some are in converted heritage houses, some in restaurant fitouts. Some have displays of colourful Indian sweets that greet you once you open the door and each has just what you want to see at an Indian restaurant, Indian patronage. One restaurant even hosts a cricket team out the front!
Ginger
Ginger is the fanciest Indian restaurant on the street with an all blue interior which is disconcerting at first when you first walk in from the daylight. Indeed when you sit down in the front dining room, it feels almost like dining underwater such is the effect of the blue walls. Service is very friendly and we are dining at noon so we are the only diners there. I was recommended Ginger by friendly NQN reader Brett who also sent me photos of the brightly lit up street. Here, they serve North Indian or Mughlai cuisine which is influenced by Persia and Iran and uses whole and ground spices. Interestingly, this is the only restaurant that doesn’t have a sweets display. At each restaurant, our plan was to order butter chicken as a constant as well as naan. We’d also order a vegetarian dish and try the house specialty. Dessert would be gulab jamun and kulfi ice cream.
Murgh Makhni Butter chicken $16.90
The food comes out in a timely manner. The butter chicken thigh pieces are soft and cooked in the tandoor oven and finished with a sauce of ground cashew, tomato, cream and fenugreek. Whilst the balance of flavours were great, some of us wanted the sauce a bit creamier.
Shahai Baingen $14.90
The eggplant with the lovely caramelised edges and soft voluptuous texture was a favourite here along with the lamb rezzala below.
Lamb Rezzala $17.90
The lamb rezzala was soft with a rich sauce had a tomato and cream based sauce which was mostly tomato based with a little cream at the end to finish it. It was said to be very hot but they toned it down for us although all of us can handle spicy food. And we note that throughout the day, all of the Indian restaurants are traditional ones that don’t serve beef because of course the Hindu religion considers eating the cow as taboo.
Garlic naan $3.50
Peshwari naan $4.50
We order a garlic and peshwari naan and the peshwari naan is redolent in whole spices and is strong in fennel seed (perhaps this is where the north Indian influence comes in). The naan itself is quite flat and the strong flavour of anise gives it a strong taste.
Gulab jamun $7
Pistachio Kulfi $6
The dessert choices arrive and they are the gulab jamun and the pistachio kulfi ice cream. The latter is cut into quarters for easy eating. The pistachio kulfi is icy and quite light in flavour with some pistachios sprinkled on top. The gulab jamun, two to a serve are soft and syrupy.
Score notes: Top marks for atmosphere and service. Awarded one “out” from David for the peshwari naan.
Spice of Life
Our next stop is just a very short walk away at Spice of Life. Here, the atmosphere is quite different, more like a cafeteria and it looks to be more family style rather than the polished surrounds of Ginger. The menu is a double sided laminated tri fold one. There are families with small children and couples eating together here. “Are you ready for round two?” I ask my friends and at this point there is no tummy clutching.
Mango and salty lassi $4 and $3.50 respectively
Thirsty for lassi we ordered some mango and salty lassi. The mango has an unusual taste and tastes of tinned mangoes. The salty lassi jars for David and Mr NQN although I had the same reaction the first time I tried Ayran (Turkish yogurt drink) but now I love it.
Butter chicken $17
Here they use almonds for their butter chicken and whatever hiccups that were had with the service and the lassis are quickly made up for the butter chicken which has a lovely aroma with a touch of cinnamon. It was one of those dishes where I could help but take to it with a spoon and scoop up every last drop. I would have licked the bowl clean if I were at home or just used naan bread which would have been the better solution.
Baigan Achari $15
The roasted eggplant dish here was soft with good flavours. This was less rich and was tangy from the achaari masala.
Nihari goat meat curry$25.90
The goat meat was soft and was said to be on the bone although I got just the meat. It was highlighted with thin matchsticks of ginger and a thick, spicy sauce.
Cheese and garlic naan $4.50 and $3 respectively
The naans were quite soft and the cheese naan was particularly popular out of the two.
Mango kulfi $7
Rasgulla gulab jamun $2 each
Alas they were out of pistachio kulfi so we couldn’t compare like for like so we went for the mango kulfi which was lovely and smooth and creamy with almost a mastic texture to it giving it a stretchy property unlike the icey milk texture that you can get with kulfis. The gulab was firm and sweet and served in a scallop shell.
Score notes: I awarded a six for the butter chicken which I adored although service was quite slow as they only had two people working the floor.
Billu’s
The flashing lights lure us to the cluster of Indian restaurants right next to and across the road from one another. There’s even a Lebanese store nearby among the Indian offerings. Billu’s is one of a few restaurants that offer al fresco dining and we take advantage of the late day winter sun and take a seat outside. And wait. And wait and wait. A waistcoat outfitted waiter comes out to clear a table and we ask him if we can see some menus. Belinda politely asks if he can wipe down the table. He gives us a look of abject fear and disappears inside never to be seen again.
After another wait, I make my way inside to order and they tell us that it is table service and that someone will be with me shortly. A waitress arrives and shyly and sweetly takes our order. Our drinks arrive shortly after.
From back to front: mango, rose and sweet lassi $3.50, $3.50 and $3 respectively
The mango lassi isn’t bad but it’s the sweet lassi that tastes like a thicker version of Yakult that we gravitate towards. The rose lassi actually doesn’t have much rose flavour and mostly tastes of cardamom.
Dahi Bhalla $6.50
Inside the restaurant it was busy with many Indian groups and families dining in. As I walked past the display on the way back from the restroom, I spotted them dishing up plates of the dahi bhalla which is a weekend special so I asked for a serve of this. It was a curious dish made with donut shaped fritters and then coated in yogurt sauce. Said to be a North Indian street food, it was surprisingly watery tasting with a generous coating of yogurt and tamarind sauce. I don’t think any of us finished more than a mouthful.
Garlic and cheese naan $3 and $3.50
The naans were fresh and there was a lot of garlic on the garlic naan which was a nice injection of aroma.
Butter chicken $14.90
The butter chicken was strong in tomato and slightly tangy, again we love the creaminess of butter chicken which was really not very apparent here although the meat had a nice flavour from the tandoor oven. And we had to make a mention of the rice here which was quite lumpy with one very large lump at the bottom of our serve.
Punjabi Baigan $12.90
The eggplant dish was actually very good although there were no potatoes in it as the menu mentioned.
Lamb rogan josh $15.90
We took the waitress’s suggestion of the lamb rogan josh but alas the lamb itself was very dry and tough although the sauce good.
Gulab jamun $2 and pistachio kulfi $3
The items that are plated up from behind the counter are served in plastic plates and that includes the dessert (it’s interesting what you notice when you dine out with a restaurateur and chef). The desserts are very reasonably priced with the kulfi ice cream at $3 whereas it has been more expensive at other restaurants. The gulab is similar to the other ones, sweet and syrupy. The kulfi although presented in a footed glass isn’t necessarily practical but has a lovely flavour of saffron and is quite good indeed with a creamy texture to it.
Score notes: The initial waiter bowled “outs” all round but the second waitress was lovely. Unfortunately, the lamb rogan josh, rice and the dahi bhalli (which wasn’t counted as that was an additional dish that we tried out of curiosity) all earned “outs.” Despite a low batting average and many outs, the restaurant was quite full.
Haveli
“How are you guys feeling?” I ask and everyone still looks good although we were a bit chilled by the al fresco dining. By now we need a bit of a change of scenery. And by change of scenery I mean simply crossing the road to the other side to go to Haveli! I’m sure there is a ‘why did the chicken cross the road’ joke in there somewhere… Looking more like a house than a restaurant we open the doors and inside it is very nicely decorated with some rather elaborate chairs. ”You should have used these for your True Blood dinner party” Dave quips. Mannequins sit against the back walls playing instruments and it is warm and dark inside which is just what we need. The cuisine here is South Indian cuisine.
Service is very friendly here and helpful. The menus at these places are starting to look quite similar, particularly as we are looking at the same dishes but words such as “butter chicken: the pride of the kitchen” start popping up on several menus. Each place has a slightly different price and as we’re tasting them, there are definite differences in cooking style and flavour. Despite the elaborate decor here, the prices are lower than the other restaurants.
Cheese and kashmiri naan $3.50 & $4
Our food came out straight away. The cheese and kashmiri naan are close to what we are after as they are soft and pillowy with a good amount of tasty filling. The kashmiri naan has shredded coconut, sugar and nuts throughout it.
Butter chicken $13.90
The butter chicken is cooked in an almond cream sauce and it is a good version of this with a nice balance of flavours and a good level of creaminess although South Indian cuisine tends to be less creamy than North Indian.
Goan fish curry $15.90
For a change, we went with a recommendation for Goan fish curry as we had our fill of lamb . The ling fish was soft and tender with a generous amount of fish in it and a tomato and coriander based sauce.
Palak Paneer $11.90
It was also at this point that we wanted to steer away from the eggplant dish and go for something a bit different. The palak paneer, always a favourite has blended spinach and soft chunks of paneer cheese throughout it.
Pista kulfi $3.90
“It looks like a murdered frog” Belinda says although we had just been discussing that hideous case of the man high on drugs that had bitten a man’s face off. So when this was set down we all looked at each other. Thankfully it was good and the pistachio kulfi was sliced thinly so that it was easy to eat.
Gulab jamun $2
The gulab jamun here were fantastic. So soft and melting in our mouth, it prompted Louise to buy a box of five of them to take home with her. If I had any inclination to buy more food I would have done the same. Even though the others had all tasted quite alike, these were the most different and it has to be said, the best of what we tried.
Score notes: This was one of my favourite for a few reasons, the service was lovely, I really liked the decor and I thought that their gulab jamun was fantastic and beautifully fresh and soft and quite different from others which were quite similar.
Chutney
We’re coming into the home stretch. From the blue tones of Ginger, we walk into Chutney with its red lights. By now Mr NQN isn’t feeling too crash hot. It may be the lassis at every place that he has giddily consumed (it’s the Elliott/hippy version of a milkshake) but the rest of us are still going and I haven’t undone my tight belt (yet!). The red lights cast a glow over everyone and the red lights are starting to freak me out. There are many young families dining here tonight as well as groups. In the centre is a buffet which is being set up for the evening. We check our watches…we’ve been dining for almost seven hours!
Goat masala $16
The goat masala was made with pieces of soft goat, onions and spices finished with coriander. And with goat, it’s best when the meat is soft as this was.
Mixed vegetables $11
The mixed vegetables were ordered for something different and they were a mix of peas, beans , potato, carrot and corn. These were cooked with north Indian style spices and they had a thick, spicy sauce.
Butter chicken $15
The butter chicken, and we haven’t gotten sick of this very favourite dish, is made with a cashew nut sauce and is quite a crowd pleaser, one of the favourites that we’ve tried today (pipped only by my score for Spice of Life’s fragrant version). And showing no signs of food fatigue, many say that they are really enjoying the food here and there’s hardly anything going back to the kitchen at any place.
Cheese, garlic and coriander naan $4 and Kashmiri naan $4
Ahhh the naan bread of our dreams! The cheese, garlic and coriander naan just sings to us as does the kashmiri naan with dried fruit and desiccated coconut filling. They’re both served hot, soft and puffy and are just made for soaking up delicious curry sauces with. David and I loved them both and we gave these a 6 out of 6 which from copious amounts of explaining by Mr NQN means that it has scored a “six.” Oh cricket, you crazy game
Gulab jamun ice cream $6
Although there was supposed to be two pieces of gulab jamun we got two scoops of vanilla ice cream and one gulab jamun. I prefer the balls in the syrup rather than in the ice cream and it was this personal preference that meant that I didn’t enjoy this as much although it seems like other didn’t really either, particularly after we had just had the fabulous ones at Haveli. The gulab jamun here was also slightly firmer than others and when I press down with the spoon, syrup oozes out and then retracts back in.
Pista kulfi $5
The pistachio kulfi is that creamy, mastic-y ice cream rather than the icey ice cream blocks and is flavoured lightly with pistachio. We leave behind the red lights and venture out to our last stop, one that we had saved for last…Indian Chinese cuisine!!
Score notes: The lights might freak you out at first, but the naan here were superb and the curries a solid bet. David and I awarded both naans a six although Mr NQN, who is contrary to me in so many ways, awarded them a one (everyone else awarded them a 4).
Indian Chopsticks
Now I swear we weren’t high although there is such a thing as “food drunk” and that’s when you start to feel a bit woozy from eating so much food. It’s the disease of gluttons although I didn’t feel too bad at all as I stuck to one mouthful of each but poor Mr NQN was busy making sure that no food went back to the kitchen and felt a bit food drunk. And on approach to our very last place David does a Rocky style victory dance to my off key version of the Rocky theme.
Now Indian Chopsticks you might have gathered from the name is Indian and Chinese food together, apparently a fusion cuisine that you can find in India. It also gets less than stellar ratings on review sites but if tradition says anything, leave the most controversial for last!
At around 7pm we walk in and almost every table is taken. And as befits the name, there is an Indian waitress and a Chinese one. We take a look at the menu and see a mix of Indian and Chinese dishes. Completely unfamiliar with this cuisine, we ask the waitress for help and she suggests a few items. Prices are very cheap and dishes are made for sharing – a pot of jasmine tea is priced per pot at $2 and they bring enough cups for everyone.
Szechuan Paneer $11.90
This was one that I’m afraid that nobody liked and several times it bowled an “out” on the scores. Said to be fresh paneer cheese cooked with hot and spicy chillies it was a clash of two cultures that had a very spicy almost sweet and sour flavour to the paneer. And there is a lot of sauce for this dish!
Sizzling Rainbow Chicken $13.90
Better was the sizzling rainbow chicken-it’s been quite a while since I had a dish brought to the table on a sizzling hot plate and this is made up of pieces of lightly battered chicken in “chefs special tangy sauce” which tasted like it was based on a hoi sin sauce which also packed some bite to it.
Chicken Chow Mein $10.90
The chicken chow mein which Mr NQN notes is on pretty much every table around us, is the pick of the dishes with a lovely breath from the wok, pieces of chicken breast meat, egg and vegetables. My mother makes a very similar dish and it’s a good home style noodle dish although it is different from Chinese restaurant chow meins with thick, braised sauces.
Pista Kulfi $3.50
Gulab Jamun with ice cream $3.50
Both desserts were very reasonably priced and are as good as the others (and quite similar to others) but at a cheaper price. We quickly eat our desserts as two large groups of people hover around us wanting our table. We might not have quite gotten a handle on this curious fusion of cuisines but that doesn’t seem to matter as it seems that there is an eager fan base of it already.
Score notes: Perhaps it was the confusion and newness to the cuisine that confused us in turn. The numbers speak for themselves and the two restaurants with the lowest batting averages were the most full with Indian patronage. Perhaps they are more familiar with this type of cuisine but the paneer Szechuan was awarded a few outs by everyone except for Viggo and Mr NQN (do Scandinavian men like this sort of thing? ). The prices here and at Billu were very reasonable and that may account for the patronage. The scores didn’t include naan or rice as Indian Chopsticks didn’t have either.
So we came, we eat, we had lots of fun. It ended with a Rocky lap and being introduced to a cuisine we hadn’t ever tried before. I will caution that if you are thinking of doing something similar, downing lassis at every turn will fill you up as Mr NQN felt a bit unwell or food drunk whereas I felt totally fine by the end. And the funniest thing? I craved lassi and curry the next day!
So tell me Dear Reader, would you enjoy food adventures like this along with progressive dinners? Or do you prefer to eat at the one place at a time? Do you have a favourite fusion cuisine? And have you ever come across a fusion cuisine that you haven’t quite understood?
Ginger
94 Wigram Street Harris Park NSW 2150
Tel: +61 (02)8061 7245
www.gingerindian.com.au/
Spice of Life
116 Wigram Street Harris Park NSW 2150
Tel: +61 (02)9762 1033
www.spiceoflife.net.au/
Billu’s
62-64 Wigram Street Harris Park NSW 2150
Tel: +61 (02) 9687 7785
www.billu.com.au/
Haveli
67 Wigram Street, Harris Park NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9635 0110
Chutney
66 Wigram Street Harris Park NSW 2150
Tel: +61 (02) 9893 8202
www.chutneys.com.au/
Indian Chopsticks
77 Wigram Street Harris Park NSW 2150
Tel: +61 (02) 9891 4177
www.indianchopsticks.com.au/
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61 Comments | Add your own
It would be great fun to go on a culinary adventure like this with someone like yourself – ever enthusiastic to try new dishes!
We have a ‘fusion’ restaurant that confuses me with their Asian/Southern USA combined dishes. I find that the two cuisines don’t blend very well…
My family and I are most well acquainted with Wigram Street
We go there often but always steer clear of Billus – big recommendation, they are slightly… not so good – you had a chaat Papri and believe me, if had in the right place, it is heaven and one of the favorites
Have you tried maharaja haveli in Quakers hill? That one has exquisite food (at least last time)
A great review on all and I’m sure you do not want to eat Indian food ever again
There is an all vegetarian restaurant called Taj there too by the way and they have the most delicious Thali ever if you want to check it out – and their Indian chowmein is awesome!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I love your idea of adventure, so many of these dishes look absolutely delicious!
What a fantastic day out!! I would love to do something like that, but for me, I reckon it would have to be an elasticated waist pants for me! LOL
I’ve never had a progressive dinner such as this, but really for us as your readers, what a great idea. It really is interesting how restaurants virtually next door to one another could have such a different execution of the same dish. Goes to show you that there is no such thing as ‘authentic’ cuisine.
oh I’m full just reading all of that!
Gorgeous colours in all the dishes… and I now have an unshakeable hankering for peshwari naan.
I don’t think I could have managed that many restaurants at once. It would be too difficult to have just one mouthful.
Now that’s what you call a food adventure. I’ve been to 2 places in Harris Park and I found that they were both different, still good food nonetheless. It was my uncle from Canada who told me about Wigram St because his siblings lived locally. I’m glad he passed on the word.
What an awesome day! Isn’t it funny how there was so much variation between the same dishes? I always find that fascinating.
A good food crawl is always fun, we often hop our way to separate restaurants for each course.
WOW that’s a LOT of Indian food
I don’t really eat much Indian food so i’m not too familiar but I do like a good butter chicken with naan bread 
Would love to go on a progressive dinner ~ it seems like fun hehe
We’ve been mourning the closing of a favourite Japanese restaurant here in Seattle and are shocked that it has been replaced by a sushi Thai restaurant. That is a clash, not fusion!
Wow. This is my kind of adventure. And the idea of eating so many versions of butter chicken is indeed appealing. All of the breads look heavenly–can’t decide which looks best! Fabulous title to this post as well, Lorraine!
I was once served at an IACP culinary conference a fusion dish of New Orleans-Caribbean food: Jerk Chicken Etouffée. Yikes! No thanks. In this case, one or the other would have been great, but not “fused”.
We went on a very fun progressive dinner earlier this year. It was the Rickshaw Run in Footscray. We were transported between the South East Asian restaurants in a rickshaw which was a great experience. I think we went to eight places eating a different dish at each place, including one place where we had a lesson and rolled our own rice paper rolls. We were all food drunk at the end of the night
Hmm, you’ve given me a hankering for curry and naan now…! The last fusion Indian-Chinese sounds… interesting.
Im Bollywood style flashbacks this morning of our adventure. I have number 4 in my mind already! Great post Lorraine as always!
Cricket is supposed to be one of the most difficult sports to understand. Me? I’d rather make sport of all that kulfi you have here. LOL
What an awesome idea! Unfortunately I would be in the same boat as Mr NQN and overindulge leading to some serious sickness but the end of it all. Sounds like it was fun though
What an Indian Feast!
I had not heard of the suburb Harris Park before. Living in inner Sydney, we usually go out to nearby suburbs around Sydney city and don’t venture off too far. Thanks to you Lorraine, we will visit Harris Park as we love Indian food.
Oh my the curry sauces at the first and second last places look so thick and tasty. I’m craving naan bread at 10 in the morning!
I would definitely like a food adventure that has me eating at several different restaurants. Sometimes I wish you could save up stomach space for things like this so you could eat and eat without getting full (or fat!).
Haha looks like such a great day. It’s amazing how the same dish differs at each restaurant!
I’m super impressed that you all managed to eat so much -I would have found it incredibly hard to stop myself from eatching too much at the first restaurant!
I’m kinda very picky when comes to Indian food.. I only eat the North Indian cuisine because I found that the South Indian’s curry taste too strong.
The best one that I always come back for is simply from the food court in Broadway shopping centre..
But after reading you review.. Ehmmm so many choices and I might try some of them. Thanks
What? No Sweetland? I guess it’s not on Wigram street, so..
But seriously, if you’re ever back there, go to sweetland and get their Baklava. They make it themselves and it’s unbelievable! It was a favourite hangout for students and teachers alike when I went to school out there.
Yummo. Now I want curry for lunch! You should try Faheems Fast Food on Enmore Road in Newtown. It’s a dirty little takeaway serving amazing Pakistani food, always filled with taxi drivers (so you know it’s good!)
PS: Billu’s probably has highest patronage due to being there the longest, too. It must have reatined some customer loyalty. They did a good tasting platter where you could taste all the house specialties the last time I was there (years ago now!)
We also went Indian Saturday night, SunRise Restaurant in Ascot Vale, Melbourne. Butter chicken, Chicken Pasanda and Lamb Korma was had at our table. While the little one had mango icecream as his main, lol. The rice was great and the naan’s were spectacular, hot right out of the tandoor. Thumbs up from us.
Love Indian food – it all looks delish. I am more of an eat in one place kind of gal – I am not sure I could fit it all in otherwise.
WHAT a GREAT and fun adventure indeed!
WOW, loved seeing the various foods on which you did feed!
HOW you were able to devour all of that in one night!
I probably could not eat that amount of food in one night!
But experiencing a progressive menu WOULD be a delight!
I’m breathless after this adventure: it is very much on the ‘read again tonight when everything quiet’ list! OMG, this is totally my way of having fun
! And already marked for distribution to Sydney Indian food loving friends. Had absolutely no idea about Harris Park having this plethora of choice. Amazed that the Council has allowed retsaurants in seemingly residential houses on such a scale – but how wonderful!! Now to get up to Sydney myself, gather my own mob and do something similar! Thanks for a Monday morning surprise 
!
Now that’s what I call a progressive dinner. I’ve only been to those dinners where there are a maximum of three stops. You all have true fighting spirits! What an interesting assortment of restaurants with all the different decor and colours on the walls etc. They all have some pluses but I’m not sure I’m up for my Chinese being mixed with my Indian. Not sure that’s a blend that would work xx
Dinner plans just got canceled, I’m having Indian tonight instead!! Luckily for us our corner of Melbourne has at least half a dozen within a stone’s throw … not quite the selection you went to but still enough for us to get good food basically whenever we want!
My idea of food adventure at this time is a road trip to California, Yosemity National Park, hike to El Capitan and have a dinner at campfire… Then drive to the Pacific coast and enjoy the food divercity along Hwy 1 and 101 in the Golden state, and then North to Oregon, and Washington…
That’s my most loved drive, and food adventure. The seafood is as fresh as it cood only be…
Have a lovely week, Lorraine!
What was the question, again?!
I love all your reciped and was wondering if you have an easy but really nice lemon chicken recipe…It is one dish that I am partial to and would love to cook.
mmmm. goan fish curry looks amazing! My favourite fusion cuisine would have to be Uighur – i love the combo of the middle eastern spices with the chinese flavours. Favourite dish? definitely the lamb kebabs which are marinated in soy sauce, cumin and pomegranate juice.
I love a good progressive dinner, I was just trying to explain them to the kids the other day. Looks like we might have to try something like this!
Such a great post! It made me very hungry to read this, hehe. Peshwari naan is one of my favourites – I only discovered it recently and love it!
An amazing food adventure, I’m surprised you could move after the second place let alone at the end. This would be like trying the restaurants in Brick Lane in London. Each one very different but about 20 in the same road. We all tried Indo-Chinese in London it was a big hit, especially with the Glam Teens. GG
Indian culture is SO beautiful I love everything about it. And I am TOTALLY feeling the pangs from this entire post. I get cravings for Indian food occasionally and I’d love to go on a kickass Indian food trail one day to get it out of my system (or actually, the opposite). Fun eating! =D
Sounds like a fantastic day of gluttony. I will definitely be trying Haveli as Palak paneer is my favourite curry and the naan looks good.
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe you ate all that food, all in the spirit of research ;O) It looks like a great place to visit though.
Oh wow – what an awesome adventure! I haven’t had Indian food in ages; guess it’s time! Haha everything just looks so amazing – thanks for sharing this post
Fantastic post Lorraine, as always!!! Your adventure sounds like a spice filled Christmas in July. Your photos are beautiful, I could almost smell those delicious dishes!
Great blog on the Indian restaurants. Stomach is groaning just reading what you guys ate between you! I so missed good Indian restaurants when I came to Aus in 1970 from UK where fantastic local Indian restaurants were a way of life.
Finally we can now get some superb Indian food here in Sydney and surrounds!
SO MANY PISTACHIO DESSERTS!! Even if they’re only “lightly” flavoured with pistachios, I’m still happychappy.
Also, the kashmiri naan? Yes.
Also, you’d look stunning in that dress, m’dear!
Is it ever possible to over do naan? Absolutely NOT! What a lovely adventure, now I’ve got naan on the brain and wondering where I can get my next fix!
What an amazing feat! That is certainly a culinary accomplishment, with a cultural/sporting inclusion. Loved the 50 shades reference… but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting
All the meals look so delicious, and Indian is something I always enjoy when we dine out, so I now know where to go. Thanks for sharing
It’s six in the morning here and I’m stuffed after having read all these reviews! How did you do it? I find Indian food to be so addictive, I couldn’t stop. We have a street that is all Indian as well; our places are notorious for being unclean and unless you have heard it was good, you just wouldn’t go in.
We have our favourite Indian place in Toronto near our house; butter chicken is one of the most popular dishes in Toronto too. I make a slightly healthier version.
Oh glad to hear they serve gulab jamun – my favourite Indian dessert! And I love a progressive dinner.
:-0
what you’ve described is precisely the kind of adventure i’d love.
I love the name “Ginger” for a restaurant!
“It looks like a murdered frog”
Haa, I like that.
I want to stay in one place to be served, pampered, and drink good wine.
Btw, Indian food is my all time fave. I only order it when I have been in London.
Xx How are you, Lorraine? Been watching any good series or reading any good books.
About the 50 Shades…I’d skip that one if I were you. Xxx Kiss
What a food adventure. Sadly, there is no way I could ever participate in something like this. I just can’t hold much at one time. You’d have to call me the silly mid on position. In order to stick with the group I’d have to have just one bite of everything.
Dear Lorraine,
That is the most comprehensive review of Indian restaurants in Harris Park that I have read. Thank you! David and Belinda would have been good fun to dine with.
I have been to Billu’s years ago and remember it being very good and very reasonable especially when there is a big group to share all the curries and fantastic breads.
YOur adventure sounds wonderful! we are so excited that we at last have one Indian restaurant in our country town, so to have an Indian street lined with restaurants would be awesome! I;ll have to put it on the BD wish list!
for now, our Indian restaurant that just popped up out of nowhere doesn’t disappoint! we are loving it. I wanted to go for my BD last week, but due to an infected throat and cold I wasnt sure Indian food would be the best!Thanks for your post.
Good one!
Look like there is a mistake for the address listing for Haveli.
Wow!!! You practically tasted the whole rainbow of North Indian Cuisine. I loved the look of Shahi (it shouldn’t be Shahai)baingan. And Nihari goat meat is not easily available on the Menu.
Butter Chicken has always been the crowd pleaser, and somehow has come to be synonymous with Indian food.
I would definitely stay away from lamb dishes on most part. Few Indian restaurants cook it well.
Thanks Auri! I think I was doing it on Auto Pilot
Thats what i call “an indian feast” and a fantastic read , really felt like i was literally walking down that street. Gulab jamun is forever yummy.
Love it. That’s my idea of a brilliant day out.
Alas I have very few foodie friends locally.
Though one is traveling up from Canberra on Sunday to come to my prize lunch at the Art Gallery. THANKYOU again.
I just nearly died laughing seeing the picture of the Rezzala (its Rezala by the way) which was originally developed in Kolkata, Bengal, by this amazing restaurant called Sabir (which, incidentally, still makes it) and it has a white yoghurt gravy with huge red chillies and no sign of any redness apart from the said chillies. Also, what is Rasgulla Gulabjamun?? Rasgulla, or Roshogolla, as it is better known, is another Bengali dish, which is made of nothing but cottage cheese and sugar syrup.
Also, co-incidentally, Indo-Chinese food WAS developed in Kolkata, or Calcutta, as it was the nation’s capital till 1915, and it houses the biggest Chinatown in India. I have never heard of the first two dishes, and the only one which is a true-blue Kolkata chinese food (as Indo-Chinese is fondly called here) is the Chicken Chow Mien. Which, btw, is filled with Wok Hei and very tasty too. I think the most cooked recipes coming from this genre are Chicken Manchurian and Chilli Chicken/Fish.
Hope that helped!!
Dare I ask, how many of you were there?! That’s a lot of Indian food!
Yummmmm!
If you thought Indo-Chinese ws weird, I had Mexican Japanese in New York. It was really good, however weird it was!
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