The cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @ Not Quite Nigella

Category Archives: Indian

Janani, Homebush

janani homebush

I believe in karma-of all kinds including and not limited to strange things such as karma of lifts. For not having a license for several decades means that I have gotten several lifts over the years and I probably owe the universe several thousand. So when I was confirming plans to meet with Laura at Janani she mentioned that she didn’t have her car. I offered to pick her up and drive her there in Purdie the Prius.

janani homebush

Slowly I fought my way through peak hour city traffic where I tried to find the lane markings which were slick and glistening with what looked like oil. We finally made it to Janani with a combination of the GPS and Laura’s instructions and fell upon it gratefully.

janani homebush

Laura is a regular here and she and her friend NQN reader Maddie have been going here for years so she gets a warm greeting when we enter. “I always order the same thing so let’s order weird things tonight and let’s order lots of food!” she says eagerly. We peruse the plastic coated pages and start at the drinks. The two owners, a husband and wife team are here 7 days a week and the wife answers any questions we have about the menu items.

janani homebush

Faludha $6 on left and Butter milk on right $3.50

The closest description of the faludha is a thick, rose scented milkshake drink with scoops of kulfi ice cream and faludha seeds. It’s is sweet, thick and delicious without being too overpowering with rose. In contrast is the butter milk-not buttermilk, the by product of butter making, but an entirely different entity. Here they blend coriander, curry leaves, cumin seeds and ginger with milk and serve it cold. It’s unusual and definitely savoury and your brain, especially after having the faludha thinks “No” but when yo think of it like a cold soup like a gazpacho through a straw then it tastes better. It’s kind of like the first time I tried a salty lassi or ayran. Now I love them both but the first time I didn’t.

janani homebush

Ginger Milk tea $3.50

“That’s three drinks right?” she asks us and we both nod. I always love going out to dinner with people that love to sample a lot. The ginger milk tea is my favourite of the drinks, not just for it’s warming properties on this cold and wet night but once I add a couple of teaspoons of sugar it gives a bit of spicy, milky sweetness that is like a little hug.

janani homebush

Chicken 65 $8

“Don’t ask me what Chicken 65 means” the wife says to us laughing. “What does it mean?” we ask. They say that it is called that because it has been made since 1965. The dish is made up of tender pieces of chicken marinated in what looks like a spicy yogurt marinade and grilled until juicy and charred on the edges. It’s similar to a Tandoori chicken in smaller, bite sized pieces.

janani homebush

Hopper: coconut milk and jaggery $3.50

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36 comments | December 18th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella

Flavour of India, Edgecliff

flavour of india edgecliff

“Oh my god, that’s Russell Crowe over there!!” one of Miss America’s friends says. And sure enough the Gladiator is sitting there metres away from us.

“What do we do?” someone asks.

“Nothing! Just keep taking photos of the food and not him!” I answer his reputation preceding him.

We’re dining at Flavour of India in Edgecliff, an establishment that has seen its share of celebrities. It occupies a block of road right next to one of Sydney’s most expensive suburbs Darling Point and our waiter tells us that Nicole Kidman has dined “over there” and he points to a quiet corner and this is of course the infamous place where Michael Hutchence had his last meal.

But back to us, it’s native New Zealander Miss America’s twenty year anniversary dinner living in Australia. So having Russell, a native New Zealander who now lives in Australia whom we’ve just reclaimed along with the pavlova is kind of a lucky charm no? We’re having the $49 banquet here tonight. Now I should add that the banquet is not really a banquet and it’s not very good value from what we can tell. You basically have a mixed entree and choose from a list of eight curries for your main and you end off with a tea. Which would cost you about the same if you ordered them separately and then you would get more curries to choose from and there’s no sense of “banquetness” i.e. an array of food unless there are a lot of you happy to share.

flavour of india edgecliff

Pappadums

We start with some pappadums with mint yogurt, mango chutney and a tomato, onion and cucumber salad.

flavour of india edgecliff

Mango Lassi

I try a bit of Mr NQN’s mango lassi and it’s not bad although it’s not quite sweet enough with the tangy yogurt but that’s just me perhaps.

flavour of india edgecliff

Mixed entree

Our mixed entree arrives and it has a tandoori lamb cutlet which is a superb, tender soft cutlet of lamb generously coated in a tandoori yogurt sauce. There is also a piece of chicken tikka thigh which is juicy and moist and also coated with a tikka yogurt sauce. The samosa, something that can often be dry and stodgy has a lovely crispy shell and a delicious interior that avoids all stodge.

flavour of india edgecliff

Chicken Butter Masala

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52 comments | April 26th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella

Abhi’s Indian Restaurant, North Strathfield

abhis indian

Our evening routine when we go out for dinner goes something like this:

Mr NQN: Are you going to be ready to leave in five minutes?

NQN: Yes. I’ve got to get changed and then pack up the camera etc.

Mr NQN: Good because you don’t look ready.

NQN: Are you ready to go in five minutes?

Mr NQN: Yes of course I am

NQN: Then why are you naked and playing on your computer?

abhis indian

Tonight was no different. We were running a bit late for our dinner with David and Belinda. You may know our dining companions, David is the chef and owner of Perama restaurant and Belinda is his gorgeous wife. Tonight we’re dining at Abhi’s. Because David is a chef, that means that we can only really go out on Sunday and Monday evenings and this Monday evening we are amazed to see that Abhi’s is absolutely packed with people. We leave it to Belinda and David to order as they are regulars here.

abhis indian

Lassi Yogurt $3.80

Abhi’s is the sister and first restaurant to Aki’s. Abhi is more down to earth and relaxed whereas Aki’s is more glamorous and expensive. We start with the lassti which is always a must have. It is delicious with the added scent of cardamom along with the mango flavour.

abhis indian

Pala Patta Chat $13.80

We’re all over the moon loving this entree. It is spinach leaves in a crispy lentil batter, topped with yoghurt, date & tamarind and chilli & mint sauces. It comes out as a listening tower of crunchy chips that are streaked with yogurt and tangy, spicy sauces. It’s also very different to anything that we’ve tried before and I go for second (and third!) helpings of this.

abhis indian

Chatpata Squid $17.80

The salt & pepper squid is lightly dusted with spiced tapioca flour and served with a tamarind & ginger dipping sauce. The squid pieces are very tender and it tastes just like a good salt and pepper squid but with a little twist with the fragrant sauce.

abhis indian

Alu Tikki $12.80

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59 comments | March 1st, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella

Zaaffran, Darling Harbour, Sydney

zaaffran, darling harbour

“I just have two rules: no photos of me and no asking for the bill” Rush, the owner of Zaaffran says smiling when he seats us. Mr NQN and I are on a date tonight, just the two of us although when we start to see the number of dishes, we think that perhaps bringing friends might have been a prudent idea. Zaaffran is located on the second level of the Darling Harbour Harbourside Complex. Despite it being a touristy area, and there are tourists aplenty, there are also a lot of large Indian groups and families which is always a good sign when you’re dining out. Zaaffran (named after the spice saffron) has been open for 12 years and has been lauded by the New York Times as well as many local press for having creative Indian food.

zaaffran, darling harbour

Strawberry & Rose Petal Syrup Lussie $6.00

I start with the strawberry and rose petal syrup lussie (or lassi). It’s just the right balance of flavours and sweetness and it has tiny chips of ice throughout it. I’m starting to feel rather relaxed now…

zaaffran, darling harbour

Mini Poories Gol Guppa $10.80

The kid in me loves interactive food. Food with the possibility of a sartorial disaster is even more exciting unless I am wearing something silk. What has to be one of the most fun foods to eat are the mini poories. You take a thin, hollow, crispy shell and filled it with the spiced mung beans, potato, crunchy chickpea and vermicelli noodle mix and add a dash of mint and sweet tamarind liquid and down the hatch! The sensation is crunchy, spicy, sweet and tasty all at once and we can imagine kids and adults would like this bit of DIY at the table (and yes they can do a mild kid’s version too).

zaaffran, darling harbour

Crisp potato and corn mini patties laced with yogurt, date-tamarind and mint toppings – Aloo Makkai Tikki Chaat $11.30

Mr NQN especially loves these tiny flattened balls of potato patty drizzled with yogurt, a date tamarind and mint sauce. They’re quite tangy and spicy and remind me, bizarrely but stay with me, of potato wedges in an extra dousing of flavour. I’d imagine these would be great with a beer or drinks as a more sophisticated alternative to wedges.

zaaffran, darling harbour

Zaaffran Apple Cooler $6.50

The Zaaffran apple cooler is a mix of saffron syrup, apple juice, lemon juice and honey. It is very lemony and sweet with honey although I can’t really taste the apple.

zaaffran, darling harbour

Thirst Quencher $7.50

We both liked this drink as it was very refreshing with a vividly hued rose petal syrup, copious amount of fresh lime and mint and lemonade and a little peek of cardamom. In fact we could have had seven of these each but we didn’t want to overstay our welcome

zaaffran, darling harbour

Palak Paneer $21 Aromatic rice infused with saffron $4

Do you always have a dish that you have to order when you go out for a certain cuisine? For me and Indian food it’s palak paneer, a cottage cheese and spinach curry. The Indian cottage cheese cubes are very soft and creamy and the spinach sauce with fenugreek, ginger, garlic and green chilli is incredibly silky smooth. It is perfectly paired with the saffron infused rice. Even though I know we have a lot of courses to go, the temptation to have more of this is hard to resist and I do.

zaaffran, darling harbour

Seafood sampler $29.30

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52 comments | September 22nd, 2010 by Not Quite Nigella

Guru Restaurant for Indian French Cuisine, Surry Hills

“We’re going to dinner with Trissa and Dan” I tell Mr NQN one evening and then mumble “It’s Indian French” and then scamper off quickly before he can ask me to clarify. No such luck “Whaaat? Did you say Indian French?” he asks incredulously. *Gulp* “Yes” I answer. “Well I hope it ends better than the last fusion restaurant we went to” and I can’t help but agree.

guru surry hills inside

Inside it’s vivid oranges as Dan points out as he’s wearing a bright orange shirt too. There are oranges in a bowl, orange lights and there’s also a touch of the Old Raj in one corner with gilt edged tables and chairs. The menu sounds tempting so we ask the waitress what she recommends and she decisively reels off 4 entrees and 4 mains.

guru surry hills amuse bouche