| Namaste my fellow curry connoisseurs, Welcome to Guru Ted's Guide to Indian
Restaurants in the Auckland Region. Here you will find my own
personal and unbiased ratings for a selection of Indian restaurants
that I've recently dined at.
I've
added a bit more science to my curry guide by adding a weighted average
for each restaurant based on a dozen different factors that I look
for when I dine out. The list of things I judge include: quality
of meal along with the menu selection, beverages, service, toilets,
music, etc. I've also incorporated the summary ratings from
the DineOut.co.nz website. The blue box above ranks both measures, and
thus highlights the top rated Indian restaurants in Auckland.
The ratings are summarised n the table below (alphabetically and by
score). The charts below represent and indicative price of a basic
meal. The dashed "isoquant" lines below reflect a simple linear
trade-off between rating points and the meal cost. So, a less
salubrious venue that scores a lower rating, may infact offer better
value for money.To keep things simple, I've priced the meal using an
indicative cost of a main course plus a naan bread, at each restaurant.
In
2011, my wife and I relocated from Wellington to live on
Waiheke Island and work in the city. Alas, my regular reviews of
Wellington Indian restaurants have now concluded. However, as one door
closes so another door opens. And thus, I’ve now switched to
reviewing the Indian dining scene in Auckland. For an archive of my
previous ratings for Wellington restaurants, please click here.
Cheers and bon appétit.
Guru Ted
Review
#220 [16-May-12] Punjabi Dhaba in the Botany South  6.9 chillies
The
restaurant is large and could of quite easily accommodated our fourteen
diners ten times over. There were four other groups of diners, and
promisingly, all but one were Indian. We started with a complementary
poppumdum each. These had the unusual presentation of having been
folded into a quarter circle shape while still warm. The entrees were
plentiful and consisted of: Tandoori Prawns, sliced Seehk Kebab and two
sorts of Chicken Tikka. All were quickly devoured but a few bits of
kebab remained. The kebabs were quite good compared to others I've had,
but the chicken and prawn were even more delicious. They came with a
mint raita, which was a rich green colour and included several
additional subtle flavours, such as tamarind and fenugeek. The
benchmarking tasting vindaloo was also sampled with the entree and was
an excellent example of how hot an extra hot dish should be. For the
mains I had a Chicken Dahba which was a tasty dish based around an
onion sauce but included some other flavours that gave it a richness. I
also tried several other dishes with my favourite being the Lamb
Tak-a-Tak. The breads were a fine example of naan making. The beer list
included three Indian beers. The only thing that let the beers down is
that the Kingfisher Strongs could've been chilled a little more. There
was an extensive range of dishes to chose from on the menu. The dining
environment was very airy with a high stud making it almost barn-like
inside but it was very warm despite being a chilly night outside. The
background music was lost in the table chatter. We were able to utilise
our Entertainment cards for a small (when spilt 14 ways) but welcomed
discount. The toilets we good enough. Scores around the table ranged
from 6.5 to 9.5 with a consensus of 7.9. Being in Botany South it was
bit of a mission to get to the restaurant, but I were suitably
impressed once I got there.
[return
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Review
#219 [3-May-12]
Little
India in the CBD
5.6 chillies
Five
of us dined here on a Thursday night. The entrance is via the
neighbouring hotel foyer, which is a little odd given its street
frontage. We started with some poppadums and an impressive selection of
six various dips. The dips were nice but only the hot masala paste
rewarded my palate. The Mango Chutney was very sweet and jam-like. We
shared a selection of mains. I chose Lamb Acharri as my dish. I also
enjoyed the Lamb Vindaloo but the thought the Butter Chicken, Chicken
Tikka Masala and Lamb Pasanda were a tad too creamy. I liked my
Pershwari Naan but felt it was closer to a regular naan but with nuts
and raisins sprinkled on top. The breadth of dishes across the menu was
fairly standard. The range of beers was good but I was a little
disappointed that they didn't stock Kingfisher Strongs, only regular
strength. Oh well. The service we received was good. The music sounded
a little tinny and was easily drowned out by the background
conversational level. The toilets were adequate but the facilities were
in fact the neighbouring hotel's. An 'A' grade hygiene certificate was
on display on the main reception counter. It was less than a quarter
full while we were there otherwise the noise level may have been
elevated, given the concrete floor. The prices are a little higher (in
the top quartile) compared to other Indian restaurants around the city.
Overall, I'd happily return to this eatery.
[return
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Review #218 [18-Apr-12] Simla Mirch in Mt Eden
5.7 chillies
I
visited Simla Mirch as part of a group of fifteen like-minded gentlemen
that gather once a month for a regular Indian meal. This month's host
selected Simla Mirch as our destination, primarily because they offer a
"challenge hot" option on their menu. If the challenge is passed, with
the curry eaten within the stipulated 30 minutes, one is rewarded
with a t-shirt and a photo on the "wall of flame". Twelve of our group
opted to try the super extra hot curry option. Foolhardily, we began
with a round of entrees, which were, on reflection, only rated an
average score taste-wise. But it was the main event that we had
gathered for, and the anticipation increased as the even drew nearer.
Nearly all of the main courses on the menu could be ordered with a
"challenge hot" heat rating. The exceptions being anything creamy.
Thinking flavour would not be critical for this meal, I decided to
order a generic sounding Chicken Curry. True to its label, it had
little discernible flavour, apart from the chili, of course and some
chicken thigh meat. I was the first to finish and in record time, but
that's another story (or video on their Facebook page). As the timer
counted down to the end of the allotted thirty minutes, more and more
of our group alerted the others as to their completion. Each was
greeted by a deserved round of applause. Eleven of the twelve were able
to finish their meals in the allotted time. The sole non-completioner
admitted failure, when only two forkfuls into the meal. After a
compulsory ten minute cooling down ("holding down" is a perhaps a more
apt phrase) were were all treated to a complementary Mango Lassi. The
breads that accompanied the mains were, like the entrees, okay but not
outstanding. Unfortunately I can't really offer a broader review of a
more typical dining experience. But if you have the desire to push your
spiceometer into the red-zone, then this is the place for you. The
restaurant has an A grade hygiene certificate. The bare floor meant
that the noise level was quite elevated at times. The toilets were in a
fairly average condition. [return
to top] Review #217 [21-Mar-12] Calcutta Walla! in the downtown CBD  4.6 chillies
The
Royal New Zealand Curry Club invited me to join them. We dined at
Calcutta Wala. After a few ales at a nearby bar, we arrived to a quiet
restaurant. Other diners increased in number later in the
evening. We had complimentary popudums to start. These were in short
supply for a large table of hunger diners and I missed out by going to
the lavatory. The entrees were shared across the table. They consisted
of: Onion Bahji, Samosas, Chicken Tikka and Seehk Kebab. The chicken
was my pick as the best of the bunch, but the samosas were a close
second. The bahji were more like onion pakora with a thick batter and a
fatty flavour dominated the taste profile of the kebabs. The two sauces
(mint and tamarind) that accompanied them were runny, sweet but lacking
in ant discernible taste. For the mains we had a per-ordered banquet of
four dishes: Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken, Fish and Veggie Curries. All
were passable but not far from an average example of each. The lamb was
perhaps best but not by much. The seafood a little seafoody for my
palate. The heat rating was close to Kiwi Hot but that meant the few
subtle flavours weren't lost. The plain and garlic naan were pretty
good. With 25 diners at out table the background music was drowned out
by banter around the table by beer drinker enhanced voice levels. The
toilet was clean, tidy and pleasant to use. The price equated to over
$40 a head which I thought was a little high given we all were drinking
BYO wine and some lads complained of food shortages. The decor was
better-than-average of the restaurants that I've eaten at. An 'A grade'
hygiene certificate was noted behind the counter. [return
to top] Review #216 [15-Mar-12] Sagar in Birkenhead 6.1 chillies
We
dined here with a group of 12. The restaurant was half about full when
we arrived. Suz made the comment that from the street it reminded her
of a typical restaurant that you'd find in India. The pleasantly spicy
fragrance that greeted us on our arrival reinforced this imagery. We
started with some papadums while mulling over what to have for our main
course. The entrees we shared were: Chilli Chicken, Onion Bhaji and
Samosa. I really enjoyed the chicken but a few others at teh table
couldn't cope with the spicy heat of the coating. The bhaji was very
good too, and quite plentiful. The Tamarind and Mint sauces were also
of a good standard and were larger sized servings than would be
typically served elsewhere. The mains that Suz and I shared were Lamb
Vindaloo and Chicken Jalfrazi. Someone else at the table ordered a
chicken vindaloo, which looked a lighter and more orange shade of
colour. The taste was different too. The lamb vindaloo had the subtle
vinegar hallwak flavour that I couldn't detect in the chicken. The
vindaloo could've been a little hotter, but as usual, it can sometimes
be hit-and-miss to get the degree of heat just right. The jalfrazi was
was very nice - more of a dry dish than gravy based. Lots of thin
sliced capsicum and chicken was included, with the larger serving
meaning that when the good stuff arrived, it was piled up in the
serving bowl. We also had some Pershawari Naan and Tandoori Roti. The
pershawari was especially nice. My warmed plate was so warm they could
only be comfortably held for a few seconds. In a complete contrast, I
liked that the water glasses were from a chiller and would have made an
ideal beer drinking vessel. On that subject, the beer list was okay and
at a very reasonable price, but sadly my beloved Kingfisher Strong was
not included. The background music wasn't too loud, which helped
diminish the effect of the odd (ie. questionable) selection of Indian
music at times. I didn't go to the toilet but Suz said they were fairly
average. The prices are definitely at the better end of the scale,
being 15 percent below my derived average cost of an Indian dinner.
Overall, Suz and I'd would be most happy to dine at Sagar again. [return
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Review #215 [14-Mar-12] Wishing Well in Howick 7.3 chillies
It's
been 8 months since I last visite here. The previous time we came for
an Indian breakfast, so I was eager to see how dinner would go.
We started with popadom and a selection of five dips. While big on
number, none of the dips were big on taste. Our entrees were fairly
stock standard. The chicken tikka looked good but dind't relly follow
up with taste. The Onion Bahji were, perhaps, the best of the bunch -
more akin to onionn pakroa than bahji. The samosas and especially the
seekh kebab were unappealing. Our benchmarking vindaloo, was a whole
different story. The lamb in the vindaloo was the most tenderist I've
every had in a curry(and I've had a few!). The sauce was kick arse, but
even so was spiced up another gear for our three recipients this moth.
I had Lamb Do Piaza, which was excellent. The Lamb Nawabi was another
superb dish that I tried. The service was attentive. Given our large
table of 11, we we given a discounted price on the Kingfisher Strong. I
even tried a new Indian beer I haven't had before called Golden Eagle.
The dining environment was good, although at times I pitied the other
three tables of diners. The music was a good mix of Indian tunes but
could drowned out with our shenanigans later in the night. In summary,
a good night thanks to the main dishes bettering the average
entrees. [return
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Review #214 [16-Feb-12] Raviz in Ponsonby 6.3 chillies
We had 15 congregate for the Thursday Night Curry meeting. After
munching on some poppadums we ordered some entrees: Onion Bhaji,
Chicken Tikka and Vege Pakora. The were nice and came with some thick
mint sauce and sweet tamarind sauce. For my entree I had Handi Chicken,
off the speciality section of the menu. It was ordered Indian Hot but
was about Kiwi Hot at best. There were some lovely flavours in the
sauce such as cinnamon stick and cardamon. The serving size was very
good, being piled up in an already biggish bowl. The Cheese Naan was
fairly average and hardly warranted the cheese in it's name descriptor
as there was not much sign of the cheese. The beer list was quite good
and I had a Kingfisher as well as a Cobra. The environment of the
restaurant was fairly hum-drum. The toilets were clean and tidy.
The music was very quiet and disappointingly, the large screen TV
had a mainstream movie playing rather than a bollywood production.
Despite a relatively large number of diners, the crew was able to
deliver all the dinners in a short while. [return
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Review
#213 [15-Feb-12] Bolliwood
in Ponsonby 6.3 chillies
Our
group of 13 diners had an enjoyable night at Bolliwood. Our entrees
were pre-ordered by our host and consisted of: Chicken Tikkka, Seekh
Kebab, Onion Bhaji and Samosa. The chicken was my favourite: moist and
had a subtle smokey flavour. The kebabs were better-than-average but
still lacked a convincing punch.The samosas were very good and the
bhaji (the clump fried in a big pattie variety) didn't do it for me.
The mint and tamarind sauces were sweet and fairly standard in their
flavour profiles. There was the usual classic selection of dishes on
the menu, with Goat Curry the only standout dish that isn't normally
included in the mainstream selection. For the main course I selected a
hot Lamb Balti. This was quite creamy but had a nice flavour
nevertheless. I tried a few other dishes too. The Goat Curry had tender
meat which was falling off the bone. The sauce wasn't as hot as I'd
expect. The Saagwala was savoury and pleasantly salty. The benchmarking
vindaloo was fittingly hot and the sauce was nice and vinegary. As was
the case last month, the benchmarking vindaloo was delivered for
everyone to taste with the entrees rather than the main courses. I
think this will be a regular request going forward. The breads were
very good but, owing to our host's selection, we were limited to only
plain and garlic. The restaurant was quite busy, meaning that any
background music was lost in the din. The toilet was clean and
functional. One of the lads claimed that the urinal reminded him of a
cleavage shaped ceramic design that he was peeing into and after he
told me this I had to take a look and, bizarrely, I had to agreed with
him. The service was mostly good but there was a bit of a lengthy wait
between entrees and mains. Our waitress, Aman, was in good form and
even provided an ice bucket to keep our Kingfisher Strongs chilled. The
heightened noise level meant that our post meal round the table review
was harder to hear. Scores ranged between 7-10 with a consensus of 8.25
out of 10. [return
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Review
#212 [23-Jan-12] New Delhi
in Royal Oak 6.3 chillies
Our
group of 10 diners gathered here on a Wednesday in the middle of
January. We were given mini poppadums to start, which were accompanied
with a tamarind dip. The poppadums were the size of a small round
cracker and little more than a mouthful without any discernible taste.
The tamarind dip was sweet, and without any of the usual tang that I'd
expect. The entrees were pre-ordered for us by the host. They consisted
of sizzling plates of: Samosa, Pakora, Onion Bhaji, Chicken Tikka and
Seekh Kebab. Of these the chicken was the best offering, in my opinion.
The kebab was oily and the rest of the starters were fine but nothing
outstanding. They came with some mint raita which, while the taste of
fresh mint was detected, was very runny and a little underwhelming. We
also had our pre-ordered benchmarking Chicken Vindaloos delivered with
the entrees rather than the main meals. This proved to be an opportune
time as, while there was only a few meaty chunks, the sauce was a
welcome taste with its Indian Hot rating overshadowing the blandness of
the rest of the entrees. The heat took a few moments to build but was a
reasonable heat rating in the end but half a notch under the level I
would've expected it to be. In essence if became a hot dipping sauce.
There were an abundance of entrees, given that we had ordered for 15
diners but only 10 actually turned up. I ordered an Indian Hot Achari
Chicken for my main course. Like the vindaloo it took a few moments for
the entire heat profile to build. There wasn't much in the flavour
department to get me excited. A lack of heat was a common complaint
when we did our post-meal ratings. Off the menu there were only a
couple unusual items that I noted. The music was a little quiet at
times, maybe due to the background banter, and it definitely didn't
leave me with a lasting impression of audible satisfaction. The decor
of the restaurant is fairly basic and stark, and didn't ooze any Indian
charm. The toilet was satisfactory, albeit with a broken flush button.
The dinner plates were un-warmed and the order of food and rice was
mixed up, with the rice coming to the table after the main courses were
delivered. The breads were quite oily. Overall the prices they
charge are a smidgen (6 percent) over the market average that I have
calculated. Offsetting this, the restaurant is included in the
Entertainment Book. The night we dined they had a a mid-week blackboard
special price on the curries, which was about equal to the discount
that the voucher from the Entertainment Book offered. The restaurant
was reasonable busy, which made it a little hard to be heard at times,
even with a carpeted floor. The A grade hygiene certificate , which was
clearly displayed, was noted. Scores around the table ranged from 4.5
to 8, with a consensus of 6.5 reached. [return
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Review
#211 [18-Jan-12] Curry Leaf
inOnehunga 5.2 chillies Our
group of 10 diners gathered here on a Wednesday in the middle of
January. We were given mini poppadums to start, which were accompanied
with a tamarind dip. The poppadums were the size of a small round
cracker and little more than a mouthful without any discernible taste.
The tamarind dip was sweet, and without any of the usual tang that I'd
expect. The entrees were pre-ordered for us by the host. They consisted
of sizzling plates of: Samosa, Pakora, Onion Bhaji, Chicken Tikka and
Seekh Kebab. Of these the chicken was the best offering, in my opinion.
The kebab was oily and the rest of the starters were fine but nothing
outstanding. They came with some mint raita which, while the taste of
fresh mint was detected, was very runny and a little underwhelming. We
also had our pre-ordered benchmarking Chicken Vindaloos delivered with
the entrees rather than the main meals. This proved to be an opportune
time as, while there was only a few meaty chunks, the sauce was a
welcome taste with its Indian Hot rating overshadowing the blandness of
the rest of the entrees. The heat took a few moments to build but was a
reasonable heat rating in the end but half a notch under the level I
would've expected it to be. In essence if became a hot dipping sauce.
There were an abundance of entrees, given that we had ordered for 15
diners but only 10 actually turned up. I ordered an Indian Hot Achari
Chicken for my main course. Like the vindaloo it took a few moments for
the entire heat profile to build. There wasn't much in the flavour
department to get me excited. A lack of heat was a common complaint
when we did our post-meal ratings. Off the menu there were only a
couple unusual items that I noted. The music was a little quiet at
times, maybe due to the background banter, and it definitely didn't
leave me with a lasting impression of audible satisfaction. The decor
of the restaurant is fairly basic and stark, and didn't ooze any Indian
charm. The toilet was satisfactory, albeit with a broken flush button.
The dinner plates were un-warmed and the order of food and rice was
mixed up, with the rice coming to the table after the main courses were
delivered. The breads were quite oily. Overall the prices they
charge are a smidgen (6 percent) over the market average that I have
calculated. Offsetting this, the restaurant is included in the
Entertainment Book. The night we dined they had a a mid-week blackboard
special price on the curries, which was about equal to the discount
that the voucher from the Entertainment Book offered. The restaurant
was reasonable busy, which made it a little hard to be heard at times,
even with a carpeted floor. The A grade hygiene certificate , which was
clearly displayed, was noted. Scores around the table ranged from 4.5
to 8, with a consensus of 6.5 reached. [return
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Review
#210 [22-Dec-11] Nite Spice
in Mt Eden  7.0 chillies
We
had a group of twelve the night we dined here, three days before
Christmas. We started with some complementary poppadums. For entrees we
shared Onion Bahji, Fried Paneer and Chicken Tikka. All were very good
and came accompanied with some nicely prepared tasting Mint and
Tamarind sauces. For our mains, I ordered Lamb Vindaloo and Suz asked
for Chicken Hariyali. The latter wasn't on the menu but they do state
on the menu they can prepare any Indian dish not available on the menu.
Hariyali is similar to saag but with a lesser amount of spinach being
substituted with fresh coriander and mint. My vindaloo had a
distinctive vinegar flavour and was just the right amount of heat. It
also didn't have the orange/red food colouring, that is commonly added
elsewhere. The lamb was fairly good quality with a decent quantity of
meaty chunks. Suz's chicken was outstanding and she was highly
appreciative of them making the dish on request. We shared a Pershwari
naan each, which was fairly average, to be fair. The service was good,
however, there was a slip-up with my neighbouring diner's order being
overlooked. This was quickly rectified, but not before he had to wait 5
minutes while everyone else was tucking in to their meals. We had the
dining area out the back, which was good. The music, by way of a large
screen Bollywood movie was good once the volume was adjusted down a
tad. I didn't use the toilet so can't comment on their facilities. Our
table was given a 10% discount for being regular diners to this
restaurant over the year. Overall, this is the third Nite Spice that
I've dined at, and the best of the franchise I've visited, to
date. [return
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Review
#209 [15-Dec-11] Mantra
in Henderson 7.4 chillies
My
first impression was in regard to the beer list, which is excellent.
There are 18 beers on the menu and imported beers outnumber local beers
by a factor of 2:1. But why go international when they stock my adored
Epic Armageddon? I nibble on a complementary popudum while deciding
what to order. I decided on the Malai Kebab for the entree and Karahi
Chicken for the main course. I had a Pepper Garlic Cheese Naan too. The
entree was delicious and perfectly cooked. The only disappointment was
the mint sauce which seemed to have a mint flavour that was bottled
rather than fresh. Never mind, because it didn't really need the sauce
anyway. The main course was delivered a short time later. I asked for
Indian Hot and the heat rating was bang on the mark. It was a good
sized portion too. The naan bread was interesting mix of flavours. I
would have got a pershwari naan but this variety of bread wasn't on the
the menu. This one had a cheddar cheese filling with garlic and pepper
topping. The flavours of both the meal and the bread were fantastic.
The meat to gravy ratio was short a couple of chunks of meat, but not
too short from ideal. There were a few more unusual items on the menu
which was welcomed. The service was very good. The music was good too
but could've been a touch louder. An A grade hygiene certificate was
proudly displayed in the front window. On the down-side, the prices
were relatively expensive. By my calculation they were about 20% higher
than the indicative market average. To offset this the restaurant has a
voucher in the Entertainment Book. In summary, Mantra is a little out
of the way but well worth the visit. [return
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Review
#208 [14-Dec-11] The Yellow Chilli
in Grey Lynn 6.3 chillies
We
had a group of 13 for our special Christmas monthly gathering of curry
connoisseurs. We had the mezzanine floor to ourselves, which was
appreciated. We started with a selection of entrees (Onion Bahji,
Samosa, Chicken Tikka and Seekh Kebab). Most we unmemorable. The
chicken was memorable - but not in a good way. It was cooked
satisfactorily but lacked deep of flavour. The two sauces (Mint and
Tamarind) were quite runny, with the mint sauce slightly better than
the tamarind. For my main I selected Rogan Josh. This was ordered
Indian Hot but was really only Kiwi Hot. However, the benchmarking
tasting vindaloo had a good level of heat. The Garlic and Plain Naans
were mediocre. We had pre-ordered a banquet meal, so also got some
dessert. I picked Gulab Jamun from the selection. It was fairly
average. The menu didn't have anything out of the ordinary on it. The
service was caught lacking a few times. One member didn't get his meal
and was left without a main for several minutes until his dish could be
cooked up. The rice took a fraction too long to be delivered, once the
other mains and breads were already on the table. The prices were very
close to the market average that I have compiled for the city. The
health certificate was stuck on the wall by the kitchen and not closer
to the reception area. Being a recently completed building, the dinning
environment was top notch, as was the toilet facilities. Scores around
the table ranged from3 to 8.5, with a consensus of 6. I personally
scored the evening an 8 out of ten and wouldn't hesitate to
return. [return
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Review
#207 [13-Dec-11] Indian Kitchen
in Howick 5.6 chillies
I
was the first dine in customer to arrive, but there were plenty of
phone orders being rung through, as well as other orders being made in
person. They do a Monday or Tuesday special, but this doesn't apply to
seafood or lamb curries. I was given a couple of complementary popadums
to nibble on while I made my choice of what to have. I selected Chicken
TIkka for an entree and Beef Archari for the main, with a Pershwari
Naan to go with it. The chicken came our quite fast and the sped of
delivery caught me by surprise as I was in the toilet checking out the
faciltiies. The chicken was moist and a good serving size. I couldn't
detect any smoky flavours however. The mint sauce that accompanied it
was very good and included a subtle spiciness and also a tang, as if a
hint of pickle rf something else had been included. Sadly, the main
course looked creamy and artificially coloured with the same food
colouring used in the preparation of butter chicken gravy.
Nevertheless, there were plenty of chunks of pickle in the sauce to
make it interesting. The naan bread had plenty of dried fruit but no
nuts or coconut in the filling. It was on the smallish size too. The
beer list was very short (only three items and only one the was Indian
(Kingfisher regular strength). The beer glasses were straight from the
chiller so that was a minor consolation. The service was excellent and
customers were constantly greeting customers as sir and ma'm. The
toilet was a functional and the interior freshly painted. There were no
hand towels however, with both hot and cold taps were working. The
music was a nice Indian mixture but lost in the noise as more dine-in
customers progressively arrived.
[return
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Review
#206 [16-Nov-11] Nite Spice
in Manukau 5.3 chillies
We
had a group of 25 at our monthly curry meeting, at Nite Spice. They
struggled catering to such a large group. Our entrees were copious,
basically because the host had over-ordered. The Onion Bahji were nice,
if a little oily. The Chicken Tikka, brought out on a sizzling hot
plate were good. The Seekh Kebab was made with ultra minced meat, and
had the texture of a Sizzler sausage. But at least they weren't
rubbery. The mint and tamarind sauces were basic. The tamarind was
sweet but without the tang, and coloured using red-orange tandoori
coloring. I suspect that my main dish of Chicken Jaipuri was made with
a basic sauce base as some of the other wins I could see. The breads
were fine. The service was frustratingly slow, i.e. the first third of
our group had eaten their mains before the rest of us had even received
ours. A couple of dishes (mine included) ware forgotten about, but able
to be delivered within a matter of minutes when asked. The heat of mine
was less than I expected for "very hot" as I'd requested. They couldn't
offer us Kingfisher Strongs in bottles but could provide it in cans.
Apparently their suppliers had run out of the bttled variety. Another
complaint was the tablecloth had food stains on it.The restaurant
was very noisy, not helped by our large group. The staff turned down
the music when we gave our ratings of the place. The ratings ranged
from 0-7.5, with a consensus of 5 for the group. [return
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Review
#205 [10-Nov-11] Indique
in Birkenhead 7.6 chillies
I
really enjoyed my meal at Indique. We started with some very nice Onion
Bhaji and
Chicken Pakoda. These were a tandoori cooked chicken battered using
chickpea flour and
deep fried…and very tasty. The yoghurt and tamarind sauces that
accompanied them were
very good, with the tamarind a clear favourite. We were even treated
to a Lamb Pickle, which was a first for me and a delicious
accompaniment
that was enjoyed by all the meat eaters at the table. The mains were
very
good, although Suz thought the sauce of her Saagwala was a little on
the runny side. However I thought it was very nice. It wasn't the
regular pureed green spinach but rather had flecks of green through the
sauce. My Chicken 65 was
fabulous, although, as Suz pointed out, the batter was quite thick. It
reminded her of how Chinese restaurants do sweet and sour pork. The
breads were very good and my lovely wife loved her Pershwari Naan. I
had the Indique Special Naan, which was stuffed with several items. I
appreciated that it didn't fall apart, as is normally the way with
stuffed naans. The
service was outstanding, with the main waiter on the go to meet our
expectations. He even gave Suz a little dish of the lamb chutney to
take home at the end of the meal. The heat of
the meals was good and didn't overpower the dishes. There was no music
playing, which was missed, even though our table
of 16 "Thursday Night Curry" diners was engrossed in conversation.
The restaurant was full when we arrived. The manager told me they hope
to open a new outlet soon that will be closer to the CBD. Can't
wait. [return
to top]
Review
#204 [18-Oct-11] Athidi
in Parnell 5.6 chillies
It
was our four year anniversary of getting engaged at the Taj Mahal so an
Indian meal was a no-brainer. I had been past this restaurant
previously and knew it was fine Indian dining. We arrived at
5.30pm and were the first ones there with another table being seated
soon after. We had a lovely private alcove with views through the
conservatory to the city. We cracked open our BYO wine ($5
corkage) as we decided on the menu. Our selection was a mixed platter
(Onion Bhaji, Samosa, Chicken Tikka and Seekh Kebab) which came with
mint raita and a tamarind sauce. All of the starters were
okay but not outstanding. Our favourite part was the sauces, especially
the mint raita which was thick and tasty. For the main course we
selected Chicken Jelfrazi and Lamb Nawabi, with a Peshwari Naan. The
Lamb Nawabi was, hands down, the better of the two with the creamy,
nut-based sauce proving tasty, although the ratio to meat was
disappointing. The Jelfrazi was full of frozen mixed vegetables (peas,
carrots, beans and broccoli) and the meat was scarce. There was a
pleasant chili flavor to accompany the capsicum and onion but overall
the dish wasn't as expected. The Peshwari Naan was small but delicious.
The restaurant itself was fairly good and the music was pleasant enough
(Indian bollywood, but at times a little shrill and repetitive). The
smallish pictures decorating some of the walls are hung too high up but
utilise the existing picture hooks.The toilet
facilities were tired looking but functional. The service was
good and we got an unexpected bonus when paying the bill as we were
informed that it was 'discount Tuesday' with all mains costing
$14.95. Shoddi noted in the visitors book that it was our
engagement anniversary and as we walked away our waiter chased after us
to wish us a happy engagement day. I replied by wishing him a happy
Diwali. [return
to top]
Review
#203 [17-Sep-11] Sigdi
in Devonport 7.1 chillies
Suz and I were at a function only 500m from Sigdi at 4:30pm and thought
we'd pop in for a meal before catching a ferry home. It was 4:50pm when
we walked up and the blackboard outside said they opened at 5pm but the
manager happily invited us in. There was already about three chefs busy
in the kitchen and two waiters and the manager at the reception desk.
The manager's father was visiting from Pushkar and we struck up a brief
conversation about how we loved visiting Lake Pushkar a few years
earlier. Anyway I digress, back to the meal. While nibbling on some
complimentary popadums we ordered a wine and Kingfisher Strong. I was
impressed by the ratio of imported to local beers (6:1). They had three
Indian beers, three other imported ones and only one NZ beer. We had
entrees of Murg Tikka and Paneer Tikka. Both came with a mint dipping
sauce, so I asked if one could be switched for a tamarind. Both tikkas
were very nice. My favorite was the chicken and Suz's was the buttery
paneer. The tamarind sauce was our favourite sauce, but the mint a very
close runner-up. For the mains I ordered Lamb Kolhapuri and Suz had
Chicken Saagwala. I had the hot rating but was impressed it went two
levels higher ("Extreme" and "Over the Top") if requested. We shared a
Chili and Coriander Naan bread. We hadn't seen that sort of naan before
and were delighted with the bread when it arrived. It was covered with
little green rings of thinly sliced chili and coriander, but the heat
wasn't too hot. My lamb dish was just the right heat level and the meat
was very tender. Suz's saagwala wasn't as green as she was expecting it
to be - more of a browny color. It was a nice dish but the saag flavour
was very subtle. The menu included several dishes that aren't
mainstream, such as UK Special Pakoras, Aloo Channa Chaat, Jungle
Chicken, Murg Kalimirch, to name a few. We shared a Gulab Jamun and
Chai Masala Tea. The gulabs were very nice and some of the better ones
we've had. The tea was a little stewed and under spiced for my palate.
We were the only dine in customers but we were finished by 6:30. Many
tables were reserved and several takeaway orders were picked up while
we were there. The environment was comfortable and had quite a few old
Indian photos assembled on the wall. The background music was a little
bland and seemed to be done by an Indian version of Carl Doy a.k.a.
"Indian Piano by Candlelight". The establishment has a discount voucher
in the Entertainment Book, but we don't carry the book with us so
couldn't make use of it. The prices charged are a little higher (7%)
than the market benchmark that I have derived. The restaurant has an A
hygiene certificate and another A+ rodent control certificate on the
wall, which I hadn't realised was graded. The service was very good. We
appreciated being let in early and I enjoyed my chat with the father
over from India. We had just stepped out when a waiter rushed out to
give us a takeaway menu. Of course, I had already pocketed one when
paying. Sigdi rates highly on my scoring system and it also rates
highly on DineOut. I would put it in the top three experiences I've had
of the 32 Auckland restaurants I've rated to date. [return
to top]
Review
#202 [14-Sep-11] Tiffin
in Kingsland 5.7 chillies
Our large group of 27 took up over half the restaurant, with the
remaining 4 other tables taken, making a full restaurant. We had to
rearrange a couple of tables to accommodate a half dozen of late
starters in our group, leaving a dining table in a “F” shape. We began
with a complimentary popadom each and a kingfisher Strong from the well
stocked bar. I had a chuckle to myself that in the bar shelving the
Kingfisher Strongs were physically on the top-shelf and the spirits on
the bottom shelf. The pre-ordered entrees were short on quantity,
meaning I only got a chance to try the Onion Bhaji, Pakora and Lamb
Kabab. All that I tried were quite ho hum actually, including the
Tamarind and Yoghurt sauces. The Bench-marking Tasting Vindaloo was one
notch short of the expected heat rating for extra hot. The menu was
failr extensive and covered all the classic dishes– but didn't
incorporate anything out of the ordinary. My Lamb Nawabi was nice
enough. The meat was fairly good quality but not extra tender and the
gravy slightly overly (coconut) creamy. The other main courses that I
sampled were about the same standard. The Pershwari Naan that
accompanied the mains, showed promise on the serving basket, with a red
glace cherry like a beacon/ But it didn't deliver when it came to the
taste test. The sweety and nutty flavours were not pronounced. The
meals came out very slowly and a few were mislaid altogether. They were
obviously struggling with our group size. My plate was nicely heated
when brought to the table but after sitting for 5 minutes had cooled
considerably. The service, apart from the one or two hiccups was good.
The background music wasn't anything memorable. The toilets were about
average on the scale of things. The A grade health certificate was
prominently displayed on the wall. The price level was a fraction (4%)
above my derived market average. The beer selection available total 16
beers. But only 2 were Indian beer – Kingfisher regular strength or
strong. Our host club member, to his credit, did well to secure a
discounted price for the Kingfisher Strongs, knocking the price down by
about 20 percent. Ratings around the table ranged from 3 (from the guy
whose meal was forgotten about) to a perfect 10 out of ten. This was
the widest range of round the table ratings to be scored to date. The
group consensus was about a 7.25. Overall, I came here with high hopes,
following reviews posted on DineOut. But left feeling a little
deflated. This could partly be because of the large group I was part
of, on this particular night. [return
to top]
Review
#201 [8-Sep-11] Rasoi
in K' Road 5.4 chillies
Had a lunch here. I chose the Deluxe Thali with a Mango Lassi. The
thali had two curries, rice, a samosa, kadhi (yoghurt) soup, dhal soup,
papadom, coleslaw and two rotis. The two curries I had were lima bean
and mushroom. The quality of the dishes were okay but my definite
favorite was actually the lassi. It was sweet, flavorsome and nicely
presented with a garnish with coconut and almond. Admitedly, it is one
of the most expensive mango lassis that I've seen across the city. The
popadom was a little soft. The samosa wasn't the best vege samosa I've
had. The bread was pretty good. The restaurant was quite busy with
people wandering in off the street. The environment was pleasant enough
but the music could have been a touch louder. [return
to top]
Review
#200 [1-Sep-11] Simla
in Mt Eden 5.9 chillies
It's a fairly small restaurant with approximately 45 seats. We took 8
seats and there were 3 or 4 other tables of diners also eating there at
the same time. The entrees that were ordered for the table was to
dishes of Onion Bhaji and two of Chicken Tikka. The onion was a the
separate deep-fried onion ring variety, and more batter than filling.
The chicken was little better and the accompanying sauces
(tamarind and mint raita) were quite tasty. I was a little disappointed
with the limited range of dishes on the menu. They only seemed to
feature all the regular dishes found in the vast majority of Indian
restaurants and nothing more exotic than the 'super hot curry you'll
struggle to finish'. This was like a red rag to a bull and consequently
for my main course I selected a Challenge Hot Chicken Nawabi,
with a Pershwari Naan. However because it was a "challenge meal" the
rules stipulated that I could only have plain or garlic naan. The staff
really thought the challenge hot was going to be my stumbling block, so
when I downed the dish in record time (two minutes - halving the
previous record) they were a little impressed. Nevertheless I still had
to wait ten minutes to ensure I wasn't sick, but trust me, this was
just a formality. The reward of finishing a challenge hot dish is a
free t--shirt and also your photo is taken to hang on the wall (with
the other two hundred photos). The night I did the challenge they
didn't have any t-shirts in the right size, so it was arranged to be
collected when the new stock arrived. On finishing I was finally
allowed to have my Pershwari Naan, which, although it had the necessary
fruit and nut filling, was small and tasted a little odd. Craig's
Chicken Madras which I also tasted seemed very mild after the challenge
dish, even though he ordered it "English Hot". The environment of the
venue was fairly standard and the toilets were about the same standard.
Having a "handy towel' roll to dry my hands was a good example of what
to expect. The background music, if was playing at all, wasn't
noticeable. The service we experienced was friendly and efficient. I
noted the A grade council issued food certificate on the wall when we
were paying the bill. The prices were a little more (about 13 percent)
expensive than the city-wide benchmark I've compiled. [return
to top]
Review #199 [31-Aug-11] Aroma in Castor
Bay 4.6 chillies
This establishment is plonked in the middle of suburbia, and surrounded
by housing in every direction. So parking isn't an issue. I arrived
just before 6 o'clock on a Wednesday night. The venue could seat about
40 people at a push but the only other patron while I was there was
someone picking up a takeaway order. I started with a mixed platter for
one, consisting of: Samosa, Onion Bhaji, Seekh Kebab, Malai Tikka and
Chicken Tikka. All of these were very average; the kebab even worse.
Judging by the sounds from the kitchen, the five pieces were partly
heated up in a microwave oven, although I could hear some frying too.
Sadly, the tamarind sauce that accompanied the dish was the tastiest
thing about the entrees. For my main course I selected Chicken Tawa
along with a Pershwari Naan. The chicken was delivered on a sizzling
platter and was a large serving. Dissappointingly, I got the feeling it
wasn't freshly prepared and seemed akin to eating heated-up leftovers.
On a positive note, the rice was plentiful. The naan bread was a sad
example of Pershwari. The only filling was coconut. Where was the fruit
and nuts as described in the menu? Even my Mango Lassi was uninspiring.
Sweet and overly thick, making it hard to suck up the straw. The menu
doesn't throw up much in regard to different or less common dishes. The
beer list is limited and only includes one Indian beer. The decor is
fairly basic and includes a sari as a make-shift curtain. The
serviettes, while made of fabric, are mismatched. The musical selection
was a bit like the decor - drab. At one point it included some Indian
chanting, as if you are being called to assemble at a temple. To be
fair, the music was competing with the sounds emanating from the
kitchen. At times it sounded like the kitchen was located within the
dining area, including the beeping sound of a microwave on several
occasions. [return to top]
Review #198 [30-Aug-11]
Nite Spice in Newmarket 5.9 chillies
I
was shopping in Newmarket at lunchtime and decided to check out Nite
Spice. There were about 4-5 other tables of diners there, making the
restaurant about a third full, which isn't bad for lunchtime dine in. I
selected the Chicken in Black Pepper from the lunchtime combo deal
(curry, rice, naan and drink for $10.99). The curry was good but, being
the norm for lunchtime deals, a smaller serving than dinner. The bread
was well made. The menu is fairly extensive, and includes quite a few
indo-Chinese dishes. But I was impressed to note at the bottom of the
menu… 'any ethnic dish of India not mentioned above will be made
available'. I'd be interested to put it to the test, but I'd be wary of
the price before confirming anything ordered off the menu. The range of
beers on the drinks list is limited, especially Indian ones. The dining
environment is fairly basic, and the toilets, once you've traipsed
outside, even more basic. There was a bollywood movie playing as
background music. The level of the prices is in the middle of the pack
compared to other restaurants in town. The chain has a discount voucher
in the Entertainment Book, but it is only redeemable at the Mt Eden
store. Overall, on my limited dining experience, the store is slightly
above the mid point of my ratings and below the midpoint of the DineOut
reviewer's ratings. [return to top]
Review #197 [24-Aug-11]
Chapati in Henderson 6.2 chillies
I
had a very nice meal here. At 5:30, I was the first dine in customer of
the night, but when I arrived there was already a couple at the counter
placing a takeaway order. I grabbed a Kingfisher Strong while I looked
through the menu. I started wit a Samosa Chat. This was very nice and a
welcomed option which doesn't usually feature on most menus. The sauces
and yoghurt blended beautifully with the samosa. For my main course I
selected Chicken Kadai and a Pershwari Naan. The chicken was tender and
not over cooked. The sauce hinted that other dishes on the menu
would offer some good flavours. However, the naan bread was a let
down. It was too thick around the edge but with a slimmed down filling.
Sure it had the coconut, raisin and nuts but it was so thinly spread
out that it was hard to detect. Anyway, back to the drinks list. This
would have to be one of the most extensive beer lists that I've ever
seen at a restaurant. There were four standard Indian breweries to
chose (Kingfisher, Cobra, Taj and Haywards) from and two more beers
(like the Kingfisher Strong) in the larger variety. Next there were 5
beers from Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. And, as well, there
were another 13 local beers. The menu selection had one or two unusual
items and was definitely tipping towards the pricey end of the
spectrum. This constrained my overall rating of the
establishment. The pleasant decor was appreciated, with nice furniture
and wall decorations. The music was a naff selection of middle of the
road instrumental Indian tunes that sounded as though they were was
played on a cheap toy organ. The service was very quick and friendly.
It appeared that many of the folks that arrived to pick up takeaway
orders were regulars, given by the friendly banter. I'd certainly be
happy to go back at some stage. [return to top]
Review #196 [23-Aug-11] Aavkar in Albany 6.0 chillies
I've
had my eye on Aavkar for a little while now, after seeing they had the
highest rating for an Indian restaurant in the whole of Auckland
(albeit calculated after only 6 reviews). Unfortunately the day I
visited it happened to be the same fateful day that the manager's wife
(who is also the chef) was injured in a car crash. So the manager
(Jolly) had to open and prep by himself, until a helper could arrive.
So when I turned up at 5:15, it was just me and Jolly for a while. We
got chatting about DineOut and when I ordered Kingfisher Strong as my
beverage, the penny dropped, and he put two and two together and
figured
who I was. So my cover was blown. Jolly also saw me taking a photo of
the menu and that certainly raised his curiosity as to why I was doing
it. I started with a entree of Chicken Tikka, which were brought to the
table very quickly. The chicken was piping hot and marginally dry. It
came with a green raita sauce that, what it lacked in flavour made up
for in colour. For the main course I had Lamb Madras, with a Pershwari
Naan. The madras was a good sized serving and had lots of meaty chunks
that were very tender and halal butchered, according to Jolly. The naan
was packed with dried fruit. So much so that one piece would have had
more fruit that a half decent slice of Xmas cake. The bread was well
made and a good size. The restaurant environment was fairly basic, with
24 seats in all. The wall hangings were numerous and the tank full of
goldfish may be a leaf out of his brother-in-law's restaurant in
Wellington (Great India). THe music that was playing didn't inspire me,
I'd liken it to an Indian version of Kenny Gee. I looked out for the
hygiene certificate only to realise it was behind me by the front door.
The "TBG" grading, I assume, means a grading is pending. All up a nice
meal, in a spot that takes a little effort to get to. As I was just
about to go Jolly gave me a complementary Cheese and Spinich Naan bread
to takeaway. To be sure, it was an unusual combination I hadn't
experienced before. The inside was melted cheddar cheese colored green
with with pureed spinach. An unusual combination to find inside a naan
bread but quite tasty. It's a shame my visit was rushed and that Jolly
was flustered with his car being smashed earlier and his wife/chef out
of action. [return to top]
Review #195 [22-Aug-11]
Masala in
Whangaparaoa 7.3 chillies
I
was the first customer to arrive for dinner, not surprisingly really as
it was
only 5:20pm. An early start, I know, but I had to get back to Waiheke
and logistically an early dinner fitted way better with the bus and
ferry timetable. The restaurant seats about 65, including two decks and
an outdoor area. They were expecting a fairly busy night. Things
started to get quite busy soon after I settled in. The man behind the
desk was extraordinarily busy answering the phone to take dinner
reservations and takeaway orders. The waitress ran through 3-4 specials
they had on that night. One of them, quite handily, was a 10 percent
discount on the price of Kingfisher Strong. I ordered a bottle
and by the time I came back from the toilet had already been poured and
was waiting on the table. For my entree I selected Murg Malai Kebab.
This was brought to the table in seemed like no time at all. And, my
God, it was amazing! The chicken was moist and perfectly cooked. There
was a subtle tandoor smokiness flavor with it, but by no means was it
dry. It was accompanied by had a lovely mint raita with salad to
garnish and a slice of lemon. Not long after the plates were whisked
away and the warmed dinner plate was proudly brought to the table in
anticipation for the main course. I had to only wait less than a minute
before my main of Lamb Bhuna was set upon the table. I had a Pershwari
Naan with this. Th lamb had some nice flavors and wasn't tough. I
thought the dish could have been a little bit spicier to warrant the
hot rating that I had asked for. The bread was a good size and well
mad, filled with dried fruit and coconut, but without nuts. I still had
half an hour until my bus back to the city was due so I ordered a
serving of Gulab Juman and Masala ChaiTea. The gulabs were three well
made balls, swimming in plenty of sweet syrup. It even had a side dish
of two scoops of vanilla ice cream. The tea was okay but I like it a
little bit more spiced, and more sugar to make a little more authentic.
It was also served in a regular Western style cup and saucer. The
service was outstanding. It began right from the start, when the waiter
pulled the chair out from the table for me. The staff were friendly and
tentative. There were plenty of them, by my count 6 or 7, not including
the manager and kitchen staff. The environment was very comfortable,
candles lit on the tables and a heat pump gentling blowing in the
background once the sun had set. They had two large slat screen TVs for
sound and visionary entertainment. The toilet was okay but would need
to be a little higher spec-ed to make it something special. I left a
very satisfied customer. All up it only took an hour for a three course
meal and tea, which suited my allotted time perfectly. [return to top]
Review #194 [17-Aug-11] Indique in Birkenhead 7.8 chillies
It was my time to host
our monthly curry club meeting. Even though I had only been there two
weeks earlier, I had such a good experience I was compelled to take the
lads to Indique for our August meeting. We had fourteen at our table.
The restaurant was full when our meal began, and included another table
of 12 diners. The Kingfisher Strong was set out on the table as I had
pre-arranged. We started with some pompadums and sauces while perusing
the menu for the mains. I had already pre-ordered the entrees. It was
double servings of Vegetable Samosa, Onion Bhaji, Bonda, Mixed
Vegetable Pakoda, Chicken Boti Tikka and Lamb Tikka Karachi. It was a
great spread of flavours and quantities. The meats were tender and the
vegetarian dishes satisfied all of the gents gathered at the table. For
some it was the first time that they had tasted Pakodas and Bondas. The
mains order was taken, As a benchmark tasting dish for the table I
requested two dishes of a “special” vindaloo that was extra, extra hot.
I asked for the meat to be goat for this. Even though it was worthy of
the title extra, extra hot, it still retained some of the spice
flavours. Actually the heat took a minute or two to develop. I had
Balti Dum for my main. It was very good but, with the benchmarking
vindaloos, meant I had two servings of goat. I also tried some Lamb Do
Piazza, which had a rich sweetness to it. The breads we had was a
mixture of Garlic&Cheese, Pershwari, Hariyali naan and Potato &
coriander Parantha. Like everyone else, I haven’t had the last two
before. The Pershwari naan was very tasty. As an extra treat the
manager gave everyone a complementary Galub Juman. Again some of the
lads had never experienced these. The meals were brought out in quick
succession meaning everyone was eating together. Not bad considering
the size of our group. The service was outstanding and I was invited to
take a photo of the talented crew busy at work in the kitchen. Being so
full it got a little loud but the din has quietened down for our “round
the table” ratings. These ranged between 8 and 9.5 out of ten. The
consensus was 9, but this was rounded up to 9.25 after the
complementary dessert. All up, a grand night and one that will be
remembered for a long time to come. [return to top]
Review #193 [10-Aug-11] Raviz in the Viaduct 6.9 chillies
I’ve been meaning to
sample the fare at this chain of Indian restaurants ever since I
shifted to Auckland several months ago. As it is a chain of restaurants
it was with a tinge of trepidation. I was passing by the viaduct branch
and decided to take the plunge and check out their lunch option.
Surprisingly, I was quite impressed. According to the takeaway menu
there are another eight Raviz stores across the city. It will be
interesting to see how this one compares with the others. I went for
the $16.95 special which includes a main course, naan, rice and glass
of beer. I was told the special didn’t include the vegetarian dishes,
which seems a little odd as these are cheaper than the meat selection.
Never mind, I selected Lamb Kadhai Gosht for my lunch. I was quite
impressed by the quality and quantity or the serving, given it was a
lunch special. It had some lovely fenugreek and coriander flavours but
wasn’t as hot as I was anticipating even though asking for it hot. The
meat was plentiful and in big, tender chunks. The bread was well made
and the beer nice and cold. There was only two Indian beers on the wine
list (Kingfisher regular and Cobra), and sadly no Kingfisher Strong.
The service was good but this was hardly surprising, given there was no
one else dining in – just one takeaway order was picked up. There was a
flat screen TV on a far wall that had some funky Indian music playing,
by way of a highlight of Bollywood movie clips. There was even a disco
ball hanging from the ceiling. Somehow I suspect that was a throw back
from the venue’s past life, as the restaurant has only been trading as
a Raviz branch for a couple of weeks. The environment is spacious and
the furniture smart. I liked that you could wander over to look into
the kitchen too if you wanted. All up, a good experience, and one that
will see me check out another Raviz branches at some point in the
future for a comparison. The comprehensive menu that the chain has to
offer is admired. [return to top]
Review #192 [8-Aug-11] Urban Turban in the Wynyard Quarter 5.7 chillies
It was only the third
day that the restaurant had been open, when Suz and I visited this
brand spanking new establishment in the Wynyard Quarter to celebrate my
birthday. Because they have only just opened, they only had a limited
edition menu in operation, consisting of three tapa dishes, four mains
courses and one dessert. In a couple of weeks time they hope to expand
this considerably, but maintain a predominantly tapas style of dining.
We shared a Chicken Tikka and Gun Powder Prawns to start with. Both
were quite tasty. The prawns could have been a bit spicier to warrant
the gunpowder name. We then shared a Sweet Tangy Dahl, Potato Bhaji and
Curry of the Day (Butter Chicken). The first two were really tasty, but
the chicken needed spicing up (as it usually always does). My favourite
was the potato bahji and Suz’s was the dahl. They had some really yummy
flavours. The accompanying naan bread was really good too and the
aromatic rice was a further highlight. The mains, in keeping with the
tapa theme, were quite small servings, especially considering the
prices being charged. We still had room for dessert and decided (not
much choice with only one option) to give the Pan Flavoured Ice Cream a
try. We shared one serving between the two of us, which was a good
quantity. One spoonful and I was immediately taken back to my trip to
India four years ago. I was disappointed that Kingfisher beer wasn’t
available. We both decided to have the house merlot which was nicely
presented in a wine glass with a little more finesse than a normal pub
glass. The dining environment is a little funky, with music to match.
It wasn’t your normal Indian tunes but more like a Latin American beat.
It is more geared up for drinking clients with bar-leaners outside and
a sheltered area for smokers too. It was nice to have the opportunity
to chat with the head chef and restaurant manager about the food and
operations over the first days. They were interested in our feedback
and we were the only customers by the end of our meal. [return to top]
Review #191 [5-Aug-11] Khyber Tandoori Restaurant
in Auckland CBD
6.0 chillies
A seemingly popular
restaurant, with an entirely Indian client base when I dined there for
lunch. They have seating for about 50 people but there was only one
other dine-in table eating while I was there. But 2-3 takeaway orders
were picked up. I ordered Chicken Karahi with a Pershwari Naan. I
wanted a Strong Kingfisher but had to settle for regular strength as
that’s all they had left. The warmed plate arrived 10 minutes later and
a couple of minutes following the food arrived. The chicken was very
nice but a little oily. The meat was tender and plentiful, but so it
should be. They don’t have a lunch special so I was paying full price.
I ordered the curry as hot and the heat rating was pretty good – maybe
kiwi hot. The pershwari naan was a little disappointing, being only
filled by sultanas and nothing else. I didn’t realise that the rice is
not complementary, which is a minor bug-bear of mine. There was a
bollywood musical playing but I could really hear it because of the
traffic noise. This wasn’t helped by the front door being left open
some of the time. It was nice to be able to see into the kitchen,
through a glass window and I appreciated the big stack of charcoal for
the tandoor spotted in the hallway on the way to the toilet. The
toilet, like the rest of the restaurant was functional if a little run
down. Another example was the front door which had a piece of cardboard
covering a broken window pane. The menu had several stickers on it
which reinforced the lack of maintenance. The “A” grade food hygiene
certificate was noted behind the reception desk. [return to top]
Review #190 [4-Aug-11] Jas Parathas in Auckland CBD 5.3 chillies
Shods put me on to this
place to try as a lunchtime venue. It had only been open for just
two weeks when I visited. As the name suggests, they essentially
specialise in parathas and kathi rolls, plus also have a small
selection of pre-prepared curries. They are located two doors from
Showgirls, and consequently open till late three nights of the week. I
had a Paneer Paratha and Chicken Tikka Masala. The chicken looked great
but was a little disappointing when eaten. There was a lot of chunky
vegetables in the gravy and in some ways was closer to a balti chciken
tikka masala. The flavour of the sauce was nice enough but there was
nothing to get me too excited. The paratha was stuffed with cheese and
onion. As is usually the case with stuffed breads, it easily fell apart
once it is picke dup and started to be eaten. The shop is primarily a
takeaway venue. Although there are three and a small bench to eat off
if dining in. The large screen TV was playing rap music, which may have
fitted in with the local flavour but didn't match the food theme. The
restaurant had an "A" health grade. I probably wouldn't bother going
back but would walk a little further (to Anzac Avenue) for a more
appreciative meal. [return to top]
Review #189 [4-Aug-11] Aruna Indian Cuisine in Auckland CBD 5.4 chillies
There is a little food
court in Anzac Avenue that is hardly noticeable from the street. Inside
there are half a dozen different types of takeaway outlets, along with
about 10 tables to eat at too. I ordered the Lamb Vindaloo and was
pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meal. There is quite a
significant range to select from. Their website mentions that the chef
has worked in Goa and Mumbai before shifting to New Zealand. It goes on
to promise an authentic taste, made with fresh ingredients. Based on my
vindaloo sample I would gladly return to try something a little
different. To be sure, it was quite popular (for both Indians and
non-Indians, alike) while I was waiting. The place is open 6 days a
week from 11;30am-9:30pm. I noted that the restaurant had an "A" health
grade on the wall. On the downside, the environment leaves a little to
be desired, especially on a cool day, when I imagine it may be a little
draughty. [return to top]
Review #188 [4-Aug-11] Jewel of India in Auckland University  3.9 chillies
A small Indian takeaway
located in the heart of Auckland University. The day I visited I had a
double serving of Chicken Vindaloo and Beef Madras on rice. The beef
was chewy and lacked any flavours except for a coconut creamy sauce.
The chicken was a little bit spicier but hardly worth the heat warning
the lady serving mentioned. To her credit the heat did hand around a
little after it was eaten. The rice fitted the pre-prepared style
takeaway and was over-cooked. The service was fast however, and the
customers an eclectic mix. The restaurant had an "A" health grade.
Nevertheless, not really worth the trip – leave it to the students as a
cheap option. [return to top]
Review #187 [3-Aug-11] Indique in Birkenhead 7.8 chillies
As part of my continuing
birthday week celebrations, I took myself out for a delightfully
delicious lunch at Indique today. The menu is reasonably extensive with
one or two dishes not regularly included on the menu. I selected a
Chicken Kadhai spiced medium-hot. The chicken was tandoori cooked and
there was a lovely amount of coriander seed flavours in the gravy. The
meat was in good quantity too. I washed this down with a Cobra beer.
The décor of the restaurant is towards the salubrious end of the scale
and I also enjoyed the good mix of Indian bhangra playing in the
background. There was only one other table of diners when I visited so
the service was quick and efficient, meaning I was back in the city in
just an hour’s time. All up a very worthwhile venture to make and one
that I intend to repeat in the not too distant future. [return to top]
Review #186 [2-Aug-11] Jai Jalaram Khaman in Sandringham 6.1 chillies
While in Sandringham, I
popped in here for a quick Wednesday lunch. It has limited seating of
about 7-8 tables, with three tables taken by some other diners while I
was there. The menu is exclusively vegetarian Gujarati fare. I had the
masala khichidi – kadhi, which is a thali consisting primarily of a
rice/lentils/vegetable combo and also a yoghurt based soup. There were
also pickles, papad and salad. Being unlicensed, I washed it down with
a very nice mango lassi. The thali was a tasty change from the regular
Indian meals that I usually have. It had some lovely flavours and a
couple of chillies, if the heat rating needed revving up. The
environment of the restaurant is fairly basic and my table wasn’t quite
spick and span after the previous diners. However, I did note the “A”
grade hygiene certificate on the wall behind the counter. The music was
at a good level and authentic sounding. The service was fairly good but
the waitresses were busy in the back kitchen a couple of times. But a
quick ding on the service bell was all that was needed to get some
attention. There is no toilet facility. [return to top]
Review #185 [30-Jul-11] Oh Calcutta in Parnell 7.2 chillies
Suz and I decided to
have a last minute Saturday night dinner here. They were able to fit us
in as long as we agreed to have our meal finished in about an hour.
After a complimentary poppadum, the waitress came back with our drinks
and water too. I had a Kingfisher Strong and Suz had a glass of gewutz.
Suz appreciated the quality of the glassware compared to most other
places. Next, we ordered our mains. There were several unusual items on
the menu not normally seen at Indian restaurants. I selected Chicken Do
Makawana and Suz had Mansoori Kebab. The chicken had some lovely
fenugreek and coriander flavours. The lamb was tender and tasty, but
the serving size was small. The two breads we had was a Pershwari Naan
and a Paratha. The paratha was huge and pretty good. The pershwari naan
was also larger than normal and well made too. The rice had some cumin
to flavour it. The service was very good, with the staff were dressed
in their finest Indian garb. We had our beer and water regularly topped
up throughout the meal. The music was very good and the environment of
the restaurant excellent. On the downside, the restaurant would be one
of the most expensive Indian restaurants in Auckland, but we saved a
bit by using our Entertainment Card. The A grade health certificate was
noted behind the bar. The restaurant was full by 7pm and the noise
level increased but it wasn't too bad. We finished by 7:15, in time to
make it to a city bar to see the All Blacks’ haka prior the test
match. [return to top]
Review #184 [30-Jul-11] Bolliwood in Ponsonby 6.6 chillies
Suz and I had a lunch
here. I had the Lamb Vindaloo and Suz had the Chicken Saag. The lunch
special come with half a popumdum, half a plain naan and rice. FOr an
extra two bucks you can have a house wine, which we did. My vindaloo
was very tasty. Not too hot for Indian Hot but enough to get you nose
running. The chicken saag was buttery and delicious. The naan bread,
popummdum and rice were fairly standard. There were 2-3 unusual items
on the menu. The service was very good and I really enjoyed the music
selection. The restaurant is nicely decorated. The toilet reminded me
of the ones in Indians, except with faux marble-looking tiles. The day
I visited the urinal was under repair. They proudly displayed an Á
rated health certificate behind the reception desk. We will be back at
some point to rate the full evening dining experince. [return to top]
Review #183 [20-Jul-11] Akbar Durbar in the CBD 5.9 chillies
I popped in for a quick
lunch and I was very glad that I did. The restaurant seems to be a
50:50 combined dine-in and takeaway operation, with limited seating of
about 10 seats around 4 tables. The day I visited the restaurant was
quite popular with diners at all the other tables and a few takeaway
orders were collected as well. I had a look through the selection of a
dozen or more dishes and selected Chicken 65. As this is a dry dish,
the manager asked if I'd like some additional gravy from another curry
on the rice too, which I gladly accepted. The chicken was moist and
lightly fried with fragrant curry leaves. I really enjoyed it. The
place has an authentic feel to it, with the dialog of the staff and
customers reminding me of the time I visited India. The music, although
played through a small stereo, was a good selection of quicker tempo
tunes. I couldn't see the A grade hygiene rating on the wall, but it is
on the council website and proudly mentioned on the front of the
takeaway menu. There is no liquor licence, so no wine or Kingfisher
beer was available - only soft drinks. Nevertheless, this won't be my
only visit and, although they don't hold a liquor licence, I'm sure
I'll be able to coerce Suz in for a tasty and good valued meal sometime
soon. [return to top]
Review #182 [16-Jul-11] Wishing Well in Howick 5.6 chillies
Our Auckland club of
curry connoisseurs celebrated its one year anniversary with a curry
breakfast. Our host contacted Wishing Well to see it they could provide
an early morning banquet, and yes they could. We assembled at 8am on a
fine Saturday morning and eased into the meal with a cup of Masala Chai
tea. This was pleasant enough. Next we had a couple on entrees:
Vegetable Fritters and Bread Pakoroas. The fritters were nice but the
pakoras were an eye-opener for me. I’ve never thought to dip white
bread in chick pea batter and then deep-fry it. To be sure, they were
quite tasty but I felt like I was missing a filling, such as paneer.
The entrees came with four sauces: Yoghurt, Tamarind, Sweet Chilli and
a humble Tomato Sauce. All were average. As we had a set-menu ,
everyone was served a Chicken Vindaloo for the main course.
Surprisingly having a vindaloo at 9am was easier to eat than most were
expecting, given it was 9am. The heat was about kiwi hot, which helped.
The bread that accompanied the main course was Matar Aloo Paratha. I’ve
never had potato and peas in my bread before, so this was another
first. Sadly the bread wasn’t a great example of a well made paratha.
The rice was fairly average too. The vindaloo was spiced up for one of
the members who arrived late, so I was able to sample another serving.
It was Indian hot this time, but also noticeably saltier too.
There was some good Indian music playing in the background but through
a rather tinny sounding stereo. The service was good and were all
adequately catered for by our sole waitress. As they didn’t stock
Kingfisher Strong, she knocked a dollar per bottle of regular strength
Kingfisher beer. We headed off two hours later, well fed, and I
personally didn’t need feeding again until dinner time. [return to top]
Review #181 [15-Jul-11] Curry Box in CBD 5.0 chillies
I popped in for a cheeky
Friday curry lunch. It's a fairly basic establishment with a narrow
range of choices. By my reckoning there are eight choices for lunch
including meat, vegetarian and vegan options, and this number is
expended to about a dozen dishes offered on the dinner menu.
Essentially it is a take away venue but there are a few tables to dine
at. I dined in but the food was delivered in a takeaway container
(without a lid) and the bread in a paper bag. As such the environment
is largely uninviting, with no music playing. I selected the Beef
Vindaloo for my meal. To the Curry Box's credit it was quite a tasty
dish. it was not as hot as I would prefer but it was respectable for
the general populous. The 2 quarters of naan bread had obviously been
cooked earlier and re-heated in a microwave. There is no liquor
licence, and so I made do with a can of soft drink. The restuarant has
a lowly rated D grading health certificate. In its favour, the prices
are some of the cheapest I've seen around town. [return to top]
Review #180 [8-Jul-11] Saffron in Ponsonby 6.8 chillies
Four of us arrived on a
cool Friday evening but were soon toasty warm by a well heated
restaurant. We were the first to arrive but it gradually filled to
about 75 percent occupancy. We snacked on some poppadums while we
decided what we were going to have. Suz was really looking forward to
having the Chicken 65. Her enthusiasm spread to the rest of us, so we
ordered 4 servings of it for our entree. The waiter explained that the
dish got its name from the year it was first made in India - 1965. The
chicken is marinated in a ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric and
vinegar and then deep fried. It is really moist and very tasty. It
comes with a lovely mint yoghurt sauce but it is so good it doesn’t
really need the sauce. For the mains we had: Prawn Saag (not on the
menu but made on Suz’s request), Chicken Chettinaad, Lamb Parattal and
Mysore Chilli Chicken. We also had two Pershwari Naans and a Parata.
Our favourite dish was the chettinaad, closely followed by the Mysore
curry. It had some lovely flavours and the chicken was plentiful. The
lamb dish was overcooked and dryish. The saag has stringy spinach bits,
which reminded me of a time a friend made it with inferior imported
frozen spinach. The pershwari naans were good but the parata was
expertly made and indeed the best parata I’ve experienced in New
Zealand – flaky on the outside but with soft layers on the inside,
served after being struck to broke it up. The time taken to clear the
table after we’d finished seemed to take way too long. We decided to
have a round of Gulab Jamun and Masala Chai tea to round off the meal.
Sadly the gulabs were not that great, lacking the right temperature and
the buttery decadence we wanted. However the chai tea was very nice.
The music was a good mix of lively Indian tunes but the toilets were a
little run down. We brought two bottles of wine, and on request, the
waiter gladly gave the red one a 60 second blast in the microwave to
get it to the ideal temperature to enjoy. The A grade hygiene rating on
display behind the reception desk was noted. [return to top]
Review #179 [1-Jul-11] Mirch Masala
in the CBD 3.9 chillies
This is one of the
closest Indian restaurants to my work, so I popped
in for a curry lunch. I had their lunch special which, for $12.50,
bought you: a curry, rice, poppadum, paratha and mango lassi. The curry
I had (Lamb Masala) was the spiciest they had in the food cabinet
selection as they had no vindaloo. The dish was quite good and the lamb
very tender. The paratha was pre-cooked and very average. The lassi was
very sweet. But the prices were very cheap, although not having a
liquor licence kept the cost down. The menu says it is open until 10pm
and the takeaway menu is more extensive that the lunch selection.
Overall, though it is just another “food court” experience. [return to top]
Review #178 [23-Jun-11] Santhiya's in
Mount Roskill 5.7 chillies
Our table of 14 diners had the
place to ourselves. We were given some
free poppadoms to start with, but without dips. We had an assortment of
entrees: Vadai, Vegetable Puff, Pakora, Thosai and Deep Friend Chicken.
Being a South Indian restaurant, all were very different from the
regular fare that is on offer at other Indian restaurants. The vadai
were light and fluffy, while the pakoras had some lovely curry leaf
flavours. The Coconut Chutney and Dhall were tasty, while the Chilli
and Tamarind sauces seemed to be straight from a jar. For the mains I
selected the Goat Curry on the bone, with a Rava Thosai. I asked for
the curry to be hot and it was a good heat, being kiwi hot. The thosai
was made of chickpea flour rather than ground rice, so it wasn't as
crisp as a regular dosai. I also tried some Chicken Curry and also some
Lamb Rendang. Both had some genuine and authentic Malaysian flavours.
While the food was great the service, while friendly and attentive, was
very slow. The kitchen struggled with our order, and there was at least
a 10 minute gap between first and last mains being delivered to the
table. The plates were unheated as well. The music was a tinny radio
coming from a distant corner, playing Western easy listening
instrumental tunes (thankfully not too loud). The restaurant has an "A"
grade health certificate which is highly commendable. But, d'oh, it
doesn't have a liquor licence, not even BYO - so we had to settle for
coke and lassi. The prices were very reasonable, aided by the lack of
alcoholic beverages. The toilet was eventually found through three sets
of doors, but was nothing flash when I did find it. [return to top]
Review #177 [15-Jun-11] Swad in
Highland Park, Howick 4.2 chillies
We had a relatively large table
of 25 diners gathered for our monthly
meeting of curry connoisseurs. The restaurant is quite small for such a
sized group but they were able to put us all on a long table, albeit
with a kink to fit us all in. Complimentary poppadoms were distributed
to nibble on, while the stragglers of our group arrived. At the start
the service was slow to deliver our Kingfisher Strong beers, but they
did have another couple of groups of diners to attend to. However a
slow level of service did tend to feature throughout the evening. Our
entrees came after a short while. We had a selection of samosas, seekh
kebab, onion bhaji and chicken tikka. They were all good but nothing
left a lasting impression as either every good, nor very bad. The two
sauces that accompanied the first course were a (sweet) tamarind and a
mint yoghurt. For the mains I ordered a Chicken Sawadee, which was
heavy on the nut sauce but light on any other flavours, my requested
heat level and any decent chunky chicken pieces. The Garlic Naan that
came with the mains was okay but I must profess to no being a fan of
garlic naan. As well as the Kingfisher Strongs, they also offered two
other Indian beers. One that I drank was a Godfather, which caught my
eye. It claimed to be another strong beer but on inspection not as
strong as the Kingfishers we were consuming.. After my previous
experience with he health certificate, I was pleased to see the A
grading proudly framed and hung on the restaurant wall. We even took a
photograph with the friendly staff alongside the certificate. The group
rating ranged from 6 to 9.5 with an overall consensus of 7.5. My rating
was at the lowest end of the range. The menu didn’t have much in the
way of unusual items. The heat rating was a notch lower than expected
and this was also noted by a lot of other diners at out table. Some
other diners found their dishes a little too sweet. The service,
although friendly, was a little slow at times. The toilet is accessed
by going outside the main door. The background Indian music was a
little inaudible. The price structure was a redeeming feature, with
some of the cheapest dishes I’ve noted in the city - no doubt due to
the location of the restaurant in the eastern suburbs. [return to top]
Review #176 [9-Jun-11] Moksha in
Newmarket 6.5 chillies
My wife and I had dinner here
on a weekday night. We were quite early
and hence the first diners to arrive. Over the evening another five
groups of diners also arrived, making the restaurant about a quarter
full. The restaurant is nicely decked out, with orange lighting setting
the mood. We were very close to a gas heater that warmed us on a cool
winter night. Our French accented waitress was very efficient at
servicing all the tables, but being unobtrusive at the same time. We
started with entrees of spinach, mint and potato pakoras (7 per
serving) and mini masala dosais (2 per serving). Both a little
different from the normal entree fare on offer. We enjoyed both. The
two sauces (tamarind and green yoghurt) that accompanied the pakoras,
although nicely flavoured, were quite thin. For the mains were shared a
Chicken Jalfrezi and Beef Vindaloo. Both were ordered hot and came to
just the right level of heat to appreciate the flavours. Were really
enjoyed both dishes. The jalfrezi was very flavoursome and the vindaloo
had a delicious trademark vinegariness. However the beef was a little
tough, especially the larger chunks. We had two naan breads: Pershwari
and Rosemary. The pershwari naan was nice and not overly sweet. It had
a slightly unusual filling of dried apricots, as well as raisins and
poppy seeds on the outside, but could have done with some coconut or
nuts. The rosemary naan was a new discovery for us and a very pleasant
one at that. We weren’t too full and finished with a Gulab Juman to
share. I had a Chai Tea and Suz had an espresso. The tea was good but
the coffee was closer to a long black than a short black. The gulabs
were smallish and not quite heated through. My Kingfisher Strong turned
out to be a can rather than a bottle, which made it a smaller serving
but at a larger serving price. The plates weren’t heated when they were
brought to the table. The background music started with some great
bollywood tunes but later in the evening drifted to a more sedate pace.
We used our Entertainment Book voucher and this saved 25% off the total
bill. This was appreciated as the cost of the dinner wasn’t cheap and
in excess of $100 prior to the discount. I had to struggle to find the
food grading licence that, quoting the council website, “should be in a
prominent position on the premises that is visible to the public". Sure
it was by the front door but a pot plant had been suspiciously placed
in front of it. When I moved the palm frond covering it, it all became
clear, as the restaurant has a “D” rating. This equates as “a premises
that is not achieving a satisfactory level of compliance with the
regulations, and/or have repeated faults from a previous inspection”
The food grading issue aside, we had a very nice meal and would return
to try a few of their other dishes. [return to top]
Review #175 [26-May-11] Calcutta Wala! in
the downtown CBD 5.4 chillies
HokeyPokey and I were invited
along to the gathering called ‘Thursday Night Curry’. Calcutta Wala was
selected as this fortnight’s venue by Lin. The restaurant was fairly
quiet when we arrived, with another couple of tables of diners and our
table of 14 dominating. The entrees were had were the Tandoori Lamb
Chops and Spicy Chicken Cashewnut. Both came on sizzling hotplates. The
lamb was mutton in disguise and the chicken rather plain excepting a
scattering of cashew nuts over it. For mains, Suz had her favoured
Prawn Saagwala and I had the Lamb Vindaloo. The saag was nice although
quite creamy. The vindaloo had some lovely flavours and, as we had
ordered it kiwi hot, the right amount of spiciness for both of us to
enjoy. Suz had a Pershwari Naan and I had a Cheese Naan. The Pershwari
naan was one of the worst we’ve had. Only coconut filling and no fruit
or nuts as stated in the menu. My cheese naan was disappointing too
being rather flat and very oily. The menu was reasonably extensive but
there wasn’t much in the way of unusual dishes. Becs, who was sitting
across from us had a Tikka Pasinda, which included an unusual banana
flavour. The Kingfisher Strong was a good price and they also had Cobra
on the list. Service was very slow and they struggled to serve everyone
on once, given our large group. The plates weren’t warmed when they
were brought out. The background music was good at times with some
funky Indian tunes coming out but not too loud. Prices were, on the
whole, fair for the CBD and having an Entertainment Book voucher
knocked the price of one main course off our bill. The A grade health
certificate was clearly displayed by the bar. [return to top]
Review #174 [11-May-11] Sangeet
in Manukau 6.2 chillies
Having recently shifted to
Auckland, this was my much anticipated first outing with the Auckland
chapter of the “boy’s curry club”. We had a booking for 15 people but
ultimately 27 gentlemen turned up to be fed. I was interested to see if
the venue could handle such a large table. We had a round of Kingfisher
Strongs while the others arrived. The original table was extended a
couple of times as the numbers swelled. The host member welcomed the 6
new recruits. I was included in this group and consequently had no
option but to order and Extra Indian Hot induction vindaloo. I ordered
a lamb option. There were a couple of unusual items on the menu I’d
like to try another time, one being an egg curry. We began with
poppadoms and four sorts of dip (mango chutney, tamarind sauce, mint
raita and plain raita). These were okay but nothing too exciting. The
entrees were ordered for us. They consisted of samosa, seek kebab and
chicken tikka. The chicken and samosas were the best, but the seekh
kebabs were way too fatty and this ruined any flavours that weren’t too
apparent anyway. The mildly heated plates came out with the rice soon
after. My Lamb Vindaloo was certainly hotter than normal and one or two
struggled with the spiciness, but I have had hotter elsewhere in
Wellington. Sadly the trademark vindaloo flavours were masked by the
excessive heat. The Garlic Naan (not what I would personally pick)
ordered for the table was light and fluffy. The service was very good
and they managed to cook and deliver everyone’s main course in short
time. I was invited to inspection the tandoor oven in the kitchen. Here
I got my website’s “photo of the day”, with the chefs more than happy
to model for me. On the way out I noted the A grade hygiene certificate
prominently located on the wall by the bar. The environment of the
restaurant was smart and spacious. Apart from three large paintings on
the wall, it wasn't too tacky. One picture was memorable, with a
reclining Westernised Indian gentleman who had a striking resemblance
to Jesus Christ. The toilets were clean and tidy, albeit verging on
being glaringly bright, powered by two large florescent tubes. With a
carpet flooring the restaurant wasn’t noisy and when we gave our
ratings at the end of the night everyone could be clearly heard. The
ratings ranged from 6-9 out of ten, with a consensus of 7.5. The prices
were standard and a discount is available via the Auckland
entertainment book . [return to
top]
Review #173
[6-Apr-11] Pankawalla
in the Viaduct Harbour 4.1 chillies
We decided to have Friday night dinner in town and selected this place
because of the proximity to the ferry service. We had already had
drinks and nibbles at Suz’s work function. So we went straight for the
main course. I had the Pankawalla Special and Suz had a Chicken Saag.
My dish was chicken that had been stuffed with lamb mince and then
baked. It had a creamy tomato sauce and chuncky cumin roasted
vegetables on the side. I knew it’d be a gamble when I ordered it, and
it didn’t pay a very good dividend, even after ordering it as
medium-hot rating. Suz’s saag was much better and only slightly creamy.
She had a Kashmari Naan, which was very nice, albeit at the smaller end
of the serving sized spectrum. My Roti was good too and also suffered
from a smaller serving. We used the Entertainment card and saved about
as much as my Kingfisher Strong cost. A bugbear I noted in their
pricing structure is that they use a distionary pricing structure, that
has many of their dishes priced at $xx and 99 cents, rather than
rounded up by one cent to a whole dollar amount. [return to top]
Review #160
[27-Nov-10] Ajadz in Oneroa, Waiheke Island 5.4 chillies
While staying for a couple of nights on Waiheke Island, so a visit to
the one and only Indian restaurant was a no brainer. The restaurant
is right next door to the Island’s only cinema and a favourite
spot to eat at before watching a movie. This was evidenced by how many
tables there were that, after being eaten on, had not yet been re-set.
There were still three other tables of diners when we arrived at
8:10pm. They had forgotten to give us a jug of water but no matter as I
quenched my thirst on the local brewed beer, while Suz enjoyed some
fine locally produced wine. We started with some complementary
pompadums. Next we ordered some Mansoori Kebab, which sadly (but quite
commonly) was mutton and not the lamb as specified on the menu. It
wasn’t char-grilled either as we expect from being cooked in a tandoori
oven. We also had Kofta Fried, which I found very nice. The entrees
came with a lovely tamarind sauce, and a most pleasant yoghurt. For the
mains we had Tikka Saag Wala and Chicken Jalfrezy. The chicken in the
saag was our favourite – with a smoky flavour and crisper texture. The
saag gravy was flavoursome with julienned ginger and not too creamy
(although there was a hint). The jalfrezy was chunky but the sizes
weren’t too large. Both servings were large and we had enough for
leftovers the next day. There was also copious rice. The Sweet Naan
bread was extra delicious and the roti masterly made. The environment
was good and the music more pop than traditional. The toilets are
shared with the movie theatre next door. [return to top]
Review #159
[26-Nov-10] Satya (K Rd) in Auckland
5.4 chillies
While my wife attended the second U2 concert in Auckland, I took the
opportunity to catch up with a couple of friends over a curry meal.
They chose this restaurant. The restaurant was half full when we
arrived. After selecting off a rather varied and extensive menu, we
shared three mains: Prawn Thakali, Special Chicken and Lamb Curry South
Indian. We also had three breads: Garlic Cheese Partha, Spinich Tomato
Paratha and a Roti. My favourite curry was the lamb dish. It was
flavoursome and the meat tender. The prawn was similar in sauciness and
also had some lovely flavours. However, the chicken was dry, served on
a bed of sliced lettuce and very reminiscent of a Chinese inspired stir
fry. The breads were rather small and the tomato/spinach one, while
tasty, had so much toping it was practically useless at using to scoop
up the gravies. The plain roti was the best scooping bread. They
brought out one serving of rice, which was so much it fed all three of
us. I went to the toilet and found them a little run down. The service
and music was good. [return
to top]
Review #153
[9-Aug-10] Saffron in Ponsonby, Auckland
6.8 chillies
While in Auckland for a friend’s 40th birthday my wife and I dined
here. It was handily located 30 metres from our accommodation. The
restaurant was half full when we arrived but chocker when we left.
There were several items on the menu that I haven’t seen in Wellington.
We started with Chicken 65 (chicken pieces coated in garlic, ginger and
chilli and deep fried), which was moist and very, very morish. This was
accompanied by a very tasty green mint sauce which had a lovely
vinegary tang to it. I had Chicken Chetinand which was superb. This
chicken was tender and delicious and the meat to gravy ratio was spot
on. My wife had prawn saag which wasn’t on the menu but they were happy
to make up for her. It had a very vibrant green colour and the prawns
were numerous. Both our breads (roti and garlic naan) were great too.
The service was very good and we had our water topped up by the waiter
several times. The décor in the dining area was functional but fairly
basic, as were the toilet facilities. So the score really reflects the
quality of everything else. [return to top]
Review #99: [22-Aug-09]
Satya in Sandringham, Auckland 5.3
chillies
After travelling to Auckalnd
to watch Cirque du Soleil, my wife and I took a cab to Satya for
a much anticipated visit, after the restaurant was recommended to us by
a friend. We ordered four entrees to start: Samosa Chat, Mirchi Bajji
Majaka, Pani Puri and Dahi Puri. The Puris were great and I preferred
the Dahi Puri. The yoghurt was very thick and had a delicious sour
creaminess to it. The Samosa Chat was good too, but fairly similar to
the Dahi Puri. The Pani Puri came with a spicy water to pour into the
Puri. The Mirchi Bajji Majaka had a thick doug and not like a pakaora
batter that I was expecting. For the mains I ordered the Murg Badami
and my wife had the Lamb Vindaloo. The Murg Badami was the better of
the two. The whole almonds, flavours and colour were fantastic
combination and it was a very large serving. Whereas the Vindaloo,
while also flavoursome, lacked any real heat. When asked how ht we
wanted it we asked for the chef to cook it as an authentic Indian
heat, but this had virtually none and was more like a Rogan Josh. All
the other flavours were there though – so all was not lost. We had a
Garlic Cheese Paratha and Roti too. The Paratha was bizarrely topped
with cheddar cheese, similar to Kiwi cheese on toast – and hardly
authentic Indian food. The Roti was good and faithful to the Indian
recipe with a distinctive ghee taste coming through. We had enough
leftovers for another tasty meal the next day. [return to top]
I have shifted to Auckland and will no
longer be updating my Wellington restaurants. For an archive of my my
previous ratings for Wellington restaurants please click here .
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Kia ora, Guest [
