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The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Old Dec 28th 2011, 9:18 am
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Default The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

I notice this kind of thread was doing the rounds back in September but was more Sydney based so I wanted to get some input specific to Melbourne.

So yes the same somewhat drawn out Pom abroad comment, but why is it so hard to get a decent Indian curry out here?! Are the people professing to be Indians in Aus actually impostors? Or is it somewhat of a British arrogance to presume that what we’ve tasted and defined as good curry back in the UK is what Indian food should taste like?

Anyway I’m a stereotypical Chicken Jalfrezi and Prawn Madras eater, but on the occasion I’ve found these two dishes in Aus they’ve tasted way below par (Jalfrezi over here is mild which it shouldn’t be!). Another thing that bugs me is the intensity of a Vindaloo in Aus. I have no right to even be in the same room as a Vindaloo, it is beyond my spice threshold, yet over in Aus I can eat a Vindaloo without issue!

So people who have had curry in Melbourne, have you found a place on a par with a UK curry house? My wife and I have visited 5 in Melbourne which have failed to come up to standard. I’ve listed them below, the higher up my list the better they are, but the best Aus has to offer would be average in the UK.

1.Roti Boti, Hampton. (says it’s the 44th best in the world. By Aus standards was good but not on a par with just about every UK curry I’ve had. Nice looking restaurant though)

2.Kake Di Hatti, Lygon Street, Brunswick East. (passable curry but nothing more)

3.Tandoori Times, Barkly Street, St Kilda. (had high hopes bearing in mind everyone in St Kilda is either Irish or British. Failed to deliver though. Average bordering on below average.)

4. Curry-Leaf Café, Brighton Road, St Kilda/Elwood. (recommended as good by an Aussie, but obviously we’ve since learned that Aussie Indian recommendations should probably be ignored. Really bad cuts of meat, and really expensive. Also tried to over charge us)

5. Yarra Indian Take Away, William Street, South Yarra. (avoid like the plague, the worst curry I have ever had anywhere)

Just to say I had thought curries all over Aus were of this standard, but Maya Da Dhaba on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, Sydney was amazing and has restored my faith that Melbourne may be capable of delivering something similar to this Sydney beauty! Incidentally anyone going up to Katoomba in the Blue Moutains, don’t go for a curry at Arjuna Indian Restaurant. Was rubbish.
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Old Dec 28th 2011, 11:03 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

I've been to the Kake Di Hatti one in Lygon St... as it's fairly close to me. I reckon my Local does a better curry... Saleem Bombay in Coburg. However there is a caviaet they seem to have 3 different chefs 2 are really good and one is not so.... It depends on what night of the week that you get there. There is a place in Sydney Rd Brunswick that definitely has very hot Vindaloos as standard.
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Old Dec 28th 2011, 8:51 pm
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

All the curry houses I used to go to on Brick Lane were run by Bangledeshi's anyway! I get more authentic Indian food in KL where I am currently. However, our local was Krishna's on Bay Rd, Sandringham which we thought was excellent..
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Old Dec 28th 2011, 10:34 pm
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

So question for ozzieeagle and ajw, how do Saleem Bombay in Coburg and Krishna's in Sandringham measure up versus a UK curry? Are they just good by Aus standards or on a par with a UK curry?
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Old Dec 29th 2011, 1:25 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Originally Posted by stuartsummers1980
So question for ozzieeagle and ajw, how do Saleem Bombay in Coburg and Krishna's in Sandringham measure up versus a UK curry? Are they just good by Aus standards or on a par with a UK curry?
Difficult for me to answers for two reasons.... Firstly I've lived here for over 30 years ... Secondly I was obviously exposed to more Bangladeshi tastes than pure Indian, I love the Currys in Brick Lane, The ones I acquired my tastes from in my native South London were mostly Bangladeshi owned.

However IMO my Local Curry house definitely does better Curry than the Jaipur in MKeynes .... which you may have heard off because of this. In fact I may have been slightly unlucky on my last trip because besides the Brick Lane Currys and one noteable place in Tower Bridge Rd Bermondsey.... the rest weren't as good... IMO.

http://www.jaipur.co.uk/index2.html

It's taken quite a few years for Curry Houses here in Aus to actually become passable and some are leading the charge. My local was crap until 3 years back when some young owners took over. It's now a spice sensation with all sorts of subtle flavours making an appearance in different dishes, which unfortunately is still far from the norm here in Aus. . So I rate my local fairly highly these days and IMO and would possibly hit middle ground in the UK.

One big thing in it's favour that I personally love.... is it actually somewhat resembles an old High st UK curry house.... Flock wallpaper and all... It has another room and can hold 125 diners.


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Old Dec 29th 2011, 2:24 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

So, to the OP - where would you say is typical of the standard you are looking for? Where is your favourite in the UK? Maybe someone else on here has been there and can provide a more direct comparison.

I'm trying not to compare too much with UK generally, but I can second Krishnas on Bay Road as being half decent. Also Bombay by Night in South Caulfield (North Road, it's more Ormond in my book) has produced a decent curry for us.

There are 2 in Parkdale - my mate swears by one of them but I would avoid both, and Cinnamon Club in Nepean H\W Cheltenham is OK, but probably not going to differentiate itself from any of the ones you mention.
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Old Dec 29th 2011, 7:18 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

I think part of the problem is the people opening these places are not cooks in there own country, many are just migrants or have studied here and now trying to make a go of it and one of the easiest ways is to open a restaurant. Indian food is very complex when made properly and needs a good understanding of all the layers of spices to get real depth of flavour.

Try The Hydrebadi on Koornang Rd Carnegie, about the best i have tasted so far.
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Old Dec 29th 2011, 8:22 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Originally Posted by bumble69
So, to the OP - where would you say is typical of the standard you are looking for? Where is your favourite in the UK? Maybe someone else on here has been there and can provide a more direct comparison.

I'm trying not to compare too much with UK generally, but I can second Krishnas on Bay Road as being half decent. Also Bombay by Night in South Caulfield (North Road, it's more Ormond in my book) has produced a decent curry for us.

There are 2 in Parkdale - my mate swears by one of them but I would avoid both, and Cinnamon Club in Nepean H\W Cheltenham is OK, but probably not going to differentiate itself from any of the ones you mention.
Good idea. Ok so I lived in Isleworth (sort of London but technically not out Heathrow way) before heading out here, so massive Indian population around those parts. My two local Indians that delivered good curries consistently was one called ANJUM, and the other was called EURO BALTI. To open the net a bit, I also had a great curry on the west coast of Scotland in a town called Oban at a curry house called the TAJ MAHAL. Also although I had to tinker with what I normally have (had to order a Bhuna dish and Rogan Josh but ask for them to be spicier as opposed to the usual Jalfrezi and Madras) I did finally have a great curry at Maya Da Dhaba on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, Sydney. So I know Aus can deliver, I just hope I don't have to travel 1000km every time I want a good curry lol.
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Old Dec 29th 2011, 10:38 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Well I can confirm that Maya's prawn jalfrezi was particularly good tonight.
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Old Dec 30th 2011, 5:03 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Hi guys!!

I sympathise with the curry situation. I'm from Manchester and we are blessed there with an abundance of curry houses. Because there are so many, competition is high - which means good quality and good prices!! :-)

I've visited a few Indian restaurants in Melbourne. All of them, I found to be painfully average. Except one...

The Tandoori Den in Camberwell is very good!! Not just buy Australian standards, but by any standards. Of course, curries in the UK are tailored to the UK market, so any curry here will never be exactly the same. But this place is sweet!! The food is more reasonably priced than some of the others that I've been in here, too!! It's the only Indian restaurant that I've been back to, put it that way!!

It's always busy and there's usually a 10-15 minute wait for a table (unless you book), and lots of Indians eating there (which I always take as a good sign). I'm lucky that it's just round the corner. Prob the only downside is that it's not BYO, and the beers are a little on the pricey side.

Be interested to hear opinions if anyone ends up going.

Cheers,
Martin
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Old Dec 30th 2011, 5:12 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Been to a few curry places, including a couple named by the OP. Best one so far is definatley the one in Glen Waverley (ozzie, never got to the one in Heidelberg, summit came up, but its on for the future). Best of all its walking distance

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/16144...-Glen-Waverley

Ozzie the one in Heidelberg that the nurse i work with husband runs is called coconut lagoon.

http://coconutlagoon.com.au/

Last edited by Margaret3; Dec 30th 2011 at 5:21 am.
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Old Dec 30th 2011, 6:00 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Originally Posted by Margaret3
Been to a few curry places, including a couple named by the OP. Best one so far is definatley the one in Glen Waverley (ozzie, never got to the one in Heidelberg, summit came up, but its on for the future). Best of all its walking distance

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/16144...-Glen-Waverley

Ozzie the one in Heidelberg that the nurse i work with husband runs is called coconut lagoon.

http://coconutlagoon.com.au/

That looks pretty good
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Old Dec 30th 2011, 10:53 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Originally Posted by Seasider
Well I can confirm that Maya's prawn jalfrezi was particularly good tonight.
Well I am normally a Jalfrezi eater, but Maya's menu described it as a mild curry, which it's not supposed to be. Hence why I went Bhuna and Rogan Josh, although had to ask for them to be spicy and they were great. Maybe should have done the same with the Jalfrezi.
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Old Dec 30th 2011, 10:56 am
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Originally Posted by MancInMelb
Hi guys!!

I sympathise with the curry situation. I'm from Manchester and we are blessed there with an abundance of curry houses. Because there are so many, competition is high - which means good quality and good prices!! :-)

I've visited a few Indian restaurants in Melbourne. All of them, I found to be painfully average. Except one...

The Tandoori Den in Camberwell is very good!! Not just buy Australian standards, but by any standards. Of course, curries in the UK are tailored to the UK market, so any curry here will never be exactly the same. But this place is sweet!! The food is more reasonably priced than some of the others that I've been in here, too!! It's the only Indian restaurant that I've been back to, put it that way!!

It's always busy and there's usually a 10-15 minute wait for a table (unless you book), and lots of Indians eating there (which I always take as a good sign). I'm lucky that it's just round the corner. Prob the only downside is that it's not BYO, and the beers are a little on the pricey side.

Be interested to hear opinions if anyone ends up going.

Cheers,
Martin
Ok that could be my next try as I happen to work a short walk from that curry house, and have been eyeing it up for some time now. Up until now I'd only had an Aussie say it did a good curry, which of course makes me a bit cynical, but as you're from Manc originally I think that's enough to warrant me trying it. Thanks.
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Old Dec 30th 2011, 6:16 pm
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Default Re: The Melbourne Curry Conundrum!

Originally Posted by ajw
All the curry houses I used to go to on Brick Lane were run by Bangledeshi's anyway! I get more authentic Indian food in KL where I am currently. However, our local was Krishna's on Bay Rd, Sandringham which we thought was excellent..
Another one here for Krishna. Great authentic Indian food. Always fresh and each curry tastes different - not that awful basic sauce that is used in each dish. I love the goat sag curry and the fish madras
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