Neel Kamal Indian Restaurant

Neel Kamal Indian Restaurant

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Posted 2016-04-25 by Seafarrwide follow


Nestled amongst a string of dusty shops at 123 Parramatta Road, Annandale is .



When you first enter Neel Kamal, you may initially take the simple rustic decor and less than sparkling surroundings as a sign of the food quality. Don't let this be your deciding factor. Take a seat and try out the menu, you will be pleasantly surprised.



Neel Kamal Restaurant first originated in the twinkling lights of Harris Park's Indian Restaurant district, where over 15 Indian Restaurants offer a wide range of regional cuisines. Owners Mahesh Khurana and Chef Raj Singh decided to make a change and move from the condensed area to Parramatta Road. Open just over 10 months, they are already gaining a good reputation from the locals for providing top quality Indian food.

We were greeted warmly by our hostess, Monika, who then explained the menu, asking our preferred level of spice. I'm not one for sweating while eating, so we requested a mild spice introduction. There was plenty of variety on the menu. Some people think of Indian food as just curries, when in fact, Indian cuisine offers a large diversity of dishes and is a widely popular choice for vegetarians. Each region in India has its own particular ingredients, spices and cooking methods. In the North, they focus on spicy flavours from red and green chillies, saffron, ghee and yoghurt. Where in the south, you will find black pepper, tamarind and coconut. In the East, they favour mustards for spice and flavour and they cook with seafood. The west is fairly cosmopolitan and blends all the region's specialities. With such a range of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and sharp flavours on offer, it is very hard to choose unless you know the menu description. I asked Monika to bring out what was most popular and not too spicy. I have learnt with my delicate stomach to approach spicy food slowly and find which dishes suit my palate.

To start, we were offered a share starter platter followed by two traditional curries, rice and a dessert. All of this was currently a lunch special offered for $40. We didn't have long to wait; out came our sizzling hot platter. The sight and smell of the cooking vapours instantly spiked my taste buds. I felt my mouth watering in anticipation of my first bite.



The burning hot platter included all the favourites; samosas, chicken tikka, seekh kebabs, onion bhajis with tamarind and a raita of mint yoghurt for cooling off. The samosas had a nice crispy shell filled with steaming slightly spiced potato and vegetables. Each chunk of chicken tikka was juicy and tender. It had obviously been marinated well in a lovely spiced creamy yoghurt, then charred to perfection in the tandoor oven. After each bite ,the smoky char cut nicely through the buttery spices and citrus elements of fresh tomato. Everything was cooked just right and full of flavour. We had to wash it down with a mango lassi of course. A bit sweet for my liking but an interesting taste which helps cool off the spices and cleanse the palate for the next round.



Next was the curries, traditional butter chicken, lahori lamb, saffron rice and naan breads. The butter chicken sauce was nicely balanced, not overly sweet using possibly caramelised tomatoes for natural sweetness and covered more tender chicken. Lahori lamb is a hotter taste consisting of black pepper, chilli, tumeric,coriander, cloves and tomatoes. This one had a good consistency when generally this dish can sometimes be watery. The lamb was tender and I could see how this sauce would suit chicken as well.



The garlic and cheese naan bread were perfectly cooked; slightly toasted on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside - filled with gooey cheese and garlic. The sweeter Kashmir naan was a medium thickness - filled with finely ground nuts, fruits, sugar and possibly coconut. Both naans were delicious and the ideal accompaniment to soak up the tasty curry sauces.





We both had to agree the food was excellent. Monika managed to talk us into having the Pista Kulfi to finish off the meal. It had an eye-catching presentation. The icy texture and fine pistachio nut elements made it a perfect finish to the meal, cutting through our overindulgence of the curry sauces.



We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and considered the choices tasted were the perfect introduction to their menu. The flavours were serious without being overwhelming or too spicy. It was a sure sign that the rest of the dishes on their menu would be delicious too.

This restaurant is well worth a try if you are passing by on Parramatta Road or live in a nearby suburb. Home delivery is also very popular here, so give it go and order online.



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#nsw
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#inner_west
#indian_restaurants
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#annandale
#vegetarian
%wnsydney
121781 - 2023-06-12 23:22:16

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