Spicy Flames, Mount Waverley MELB

A little impromptu walk along blackburn road and I came across an Indian eatery that my friend was keen on for their value for money meals. 

At $10 for rice and curry, one would get a good serve of rice with chicken/lamb curry and three small serves of vegetables be it beetroot, kale, potatoes or beans. Slightly a bit more salty for my palate, this portion could feed me for 2 meals.

Chilli squid - priced at $15, I didn’t think I was getting a lot but was surprised when the lady behind the counter was genuinely trying to fit as much as she could into a 500ml takeaway container. Again, a little salty for me but nevertheless, it was delicious and would go well served with rice.
 

Bikanerwala, Clayton MELB

Of late, my laptop has been playing up to the stage whereby most of the external ports do not function despite numerous attempts at reinserting the USB plugs. To make matters worse, I can't seem to utilize gmail and so, have been away from the blogging sphere.

Nothing much I can do at this stage but to look at newer laptop options to hopefully resolve the matter but at least it gave me the freedom to wander off indulging in my many other hobbies. I have took a liking towards sports recently and being the overzealous person that I am, I thought it was a good idea to hit a few shuttlecocks followed by some ping pong balls, all in a two hour timeframe.

Dinner/ supper followed suit and as always, it would be a naughty treat considering that our session ended at close to 10pm. Clayton has a few late night Indian eateries and one could easily pick out the aromatic scent of herbs and spices wafting in the air from miles away.

Mango lassi - a must have in my books. Sweet but not excruciatingly overboard with it.

Goat curry, aloo gobi and palak paneer - ordering was off my hands especially in an area which I lack knowledge of and this was what we ended up with. Each curry dish differed from one another according to its sauce base but all were mildly spicy for us.

I didn't mind the aloo gobi which was a lightly sauteed cauliflower dish, given a small dose of spices in it. Goes well with a piece of warm garlic naan.

Corlam Kitchen, Glen Waverley MELB

Last Wednesday had to be the worst day in 2016 for me on various accounts. Call it back luck if you may and when things turn sour, I tend to crave for a hearty meal that can instantly, yet temporarily, take my mind aboard a mini holiday. Similar to binge eating but not to the same extent I suppose:p

Weather was dark and gloomy, impelling me to steer clear from getting behind the wheel. Decided on a short walk up the road towards the row of restaurants/ cafes located along Blackburn road. Studied the menu, placed our orders and resisted the temptation to order too much.

Rice with 2 meat and 1 veggie - for $10, this filled me up pretty well. There were about 3 different types of vegetarians curries and about 5 protein packed curry variations. Each curry had its own distinct flavour and was not too spicy to my liking.

Currypuff - a little soft in my opinion but perhaps because it may have been prepared early in the day. Nevertheless, still a tasty little treat to kick start the meal with.

Hoppers - I find that trying out something new, be it a hobby or edible item, indirectly lifts up my mood. Never had hoppers before and found it a very interesting dish, for the fact that it's akin a really fluffy piece of roti, heavily infused with coconut cream.

Oh and comes with a serve of curry too:)

Roti with lamb curry - at this stage, it was more likely that both of us were binge eating after a horrible day. This roti was let down by the lack of crispiness but on the flip side, it is a pretty big piece of roti that would suffice me for 2 meals.

Roti bom - generously dosed with condensed milk, coated with sugar and topped with butter, we found this a little too sweet and textually thick. Still managed to finish every last crumb on the plate but may have to consider saving more tummy room in the future.

Rich Mahal, Burwood Highway MELB

Just like any other human being, I too face stressful moments and during these times, I turn to food as a pick me up. Whilst I am capable of handling difficult situations fairly well, my tummy manipulates my mind into thinking that I need some form of therapy;) Which brought us here after a much needed  time away from my study/ work desk.

 

Teh tarik ~ caffeine after work can be a good thing sometimes, especially when its not too sweet like this one;)

At Rich Mahal, you can choose a few different types of curries to have with your rice, be it something extremely or mildly spicy and in terms of protein, you have the choice of chicken, mutton, fish and beef. Vegetarian is an option too and all up, it was a much needed quick dinner fix. Pleasantly aromatic and satisfying.

For those unfamiliar, curry puff is a traditional type of savoury snack in Malaysia. It is available here and I daresay it is almost as good as the ones I can get back home. Crispy pastry layer and loaded with a mildly spicy curry mix.

Roti telur ~ roti was fluffy and comes accompanied by a few different types of gravy to suit your palate.

Murtabak ~ basically a roti stuffed with meat filling and accompanied by a little bowl of curry gravy. At $8.50, it was a steal compared to how much other restaurants are charging for it.

Roti tissue ~ paper thin and crispy roti, drizzled with condensed milk aka roti dosed with sugar.

Overall, good value for money and probably a good place to hang out with friends if you are looking for a spot that's crowd-free:)

Anshumann Da Dhaba, Clayton MELB

Summer is not the best time to have a fiery hot or spicy meal - there's no need for it else one might be overheating on the outside and inside as well, if you know what I mean. However, granted our strange weather in Melbourne, we have had a few cool days which warrants the need for warm comfort food.

Which lead me here. Located about 13 minutes away from my suburb, it was worth an adventure, for a change in scenery. Packed full of people and heavily perfumed with various spices, this is the place for cheap and good eats.

Mango lassi ~ not overly sweet or bland, with the right amount of viscosity.

This was one of their curries that was on the specials board (unfortunately, I can't recall the name!) Boness pieces of chicken drenched in a creamy coconut based curry sauce that is not too spicy for my liking. Only downside is the lack of protein bits in this dish but can't really complain considering that I would have paid a lot more for something similar elsewhere.

Naan bread ~ at 90cents per piece, this was too cheap to believe. Best part was that it did not disappoint - fluffy, light and nicely toasted all round, this was the ideal sponge for soaking up all the curry sauce.

Kadai paneer ~ cottage cheese cooked in tomato, ginger and spices. This was spicier than I have expected but thankfully, we were provided with a serve of yoghurt just in case we needed it to cool off the spicy effects. More tomato-y taste than curry and probably a good option to have if you want something different.

Golden Chili's, Wantirna MELB

There is nothing more satisfying than finding a cozy place to dine at that is not only conveniently located but also serves up some finger licking delicious food. Which is what Golden Chili's is. This Malaysian Indian restaurant may not be packed full of customers like other popular Malaysian restaurants, but never judge a book by it's cover.

I highly recommend ordering the roti or curry dishes here. For those unfamiliar, a roti is akin a flat bread but crispier and more aerated than a typical naan bread due to the constant tossing work involved. There are sweet and savoury types of roti, definitely spoilt for choices here.

Nasi lemak with beef rendang ~ the curries here do have a kick to them so if you are more sensitive towards spicy food, do let them know prior to ordering. Delicious sambal and beef rendang here.

Maggi mee goreng ~ not a spicy one and heavily reminds me of home.

Teh tarik ~ one the sweeter side but do not worry as the ice will reduce the sweetness as you eat your way through dinner.

Nasi briyani with curry dishes and vegetables ~ no description can justify this delicious plate of food. Each curry has it's own unique personality and it will take me more than a couple of visits to savour everything. In short, give it a try!

Palms Restaurant, Glen Waverley MELB

Now that the weather is beginning to cool down significantly, I am resorting to warm, soupy-ish comfort type of food that will warm me up from the inside. Aside from Korean cuisine, Indian cuisine would be the next best alternative. Spicy food tends to do the trick for me too;)

Despite living just 3 minutes by foot from this restaurant, I never did thought about popping by until a few weeks post-Malaysia and the craving for spices reemerges. This restaurant reminded me of a hawker where you order your food at selected counters. The counters are divided into different categories, mainly Chinese, Indian and cafe.

We ordered food from the Indian corner to satisfy our cravings and because the smell is too tantalizing to resist.

Butter chicken ~ creamy and a little on the sweetish side. Decent serving of chicken pieces in it and well-spiced to our liking.

Lamb masala ~ literally melts in your mouth. I reckon the meat must have been cooked over a prolonged period of time to reach this desirable point and boy, was it worth it.

Garlic naan ~ not the fluffiest naan in my books but still decent enough to soak up all that lovely curry gravy.

Vegetable briyani ~ sigh if only I could prepare rice dishes well in the kitchen. Briyani has a good balance of spices in it and was not overly pungent for my liking. Also equally good for cushioning more curry gravy hehe:)

Matar paneer ~ so the bunch of us felt awful if we did not have our daily intake of veges. So here's our attempt in the form of cottage cheese and peas in curry. Not spicy at all and yes, plenty of cheese and peas included.

Do note that food takes a little while to arrive so be prepared to wait for an extra 5-10 minutes. We got there before the dinner crowd takes over and had to wait at least 20 minutes for our food to arrive. Not too long but if you're in a hurry...

Fennel Aromatic, North of Adelaide

I am not very adventurous when it comes to Indian food, mostly because I don't know where to go and rely heavily on friends' recommendations. As long as the food is tasty, affordable and does not leave me feeling extremely thirsty afterwards, I am pretty easy going.

I always frequent Indian Temptation on main north road but just last week, was convinced by a friend who loved this little shop which is located just next door to Indian Temptation. Unlike the always crowded and brightly lit Indian Temptation, Fennel Aromatic boosts a much more peaceful setting. My companions did the ordering because I was obviously too clueless to figure out what to have!

Tandoori chicken ~ I was half expecting skinny chicken legs to appear on the table and I was proved wrong. The meat was still moist on the inside whilst the exterior was perfectly grilled with a good marinade. Went well with the accompanying mint yoghurt but I did not need it hehe.

Butter chicken ~ this dish was rich and so delicious that we did not have any problems finishing all the gravy. Not spicy at all and something I would recommend:)

Naan bread ~ can't go wrong with a bit of naan to lap the plates with!

Dhal ~ a vegetarian friendly option that is not spicy at all. It was a little runnier in terms of consistency compared to the other dishes but nevertheless, it was still delicious.

Lamb madras ~ a slightly more spicier option for the chilli lovers out there. Still heavily spiced, had tender meat chunks in the gravy and so naan-licking good!

Overall, I enjoyed my meal here a lot and certainly look forward to another visit soon now that the weather is cooling down heaps. Worth a try and I am sure you won't be disappointed at all.