This little place has long been a favourite
of mine, not just for its cozy ‘hole in the wall’ charm but its amazing views
of the Sydney Harbour that, if enjoyed at dinner time especially, are
effortlessly breathtaking. Though the glow of the Sydney Harbour at dusk would
be enough to make any meal taste better, it can’t truthfully
take all the blame.
Indian is often a tough one for vegans as
even vegetarian options will include cream or butter, despite the majority of
food across India actually being largely plant-based. Harbourside maintains authenticity,
with the first four items on the entrée menu all safe for vegans, and the first
five, vegetarian, and none of them leave the taste buds wanting. This is the
kind of vegan food that makes regular vegan bashing bacon fanatics not even
realize they’re enjoying vegan food, including aloo bonda - mashed potatoes
tossed with ginger, chili, mustard seeds, curry leaves, battered with chick pea
flour & deep fried, served with mint chutney (drool).
On this occasion, I ordered my favourites - onion bhajis and paneer tikka (to share, I promise!). The bhajis were good, but
no grander than other restaurants I enjoy, but for dairy eaters the paneer was
standout for its freshness, creating a particularly creamy and smooth texture that blended well with the light tandoori spices. Non-vego pals can also enjoy a variety of
meat-based entrees with options spanning lamb, chicken, prawns and fish. Mains are listed separately under vegetarian and non-vegetarian, which I always enjoy,\ as it makes scanning the menu that much easier, though several
non-vego curries here can also be easily modified to include chickpeas or
paneer instead of meat.
The vegetarian menu contains many beautiful options with tomato and ghee based sauces that can be
served with paneer, legumes or vegetables (usually potato combined with other
starchy or seasonal vegetables). Vegans may want to confirm that their orders
won’t include sneaky added cream or butter, though these are not listed in many of the
menu descriptions. Choices rage from buttery kormas to rich aloos but
my personal favourite has always been the dhal makhani - lentils, pan fried
with garlic, onions & tossed with fresh coriander.
I find each time the sauce is rich enough
without overdoing it, the lentils are always cooked well, and sometimes will
feature kidney beans (possibly because lentil supplies were low, but no
complaints tbh) and it blends so perfectly with a garlic naan. Sometimes I do
find there are chunks of ginger that, though this enhances the flavour
beautifully, can be a bit much to take as I prefer my ginger grated and
undetected (apart from flavor of course). The naans were pretty good, just the
right amount of add-ons without the tidal wave of extra butter sometimes added
(first world problems). They were also a reasonable size, suitable for sensible
people unlike myself…. I do love a big old doughy naan, I’ve been ruined by my
favourite Indian restaurant in Manchester UK where the naans were always
amazing and generally the size of a pillowcase (i.e. EastZEast... a glowing review for another time).
Rices are limited to just white basmati,
unless ordering a biryani, which is advertised with a chicken or lamb base (though
again could probably be modified). Sides
include the standard mango chutney, raita and salsa and of course, poppadums,
which we always end up eating before our starters anyway, because nothing says
I’m keeping it light tonight with three starters, a curry, a naan and X amount
of alcoholic beverages.
Drinks are fairly traditional, with a few
staple soft drinks, juices and wines – though occasionally wine has not been in
huge supply (i.e. around 3-4 white wines listed but only 1-2 available) but on
this occasion the option was a nice chardonnay and if you’re like me you tend to just
like wine and the type is just a minor technicality.
Desserts are a non-issue because again, if
you’re like me, you gorge so much on the entrees and mains, desserts are not
really an option at this point. Quite literally here though, they are not
listed anyway, and perhaps just as well.
If you choose to sit for a while to let the mains settle and enjoy the
glittery view for a while longer though, I’m sure they can grab you a coffee to
accommodate.
In short, definitely a must try. Indeed, everyone
I’ve taken to this sweet spot has loved it, the service is always quick and
friendly, and the food delicious and diverse. The only real complaint from me
is the charm of its smallness often doubles as an annoyance when seated near a
particularly loud or obnoxious group as there’s not much chance of moving
farther away from them to enjoy your meals and conversations in peace. But in
this case maybe you’ll be enjoying the view too much with a solid mouthful to
worry too much about talking.
Sorry for the lack of food pics, as this
was my first review I am a little rusty on the physical evidence, but fortunately
my arrogant opinion-forming and love of good food remain solid.
Bon appétit.
P.S. I’m just now realising that as my name
is Bonnie (nickname Bon), not naming my blog ‘Bon Appétit’ seems like a real
missed opportunity. But it is so cliché I don’t think I could have tolerated it
as a name, but as a cliché sign-off, it will do just fine.
