Top Indian chef and foodie reveal their favourite Indian restaurants from Parramatta to Surry Hills
From street food to experimental dining, a top Indian chef and foodie reveal their favourite Indian restaurants from Parramatta to Surry Hills.
Confidential
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A culinary rule of thumb when it comes to international cuisines is you go where the locals go.
That’s what up and coming young Indian chef Shashank Achuta is doing, starting a pop-up event at Indian restaurant he loved as a customer, Flyover Fritterie.
Achuta, who has worked at Hubert’s and Cafi Paci, launched his own Indian delivery meal service, Sydney Tiffin Room, as a passion project during lockdown.
Now, after working as sous-chef in the kitchen at Lana, he has a plan to transform the Sydney Tiffin Room, and his first stop is a pop up with one of his favourite Indian restaurants.
“Flyover is one of my favourite spots in the city,” said Achuta.
“I discovered them when they were just a hole in the wall in the city. They make hands down; the best chai in town, and lots of delectable street food.”
On September 20th and 21st, Achuta will take part in an pop up at the Redfern restaurant, serving up a six course vegetarian feast. He also has pops up planned with popular bar PS40 in October.
“What started off as a research project to learn more about Indian food eventually turned into a delivery business to keep me going through lockdown. The reception and support that I received was so overwhelmingly good and I am very grateful,” he said.
“I’ve always dreamed of having a restaurant of my own, and this experience furthered my drive to realise this dream.”
Highlights of Achuta’s menu include a Jerusalem artichoke Cutlass Chaat and a roti canai with spring vegetable. “The traditional roti was modified overtime into a dish that takes advantage of local produce and is better suited to the local cuisine. This story is in a way, a depiction of what every aspiring immigrant in the hospitality industry wants to do. To recreate traditional food true to its origins, but using the best local produce.”
CHEF SHASHANK ACUTA’S GUIDE TO THE BEST INDIAN IN SYDNEY:
Anjappar, Parramatta
Anjappar is the undisputed king of Chettinad food in Sydney. Chettinad cuisine, endemic to South India, showcases the wide variety of seafood found along the Indian coast line, and some unique ingredients like lichens and dried meats. So if a hearty surf-and-turf situation is what you’re after, then look no further! Try the Chettinad Meen Kulambu with Ceylon parotta (Fish Curry and flaky roti!) or Chicken 65 (Indian style fried chicken)
Faheem Fast Food, Enmore
Faheem’s is one of Newtown’s many hidden gems. It’s also my pick for the best North Indian/Pakistani food in Sydney. The ideal spot for a rich, spicy, hearty meal … plus they’re open till late which is always great. If you do go there, do yourself a favour and ask the lovely guys who run the joint to recommend something you’ve never tried before, trust me you can’t go wrong.
Dosa Hub, Five Dock/Strathfield
To the uninitiated, a dosa is basically a savoury crepe made from a fermented rice batter. This is my pick of choice for a dosa fix, and really for any quintessential South Indian food. They also make a mean biryani if you’re in the mood for one.
Student Biryani (locations across Sydney)
I would like to prelude this by saying that biryani is an extremely polarising topic with Indians, so there are no right or wrong answers. However my choice is the only correct choice. People often ask me where they can find the best biryani in town. It’s probably the question I get asked the most about Indian food. Student Biryani is my pick of the bunch. Reasonable prices, generous quantities, delicious.
Chatkhazz, North-west
This place is all about Indian street food, especially Mumbai street food. I distinctly remember visiting Chatkhazz when it first opened several years ago and being pleasantly surprised by the number of dishes on the menu that I had never seen in Indian restaurants here and yet are staples in India. I highly recommend trying at least Masala Pav (bun stuffed with potato fritter) on your first visit, a dish sold in every corner of Mumbai.
Saravanaa Bhavan, Parramatta
Saravanaa Bhavan is the largest South Indian restaurant chain in the world. South Indian dishes like dosas and vadas are very popular in Indian restaurants. However the flavour, variety and authenticity of Saravanaa Bhavan stands out, not surprising given the origin and bulk of Saravanaa Bhavan branches can be traced back to Chennai, India.
La Jawaab, Harris Park
This is your usual curry and naan affair, but done really well. Instead of ordering the usual naan to go with your curries, I recommend opting for the Laccha Paratha (crispy, flaky, layered whole wheat flatbread) or the Methi Laccha Paratha (Laccha Paratha flavoured with fenugreek). For entrees you can also try their chaat, cooked and served similar to how it's done in India, which is cooked roadside on a tawa (hot iron plate).
Masala Theory, Surry Hills
If you're looking for an offbeat, modern Indian restaurant with great presentation, Masala Theory is your place! The stars here are all the experimental dishes unique to Masala Theory itself, particularly the curry bombs. You may know that Indian cuisine is diverse thanks to the length and breadth of the country. But few know that it's also constantly reinvesting itself by incorporating new flavours from around the world into their traditional dishes or taking famous global dishes and giving them an Indian spin thanks to our love of food. Masala theory is one of those rare restaurants in India, that gives an insight into the buzzing food culture of modern India, forever balancing Indian traditionalism and culture with globalism.
Foreign Return, Surry Hills
The most innovative restaurant on this list but still firmly rooted in Indian tradition. This restaurant is all about discovering India's regional recipes, including 'lost' recipes which are basically dishes from towns and villages rarely found in restaurants. There is Laal Maass, a mutton curry from Rajasthan India or Tar Gosht Korma, a royal Indian goat or mutton curry from Rampur. There is plenty of Australian influence as well as seen in the Kangaroo Salli taco, their take on the acclaimed dish Salli Boti from the Parsi community in India served with kangaroo. This is Indian cuisine like never seen before and regardless of your knowledge of Indian food, I guarantee that this restaurant is bound to surprise you.
This is Indian cuisine like never seen before and regardless of your knowledge of Indian food, I guarantee that this restaurant is bound to surprise you.
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