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One of Melbourne’s most enduring contemporary Indian restaurants brings a lot more to Flinders Lane than curry. Yes, there’s butter chicken – juicy thighs swimming in terracotta-hued gravy – but the snacks and sides star.

Betel leaves, stuffed with coconut curried prawns and fried in a tempura-like batter, are built for an ice-cold Kingfisher beer. Charcoal-licked octopus arrives on a puree of green apple and almond with G-rated chilli oil.

Things heat up with the streetfood-inspired mushroom chaat. Crisp-fried oyster mushrooms meet luminous mint chutney, sticky tamarind sauce and pops of boondi, the tiny chickpea flour balls.

Spice-friendly wines range from jaunty white grenache to chillable reds. Gulab jamun, deep-fried dough soaked in saffron-scented syrup, is a vibrant two-bite send-off. A laneway location, central open kitchen and views of Flinders Street cement Tonka’s status as a Melbourne must-do.