From the neon pink dining room festooned with fake flowers to the irreverent disco soundtrack, Jessi Singh’s subcontinental hit is ruled by the mantra: Not Your Typical Indian Joint.

A growing business with outposts in Adelaide and Byron Bay, it balances old faithfuls and new school surprises. Flamboyant cocktails play well with street snacks, including an essential round of golgappa (aka pani puri from northern India), spheres of crisp semolina that shatter to reveal a blast of sweetly minted yoghurt.

Juicy tandoori chicken is deeply marinated and smoky from the clay oven. Gingery black lentil “aunty dahl” or a rich Kashmiri-style lamb rogan josh are best served with baskets of blistered naan.

In a city with upwards of 240,000 Indian residents, this is a vibrant celebration of the nation’s cuisine that’s very easy to like.