INDU
Tucked away in the closest thing Sydney has to a Melbourne lane way - Angel Place, INDU is an Indian / Indonesian fusion restaurant that elevates a cuisine which Sydneysiders usually associate with cheap eats to a new level.
The option INDU really tries to push - on their website, when you book and in person - is their 'feast' menu. It is a pet peeve of mine when a restaurant has a set menu but does not tell you what you're in for. In some situations I can understand, for example if the set menu is chef's selection which changes day to day, or if the menu is dependent on what fresh produce the restaurant was able to obtain that morning, but I don't think this was the case at INDU.
When the wait staff introduced the set menu, it sounded like you only get 3 courses at $65pp and 4 courses at $80pp, and without trying it out myself I don't know whether it is worthwhile. My gut instinct is to think while not over-priced, the feast menu is not a great value option, considering the type of cuisine INDU serves, and the fact that there are many other restaurants where the set menu is of a similar price or just slightly pricier, but you get a lot more courses or the cuisine is inherently more expensive.
The price caveat aside, I really enjoyed the food at INDU by picking just a few items off the menu.
The beetroot hopper is served with a salad of asparagus, pea, mint, coconut, tomato, ginger chutney and small morsels of spanner crab. A hopper is like a dosa (sort of like an Indian pancake), but shaped like a bowl. It is soft, light and chewy; and the salad is also light and fresh. It is very small, so is it worth $15? You decide.
Watermelon salads are always amazing and refreshing. This one is served with a bit of cardamom, yogurt and pomegranate molasses. It was a simple, yet well-balanced dish; though the fancy ingredients like the molasses didn't exactly add to the dish. The yogurt is whipped and therefore very light, but you could only have it with one or two pieces of watermelon.
EDIT: My friend, on the other hand, thinks the molasses made the dish. He thinks the molasses complimented the watermelon well, but conceded that there was only enough molasses for a couple of watermelon cubes - or in his words 'it certainly wasn't prevalent.' Both the molasses and the yogurt seemed to be more for show, which is a shame.
The lamb ribs are twice-cooked and have a almond and jaggery spice crust. Thiey were absolutely delightful. Soft, tender, fall-off-the-bone beautiful. My only regret is that this is literally one mouthful of meat.
This was the highlight of the meal for me. Rich, sweet, comforting, it is pretty much what a hug would taste like if hugs were food. In keeping with the small portion theme, you only get a very small cup (probably $150 - 175ml), but given the sugar attack, a small cup hits the right spot.
Score: 3.5 / 5
The food is absolutely lovely: fresh, simple, beautifully cooked. I just don't know about the value. I'd rather spend a bit more for something really special, or go to a bustling cheap eats that probably taste just as good but have poor presentation. INDU is stuck in the awkward spot right in the middle where it's not quite fine dining to be special, but not good valued enough to warrant repeat visits either.
Price: see above - a bit of an awkward spot.
Address: 350 George Street, (entry via Angel Place) Sydney CBD
Website: http://indudining.com.au/
The option INDU really tries to push - on their website, when you book and in person - is their 'feast' menu. It is a pet peeve of mine when a restaurant has a set menu but does not tell you what you're in for. In some situations I can understand, for example if the set menu is chef's selection which changes day to day, or if the menu is dependent on what fresh produce the restaurant was able to obtain that morning, but I don't think this was the case at INDU.
When the wait staff introduced the set menu, it sounded like you only get 3 courses at $65pp and 4 courses at $80pp, and without trying it out myself I don't know whether it is worthwhile. My gut instinct is to think while not over-priced, the feast menu is not a great value option, considering the type of cuisine INDU serves, and the fact that there are many other restaurants where the set menu is of a similar price or just slightly pricier, but you get a lot more courses or the cuisine is inherently more expensive.
The price caveat aside, I really enjoyed the food at INDU by picking just a few items off the menu.
 |
| Beetroot Hopper $15 |
 |
| Watermelon and cucumber salad, $16 |
EDIT: My friend, on the other hand, thinks the molasses made the dish. He thinks the molasses complimented the watermelon well, but conceded that there was only enough molasses for a couple of watermelon cubes - or in his words 'it certainly wasn't prevalent.' Both the molasses and the yogurt seemed to be more for show, which is a shame.
 |
| Lamb ribs, $6 each (making this plate $12) |
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| House brewed chai, $5 |
Score: 3.5 / 5
The food is absolutely lovely: fresh, simple, beautifully cooked. I just don't know about the value. I'd rather spend a bit more for something really special, or go to a bustling cheap eats that probably taste just as good but have poor presentation. INDU is stuck in the awkward spot right in the middle where it's not quite fine dining to be special, but not good valued enough to warrant repeat visits either.
Price: see above - a bit of an awkward spot.
Address: 350 George Street, (entry via Angel Place) Sydney CBD
Website: http://indudining.com.au/
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