Himalaya - Surry Hills

Asked for mild butter huh how was for children and I couldn't even eat it. then I arranged and they were so rude and were not interested in making another.

Sat with Jay son, a quite basic restaurant, but really fantastic curries. I had the lahore lamb that was delicious, rich and filled with cardamoms and rose petals, I thought it was too much to eat with garlic naan and rice, but in the...end I just wanted to eat more and more.

I was withdrawn from the outside appearance of this restaurant. only a short walk from the main railway station and very practical to some local pubs in the opposite, this restaurant certainly has nothing to appear for me. but as they say, they can't... judge a book or restaurant) by its cover. once inside, still quite simple and simple, but what wins me is obviously eating. I was really impressed by eating and his presentation and service here. also worth money. not a big restaurant, but in any case we have booked before the arrival only for the case. the toilet is from the back of the restaurant, and I was not really impressed by its cleanliness, along with the floors that lead to them. that certainly needs improvement. maybe even a paint on the street front would not be shy. Nevertheless, if they are in the opposite of surry hills and are looking for a great Indian feed and are not concerned about presentation, then they give this to go.

We went to 7ish in the evening, there was no one in there! a bit disturbing, no matter what, we had the meal. there was too much food for us and we could not finish it, but we have little appetit. what fascated us that the place looked nothing like an Indian restaurant – it had zero ambiente and the interieur was badly conceived with “plastic” hanging plants! in any case no one who revises.

After shuffling down Elizabeth Street a couple of hundred metres, Himalaya Pakistani Indian Restaurant makes up for the lack of dining room windows in their new space using colourful, Indian-inspired murals. On one wall, the Taj Mahal is swathed in fiery skies and reflected...in the still water that stands at its base; while on another, four elaborately clad figures interact against a natural, leafy backdrop in shades of blue, yellow and green. This Surry Hills restaurant is one of five outlets owned by the group, who, just like the Manjit’s group that I reviewed last week, also own a function centre that caters to Indian weddings. As the name suggests, they’re serving desi food from the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora, which can broadly include Pakistan and Bangladesh. They attracted my interest with their weekday long lunches, which run until 4.30pm, making them perfect for people who never quite manage to step out of the office at the assigned lunch hour. The Tandoori Chicken Thali $19) is basic but covers all your lunch needs, spreading them across the compartments of a shiny, stainless-steel thali tray. Two smoky pieces of bone-in charred tandoori chook, served with green capsicum and long loops of onion, are complemented by a chicken curry of your choice. If you like heat, opt for the one labelled chicken curry rather than butter chicken. While it isn’t going to blow your head off, it’s tasty with sweet sweated onions and whole cardamom rather than cream or coconut. There’s also a soft and pliable naan sliced into quarters, rice and pappadums hiding frost green mint chutney that’s more yoghurt than it is mint. The Lamb Thali $19) comes in a similar format, switching out the tandoori chicken for two tubes of flavoursome seekh kebab that have also been roasted in the tandoor. They’re made from minced lamb mixed with onion, fresh herbs and spices, rolled onto metal skewers, which are pulled out before serving. The lean, well-spiced kebabs are served with a lamb curry that has had a long slow cook in a gravy with a round and balanced tomato base, until the pieces of lamb are nice and tender. The restaurant’s main menu is also available at lunch time. Craving something with a bit more kick everything I tried on the thali plates was very mild) I hit up Paneer Tikka Masala $16.95). Labeled as medium-hot on the menu, the home-made cheese arrives in a dense tomato sauce broken up with sweet onion and still-crisp green capsicum that is almost sweet against the mild, lip-tingling heat. There’s a generous amount of tender, rather than chewy, cheese in this decently proportioned serve, and the dish leaves me with a satisfying aftertaste. Rather than rice, I choose to team it with a Peshwari Naan $4.50) that has a bright orange interior stuffed with lots of fruit and coconut. It’s particularly enjoyable against cheese and the acidity of the tomato-heavy curry. Service is variable during the day, with just one floor person, who often spends more time on their phone than they do looking after the dining room, but I suspect that would improve with more custom at night.