Somehow Shaahi Tandoori has always escaped my attention on Enmore Road. My mistake. Their chicken 65 ($12.90) is like KFC just with actual flavour. I think it was them changing their outdoor signage from red to emerald green that finally drew me in. Along with Indo-Chinese dishes like the one already mentioned, they offer Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Mohsin Bukhari’s restaurant is the real deal. It has a Pakistani sister restaurant - Shaahi Lounge - in Auburn that opened in September last year, and offers up Iftar buffets during Ramadan. So, understandably, you won’t be able to drink alcohol with your meal here (yes, even BYO). What you can do is roll in tipsy after getting on the beers and load up a table with far too many well-priced dishes.
We started with cooling bowls of papdi chaat ($9) where hunks of samosa, chickpeas and curls of crisp pastry are drowned in yoghurt and chutneys. It’s smart to keep some in reserve, because some curries here, like the chicken vindaloo ($12.90) are kick-your-butt spicy. The same curry taken in beef ($13.90) is spicy but approachable. Butter chicken ($13.90) on the other hand, is rich, creamy and nutty: great for dipping pillowy soft garlic naan ($4/each). Tucking boiled eggs under red-tinged basmati rice, the egg biryani ($12.90) cooked in biryani masala is a good alternative to plain rice. Deep red Tandoori chicken ($18/whole) gets great spice penetration thanks to cuts along the flesh that allow the flavours to get right in. It’s well-rendered and charred on the edges from the hot tandoor, just the way I like it.
