DDC LII - January 2010 - Bohpa Devi

bump.

yay! I was thinking about this the other day. Thanks, de.foxus.

there was all the tote stuff, and then i was sick, and i didn't get around to it.

but yes, wednesday.

Soula, remember we were talking about going to the next one? Are you in?

bump, tonight.

see you kids there!

So, who's coming?

bergholt, lady bergholt, tangy, japanrodeo (plus one), mr foxus, you, and me, according to spazzbook.

Oh good. I have a mini me, as well.

top stuff.

i'm off to work now, but will double check numbers and confirm with the restaurant this arvo.

mmmm cambodian

hey de-foxus, can you find out if they have kampot pepper at this place?

it's the most incredible stuff ever, but i've never seen it in australia...

I know I'm going to get lost trying to find this place.

From what I can see, it's near where Public Office used to be

Bopha in Yazz is yum. Big serves with your choice of protein!!

what tangy said.

i'm getting the 86 andhoping for the best.

entrees: awesome
fish curry: awesome
everything else: good, but not quite at awesome level

thanks to everyone for coming, i had fun.

for feb, seeing as vindaloo against violence is on a wednesday in feb, and it's been so long since we've done indian (in fact, june 06 at two fat indians) we thought it would be a good time to revisit india.

so now we need some suggestions for indian restaurants. anyone been anywhere great recently?

and thank you lots again to kez for the lift home.

so far my research into good indian in melbourne has come up with these places, but i'm always a bit wary of public opinion sites due to the fact they can be easily hijacked.

if anyone has any recommendations that aren't too far out of the city, or too difficult to get to (near a station works), i would love to hear about them. i need to follow up a recommendation in albert park.= if taht's not too much of a pain in the arse for everyone?

You're welcome. It was a pleasant evening all round. (And yummy leftovers for lunch! Bless the invention of the doggy-bag.)

Those entrees and the first curry were particularly good! And thanks again for the lift kez. Legend.

Choosing Indian is so difficult. Best I've had in Melbourne is Fuzion in Burnley, but I'm always up for something new. I've heard Nirankar is good, but the reviews don't necessarily back that up in that eatability link.

Is Fuzion good? I have never been there, and it is right near a station. And my house.

Yeah it's good. Not really a cheap-style indian joint though - more a real restaurant. Very delicious. I'm not sure their location does them any favours. They should be full every night, but aren't.

This place looks a bit different: http://www.misht.com.au/

Are we looking for cheap style? Okay. As junior pointed out at dinner, Nirvana is really good (for a vegetarian restaurant). But he's been eating there since he could say ''pappadum''

Are we looking for cheap style?

No idea. I guessed not. Was just pointing out the type of place fuzion is.

I suppose more people tend to come when it's less expensive.

So are we any closer to settling on a place for February?

i thought fuzion was pretty ordinary, but that was about two years ago. sorry tangy.

on the positive end of ordinary, that is.

I know filterz is quite the curry connoiseur so I'd be inclined to trust her judgement. There's some place in Northcote (the name of which escapes me) which I used to go to with some of my mates before they moved to Scotland, and which is, incidentally, frequented by the Drones. It's fucking great and cheap as all fuck. I'll find out what it's called and get back to youse.

it's entirely possibly that the last time we did indian as a DDC was the last time i ate indian in melbourne, i am very much not a connoisseur, so i'm happy to take suggestions.

probably better to settle it earlier rather than later and make the booking, not sure how big this vindaloo against violence thing will get.

I know filterz is quite the curry connoiseur so I'd be inclined to trust her judgement.

Hehe, that's fine. I won't lose any sleep over the opinions of a couple of vegetarians! ;)

Hehe, I was actually inferring that any suggestions of prospective venues courtesy of filtz would be welcome. In any case, she may have dined at Fuzion on an off night, which is not necessarily grounds for writing a place off for good.

indeed. I'm keen to hear what filterfeed's suggestions are also... BRING IT

haha, connoiseur! if by that you mean i don't know shit about curry then you are dead right, dickslap. just thought fuzion was a little bland and over-priced but the service and everything else as top notch.

curry masala in northcote (near wesley anne) is rather great and i don't have to go anywhere else because i'd trust them with my life. but it's not as fancy as two fat indians in terms of decor.

just go to gaylords and be done with it.

If you actually want vindaloo I recently got home delivery from a place in Fairfield in which i sweated so profusely I am not sure if it was sweat or tears. Damn tasty though.

a fair proportion of good indian food in melb is in places that require a car to get to, which is annoying for no car havin' inner city wankers like myself.

just go to gaylords and be done with it.

actually, anywhere which has indian dancing or music would be a good addition.

yep, i'm one of them too.

i'd go to fuzion again if i were still living in richmond but i'd prefer to walk to two fat indians for a meal is all i'm saying.

I think Curry Masala is the place I'm thinking of!

Also, my favourite style of Indian is Goan/Keralan. Lots of fresh flavours, light tomato-based dry-ish sauces (as opposed to that ghastly creamy shit from up north), plenty of veg options and A FUCKLOAD OF CHILLI. Bring it on!

i have also heard mutterings of a very good place in fairfield. think it was ghostofbarry who mentioned them in the melbourne curry thread.

From memory, Two Fat Indians was pretty crap.

anything's got to be better than the one on the corner of swan and lennox, modi. plus they show the cricket. important things.

My favourite place is actually out in the 'burbs. It's called Ganesh, and it's opposite Blackburn train station. Southern Indian. RIDICULOUSLY cheap, BYO, always consistent and all round FUCKING FANTASTIC. Fuzz and I like going there when we can't be arsed cooking or spending half an hour trying to find a car park closer to the city.

plus they show the cricket. important things.

Ah, a lass after me own heart...

and, to be honest, i find their air-con is a little excessive. that said i am covered in goosebumps right now so possibly just a bit of a wuss. or should wear a jacket.

Would the Fairfield joint be Everest? They're okay, but I've only ever had takeaway.
Tandoori Times on Gertrude st Fitzroy (also have restaurants in St Kilda and Yarraville) is pretty tasty and their menu is damn funny.

JD - do you like Ganaeshaas Villas in Preston? Awesome veg (not sure how much ghee they use, if any, so don't know if vegan) Indian.

kake di hatti is great and molto conveniento for me:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?q=-&fb=1&cid=9806022256072104529

anything's got to be better than the one on the corner of swan and lennox, modi.

Curry Munchers is not really a ''restaurant'' though. More like a bio-weapon facility that also sells samosas

i see. what are your thoughts on the air-conditioning system used to comfort patrons?

not that i've ever seen anyone in there eating.

Neko chan, I've not been there, but I've heard good things. Also, I find that Indians are much more understanding of the term ''vegan'' than most other Asian purveyors of comestibles. You know, the kind that seem to think that being vegetarian means you can eat fish, fish sauce, shrimp paste, chicken stock, spam, spam, spam, spam and spam.

Yeh - they bill themselves as pure vegetarian so most things would be vegan. My god, the idlis (sp?) are amazing.

I have no opinion of the air conditioning system, as I have not spent long enough in there to make an assessment. But I have seen people eating in there. Poor devils.

after reading about the vindaloo against violence from their twitter feed: ''From 100 original Facebook invites to 20,000+ and 4,000+ RSVPs. Restaurants booking out. From little things big things grow. Its working!''

it sounded like we need to get a wriggle on - going through the thread, we have:

1) curry masala, northcote
2) kake di hatti
3) everest indian
4) ganaeshaa villas

i called ganaeshaa villas just to check - and it sounds like they don't take bookings (meals are like $6) and it's on the 112 tram line - around 40 mins from flinders st.

age review:
Ganaeshaa Villas, 4B Cramer Street.
A vegetarian triumph. The masala dossa pancake or rice and three vegetables are divine. Roti and mango lassi add to the feast. Your wallet will love it, too.''

so if we're cool with going there early (they close @ 8pm), at the very least, we've got a fallback plan if the one everyone wants to go to is booked out. i'd like to go to this one, and everest is currently at the bottom of the list - fine with everything else.

can we weigh in and make a decision?

Kaki di hatti is awesome and stupidly cheap too, excellent vegan options

Kaki is very cheap, Curry m is excellent, Everest is more expensive but quite good and Ganaeshaa is total Vegie which whilst good limits for ppl wanting a meat dish:(

i'd rather eat somewhere with meaty options, for sure. but happy to have it as a backup plan.

i think curry masala is my vote.

Yeah, the good thing about Indian joints is that they always have a stack of vego options without being exclusive, so that keeps everyone happy. I vote Curry Masala too.

i think minerva up the road from kaki di hattis is a little better but much the same.

and ganaesha villas is a god send.

any other votes?

just booked curry masala, thread and facebook even on the way.