Urban Tadka
321 Mona Vale Rd
Terrey Hills, Sydney
For a truly amazing Indian meal set in one of the prettiest of locations, Urban Tadka which opened in 2011 exceeds all of this. We can't speak highly enough of this venue with it's incredible food. Walking up to the restaurant you are greeted with leafy surroundings that are adorned with ornate statues. This really is such a beautiful place.
Inside too - is lovely. There are exposed beams, colourful Indian illustrations set amongst comfy surroundings.
We a both partial to spicy food so were certainly looking forward to experiencing the cuisine at Urban Tadka.
Seriously - EVERY meal we had was so fresh and delicious! We can't speak highly enough of the astounding food and experience we had. The combinations of flavours and textures all went so incredibly well and enhanced each other. We did tell our waiter Sarthak that our palate was "medium" on the spicy scale and all our dishes certainly did not exceed this. There wasn't anything that we tried that was overpowering or too hot that it impeded us in being able to experience the sensational flavours of the next dish.
The presentation too of every dish was a work of art! When the food arrived you literally think "Wow"! Then the oh so delicious aroma hits you and you just can't wait to taste these breathtaking creations - and what a great taste sensation they had! Everything was simply divine and perfectly cooked as per the menu. Nothing was dry or underdone. We can understand why they have been rated Australia's best Indian restaurant. For a truly memorable experience and "do yourself a favour" - Urban Tadka delivers!
This is the list of mouth-watering dishes and drinks -
Sir had a refreshing Indian rum cocktail called a monk blood and Mlady had a lovely scotch based cocktail called a Canadian nightclub. We simply said which spirits we preferred and how sweet we liked our cocktails and then left it to them to surprise us. It worked too and we were very happy with what arrived!
We also had a glass of Red. Sir had a Hemera Shiraz and Mlady had Last Horizon Pinot Noir.
To commence our yummy food journey we shared bread with seriously good dips. They were minted yoghurt, beetroot dip, tomato relish and tomato with cucumber and onion. We also had a serving of papadums which we just kept eating and eating.
We also enjoyed the mango lassi's - especially Mlady - she loves mangoes. It was rich, sweet and very tasty.
Entree's -
Kurkuri chat - crispy fried wheat wafers, mash and chickpeas dressed with mint, yoghurt, tamarind chutney and sour dried mango powder. Tangy, a sea of colour and oh so tasty.
Aaloo ki chalu tikki - stuffed pan fried potato patties topped with imli, fresh mint and coriander, chutney sprinkled with sev.......Chandni Chowk special...! Served in a champagne glass it looked as good as it tasted.
Bukni mirch ka malai tikka - Tandoori grilled succulent chicken breast fillets rubbed with home ground bukni mirch, ginger, garlic and fresh cream.
Chashme baddoor gobhi de phool - cauliflower florets coated in a spiced batter with a sting of pakora spices. It was another beautifully presented dish with great flavours.
Zatar lasooni jhinga - Tandoori smoke baked shelled prawns, fresh garlic and zatar spices. And down below them a serving of dukkah machi patrani - Tandoori grilled Barramundi fillets. They had a marinade of garlic, ginger, lemon, dukkah and garam masala.
Adraki champein - a classic rub of garlic, ginger, yoghurt and tandoori spices slow cooked lamb cutlets. A truly tender cutlet that melted in the mouth. Donalli seekh hazaarvi - a tasty combination of chicken and lamb mince rolled on skewers using fresh herbs and creative spices.
Mains:-
Smoked Lobster. This was a stunning dish served with a smoke filled glass lid. Once lifted the smoke dissipated but left a subtle flavour to the big pile of lobster. This is a MUST HAVE dish here - amazing flavours and quite a show when it arrives at the table.
Butter chicken with eggplant and potatoes arrived next with several other dishes on a long wooden board.
It also had meat moradabadi - baby lamb fillets infused with our Tadka sauce, spring onions, fresh coriander, ginger and mace.
We also had a trio of soft and fluffy yummy Naan - plain, cheese and garlic and layered.
We did fit in dessert and were "Wowed" with Rabri - condensed milk drink, sweet dumplings, Baileys orange and praline tart and pistachio ice cream. All these wonderful creations were uniquely displayed on a round board and complimented our nectarious feast.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Urban Tadka. A big thank you to Jason King from Spooning Australia for arranging this visit. Thanks also to Sarthak for taking good care of us and styling the food so brilliantly.