NAMASTE INDIAN RESTAURANT

www.srsnamaste.com

104 Lygon St, Carlton - ph: (03) 9654 0550

I am normally not a huge fan of Indian food. I've had a few good experiences and way to many bad ones (and some horrible, like seeing rats run through the restaurant!) I find that, unless you know where to go, chances are you will end up with stomach-ache.

So when fellow blogger Ms I-Hua said Namaste Indian Restaurant was a great place for freshly made roti, I decided to give it a go.

Namaste is a small restaurant on the city end of Lygon St. When we arrived at 7pm on a Sat night, there were still a few tables empty, but they all filled soon after that. And of course, a constant flow of take away clients visited throughout the night. The place is quite simple, but staff is super attentive; stuff of fine dining restaurants.

We ordered some roti and it was served steaming hot. It wasn't as crispy as the traditional Malaysian roti I like so much, but still very good.

Roti chanai ($2.95), roti chanai bawang - stuffed with onions ($3.95) and lamb curry ($9.95)

The lamb curry had a really good balance of spices and wasn't too oily.

Prawn masala - Yera kal masala ($10.95)

Prawns masala - marinated in yoghurt and spices and grilled on tawa (thick iron plate) tasted great. I asked for not too hot and it had just the right amount of chilli for my taste. The prawns had a great texture and the spices were amazing.

Cheese and spinach dosa ($8.95)

I loved the rice pancake - dosa! Crispy, moist, tasty fillings and plentiful sauces to play with.

I'll certainly be coming back to this place. Cheap, clean, good food... and did I mention that service was great? Namaste Indian Restaurant really surpassed my expectations.