Aki’s prawn vendakai curry
featured in masterchef!

Back in the 90′s when growing up, Indian food was always stereotyped as looking unfriendly (considering nothing could be seen underneath that delicious curry sauce). Over the years Indian food has definitely reached the mouths of many cultures and become a cuisine where people are not afraid to try something new.

I do know that many people still may refuse to step into an Indian restaurant due to the unfamiliarity of what to order or what to have. I’ve been to many Indian restaurants and I truly believe if you are one who is scared to venture out, you should definitely give it a try because your missing out on so much great food and culture.

Aki’s is definitely the kind of Indian restaurant where you will be guaranteed to have a fantastic Indian experience. Brilliant Chef / Owner Kumar Mahadevan’s mission is based on local fresh produce bringing flavours from Southern India. Aki’s also has a sister restaurant in North Strathfield called ‘Abhi’s’ which I’ve been going to for many years and is considered my ultimate favourite Indian restaurant!!

Starters

Crab with iddiappam (Aki’s Special) – Blue swimmer crab, black mustard seeds, fresh tomatoes and ginger, served with traditional tamil brown rice string hoppers served with a coconut broth.

The way to eat this is smearing a couple of teaspoons of coconut broth over the crab and Tamil brown rice string hoppers (fine noodles). When eaten, flavours are phenomenal with the interesting texture when combined. The noodles soaks up all of the yummy flavours from the broth and crab making this a dish very different to anything I’ve ever experienced at an Indian restaurant.

Palak patta chaat
Without having a clue what this dish was, I was surprised by how beautiful the colours were on this mountain of crispy spinach leaves. Texture was very crunchy and seeing the crispy leaves once broken was definately something I wish I took a photo of to show you its crispy interior.

Taste was very yogurty with its combined sauces of mint and sweet tamarind sauce which brought the sweetness out in this dish. When eating this dish, I thought it was going to be soggy considering I had left it last to eat on the starters dish. To my surprise it stays very crispy the whole entire time! *thumbs up*

Mains

Madras prawn vendakai – A traditional South Indian dish of jumbo prawns and fresh okra with shallots, coconut, tamarind, mustard, fenugreek and cumin seeds.

When i first saw this on masterchef boy I was craving for curry!!! It looked so good and I remembered people at work talking about how appealing the curry looked. As soon as I saw this was on the menu, there was no questions about ordering it.

Jumbo prawns were huge and extremely fresh almost like it had just been plucked out of the ocean. The flavours with a tinge of spiciness lingered my mouth (sooo good) that we made sure the curry sauce was completely wiped up and polished off using our naan bread. The okra and the combination of cumin seeds were a brilliant combination. I often think okra is an underrated vegetable with many people unfamiliar on how to cook it. MASTERCHEF FANS!! – definitely must try!!!

Wagyu beef ullathu (Aki’s Special Menu) – beef medallions pan fried, dry roasted coconut, coriander seeds, ginger, coconut oil and garnlished with fresh curry leaves

When eating with a male, they always look for something meaty on the menu and this one seemed to appeal to his eye the most. Wagyu beef was tender and the medallions were perfectly sized. The caramelised onions and the perfect balance of herbs and spices made this dish brilliant.

Admiring the different spices which were used, made me realise you don’t see anything like this at other Indian restaurants. It explains why Kumar’s expertise in balancing spices is one of a kind!

Chicken Makhini – Aki’s ‘Butter Chicken’ roasted in the tandoor and then pan finished with a subtly
spiced blend of tomatoes and cream and dry fenugreek leaves

When going to an Indian restaurant, its a must to order curry.  I’ve had a few butter chicken’s in my time and I thought I’d see how this compares as I know Butter King & Queen (Mcky & Ll) will definitely be asking me how this compared to all the Indian restaurants I’ve been to.

Its a different kind of butter chicken. This one isn’t as sweet as some are. This seems to be more of a yogurt based curry hence the ligter tone of  orange. Chicken pieces were soft and tender and very generous.

Saffron basmati rice
I always order a side of rice when having curry, it always balances out the meal.

Garlic naan
No point going to Indian if your not gonna order naan. It’s a must have!! Best thing I love about naan is letting the curry absorb into the naan!

Dessert

Indian Kulfi icecream
I’ve had a few indian kulfi icecreams at various indian restaurants. Couple of weeks ago I experienced the worst which came out looking and tasting nothing like this.

When dining at Abhi’s at north Strathfield I always look forward to Kulfi ice-cream as it is always “THE BOMB”. Considering Aki’s and Abhi’s is the same restaurant, we knew exactly what we were in for ^_^ This is the safe option if your not adventurous enough to trying something different.

Wattalappam with vanilla icecream
Wattalappam is an Indian type custard dessert which resembled a creme caramel! The texture of the wattalappam is smooth and creamy and the taste of cardamom  stands out significantly when eating the custard. The aroma really does flavour the mouth which is very appetising. The cashews on top is beautiful thanks to the sweetness of the palm sugar.

* pigged-out dined as a guest

Aki’s
6 Cowper Wharf Rd
The Wharf Shop 1,
Woolloomooloo, 2011
P: (02) 9332 4600
W: www.akisindian.com.au

You know the food is bomb when queues are long..

I’ve been meaning to try this place for soo long but every time I make my way to chatswood, i’m always left sighing at the long line of people waiting to get in and i’m left feeling flustered from holding my shopping bags with tired feet from endlessly shopping like a crazy woman.

While being seated, it really makes me feel as though I am dining in china. The interior being decked out in Chinese furnishings and the atmosphere and voices of various Chinese dialects sends me a great vibe. With its beautiful teapots and lovely surroundings, the bowls and plates being oddly shaped are the only things that bring me back to reality of dining in a westernised country.

When staring at very populated menu, I am mesmerised by how different this cuisine is in comparison to the very familiar Cantonese cuisine i’m am indeed used to. Consider me a newbie in terms of this kind of this type of chinese cuisine, which I think is a bonus for those who really want to try something absolutely delicious, great value in terms of pocket savings, and of course who want to experience something completely new.!!!!

In comparison to Din Tai Fung, New Shanghai’s portion towers over DTF. If your dining with the total number of two people, keep in mind dumplings will fill you up that even I had to take the rest home in a container.

203. New shanghai pan fired pork buns (8 pieces) – Definite must have!!
Small fluffy puffs of gold. They’re soo cute and made so perfectly that i can imagine the pork bun pleading me not to eat it.

The bun has a slight noticeable sweetness to it that it makes you moan and melt in heaven. Soft and fluffy bun on the top and underneath is crunchy pan fried bottom.

Eating one of these is like unwrapping a present with total facial happiness! Inside consists of a hidden treasure of delicious pork mince that when bursting the pork bun open, tasty broth is seeps out of the buns which makes the experience pleasurable thanks to the pork being extremely tasty. *licks lips*

Love at first sight and love by first taste..
I LOVE U PORKY GOODNESS!

205. Panfried pork dumpling
Similar to the Xiao long bao but  is slightly thicker in texture. Dumplings are freshly made with a pan fried bottom and served piping hot. Inside is embedded with tasty pork mince with hot steamy broth which gushes out of these little gems!

Xiao long bao – steamed mini pork bun (dumplings) – definite must have
I’ve always been in love with xiao long bao. Every time I order these i get super excited that I forget its steaming hot. Parcels are soft and paper thin and inside again has flavoursome broth and tasty pork filling . Some like to eat this plain where as I enjoy this with chinese vinegar and slices of raw ginger.

Cong You being – Shallot Pancake
Shallot pancake is crunchy in the outside and fairly soft / firm in the middle. Great balance of shallot perfect if your up for something crunchy and delicious. Personally I thought these were much better than Shanghai Night in Ashfield.

Blue swimmer crab – deep fried and coated with salted egg
When the crab came rolling out, everyone started to stare and follow the dish out of the kitchen right to our table (thanks to the beautiful bright orange crab). At first I was thinking “OMG this is huge” but when it came down to eating it, we polished it off.

Crab was soft and a pleasure to eat. The shell was really soft that a crab cracker was not even needed. As for the crab meat, it melted in your mouth and was incredibly soft that you could suck the meat out easily.

The salted egg coating was delicious as it brought back memories of being a child where my dad would make home made salted egg to embed them in the center of sticky rice. Very much loved and all polished up and eaten!

Shepherd’s purse prawn and tofu soup
I had the cold earlier on in the week and I was in desperate need of something soupy. Looking around the room, everyone seemed to be ordering this dish which signaled to me that it was be god damn good.. and god damn good it was! I ate two – three bowls of this. Very comforting soup with bits of prawn. Definitely a soup to have this winter.

Nian gao – stir fried Chinese rice cake with shepherds purse and shredded pork
I’ve never been a fan of rice cake but I just had to try it thinking its traditional when coming to a Shanghai restaurant. If you’ve never had chinese rice cake before, its  a glutinous savoury meal which substitutes rice.

It’s slippery and chewy in texture and acts as a base like rice does. Personally, I think its heavier / more filling than rice. Having said this, its  simple, fresh and tasty with thin pieces of pork.

New Shanghai is great if your coming here with friends or family. Their round tables make it much more family and conversation friendly. Portion sizes I find are bigger and the prices are very reasonable. Definitely great comforting meal and definitely a different style of Asian cuisine that everyone should try!!!!! You’ll be surprised.

*pigged-out dined as a guest.

New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
Lower Ground Level,
Chatswood Chase Food Court
P: (02) 9412 3358

Mon-Wed: 11.00am-9.00pm
Thurs: 11.00am-9.30pm
Fri: 11.00am-9.00pm
Sat: 11.00am-9.30pm
Sun: 11.00am-9.00pm