Balaji Bhawan

No more North Indian Thali but this is basically the same thing. Naans were average, not very crispy. Raita was super clean, I liked it.

Clockwise from bottom left
Chickpeas had a thick gravy and well spiced

Gulab jamun is damn frigging sweet

Rice was interesting, soft and has a mild chew. Also you just need a bit of rice to go with a lot of gravy

Dark Gravy had a curious starch taste, this was very thick too

Paneer was too sweet, it's very weird

Finally the potato and tomato side had a gravy which was incredibly flavourful but somewhat runny

Overall a very full and satisfying meal because of the carbs and the thick gravies

It's expensive cos it's super thick. The mango flavour was passable for something this thick. Not my thing tho, even tho my dining partner loved it. It's more like a dessert than a drink to me

Situated on Syed Alwi, right opposite Mustafa Centre in the heart of Little India, this no frills Indian vegetarian restaurant was abuzz with activity when we stepped into it's flourescent surroundings, awash with the mouthwatering scents of curry, spice and all things nice. Throngs of Indian families and a smattering of tourists could be seen using their fingers to eat with much gusto, utensils be damned(although these are conveniently provided too).

We ordered the North Indian Thali, which arrived in short order. Fluffy and fragrant cashew studded basmati rice was accompanied by fantastic creamy paneer curry, dhaal, aloo mattar(pea and potato curry), refreshingly tart raita, onion and chilli relish salad and curiously enough, clear cabbage soup. As if that wasn't enough, the thali included hot roti and a crispy masala pappadam to scoop all that delicious curry up with.

The only letdown was the lacklustre gulab jamun, which was devoid of any condensed milk flavour and tasted like a pure sugar bomb.

We wanted so badly to try their famous Chats and saw other tables with great looking Dosa too, but were sadly stuffed to the brim. Vegetarians and lovers of Indian food, I urge you to give this relatively hidden gem off the typical foodie map(only 1 review on Burpple from 2012!) a go, your belly(hopefully not Delhi) will thank you for it!

Taste: 4/5