Horn Please

Overview

Horn Please has passed through a few different owners' and chefs' hands throughout the years. It was originally run by Jessi Singh until he sold it in 2015, to work over in New York. Amar and Raj Singh then took over until Jessi returned in 2018 to work as a consultant and chef for Horn Please. 

Nowadays, each of these chefs and restaurateurs plays apart in making Horn Please one of the very best Indian restaurants in Melbourne. 

It's definitely worth a visit — for a few reasons. Jessi grew up in a humble, North Indian kitchen, and his love of food and traditional cooking methods is evident by just looking at the menu. 

The 'Street' menu includes a beetroot paneer tikka, generously marinated in curd cheese and charred in the tandoor oven, as well as Colonel Tso's cauliflower, served with a tomato chilli sauce.

If you're hanging out for a curry then it's all here, including mouth-watering favourites like free-range butter chicken, marinated in yogurt, tomato and fenugreek, as well as classic village dishes such as Punjabi kadhi. This dish consists of spinach fritters with turmeric and slow cooked sour yoghurt. 

There's even a cheeky sweets menu to close out the night, including classics such as Indian donuts and mango lassis. 

Horn Please is no longer BYO, but there's a good reason for that. They've invested a generous pour of time and effort into creating a drinks menu on par with the food menu.

Standouts include the salted caramel espresso martini and the dirty lassi. There are Indian beers to compliment the curries and a range of whiskies including Paul John, a sumptuous sing-malt from Goa. The wine list is eclectic with a focus on Australian and European drops. 

Top images: Peter Tarasiuk