Tandoori Den

Overview

Having been around longer than most readers of this masthead, it's safe to say the team at Tandoori Den, founded in 1981, know how to cook a good curry. Self-proclaimed culinary guides Prakash Mirchandani and Gaurav Khanna pride themselves on having created a suburban restaurant with a touch of class. It's the kind of place you can bring the whole family without having to settle for flavourless fare to please the kids.

Dishes such as the beef kashmari honour their northern heritage while all curry sauces are prepared individually using only the freshest, most authentic ingredients. Tandoori Den also has a healthy selection of entrees including Indo-Chinese specials – the Vegetarian Manchurian and the Chilli Paneer. The tandoor gives us everything from battered fish cooked in onion and tomato to goat meat on the bone cooked with the chef's secret chill sauce. Vegetarians aren't forgotten, with garlic and chilli vegetables cooked with leeks and another of the chef's secret sauces. For a chicken dish, try the boneless chicken cooked in mustard seeds, coconut and curry leaves. The mustard pickle lamb with vinegar and a green spicy sauce is another winner.

This Melbourne Indian restaurant doesn't shy away from the chilli, and while not every dish is going to blow your head off, it's good to have a drink within reach for the others. There's a selection of lassis to try, with the Tandooriden Special Lassi, made with strawberry, vanilla, peach, rose or passionfruit, particularly refreshing.