Stopped using cutlery at The Darbar Indian Nepalese Restaurant

All that I selflessly volunteered to finish off...

The drive to The Darbar Indian Nepalese Restaurant felt like a road trip - I actually thought I needed to pull over at a petrol station to fill up. We were going for dinner that I had purchased through Scoopon (just a mild compulsion of mine, I swear) and considering this was a 45 minute drive, it seems as though I deem checking the location of restaurants totally unnecessary.

I've noticed my recent habit of abusing my petrol tank in these worrying times of sky high petrol prices, what IS my problem?!

The Darbar Indian and Nepalese Restaurant

These lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling were an instantly recognisable and familiar sight which I remembered taking a photo of at Himalayan and Nepalese Restaurant, which also happened to be my last taste of Nepalese cuisine. Having quite enjoyed some of the flavours of the food I had, I was interested to see how The Darbar Indian Nepalese Restaurant compared.

The meaning behind the word Darbar is palace, where the restaurant's stated goal is to treat every customer as if they are dining in a lavish palace. Whilst the Italian-feel interior was not quite what I was expecting, I did feel this goal was genuinely upheld by all the staff members who served us on a busy Friday night. It may definitely sound a little cliche and be an overused feel-good promise made by restaurants, but I left The Darbar Restaurant with a positive experience and felt this was achieved in all aspects.

I walked out at the end of the night with a bigger belly and an even bigger sense of satisfaction than when I first walked in. In fact, I held quite an unfavourable impression of this place after they were reluctant to accept my Scoopon. I find it so irritating and unprofessional when restaurants inform you that "Yes, we do have tables available" only to suddenly have a complete change of mind to "Sorry, we don't have tables" when you notify them that you have a voucher in hand. It irks me to no end when restaurants decide that they don't have a need to honour the vouchers that they have issued themselves!

After the initial decline, it left me with that dreaded sceptical feeling of just how good they claim themselves to be. No hard feelings though, because I'm happy to say I was so pleasantly surprised that this is now a place that I would definitely want to return to - for both the food AND the warm, friendly service. You can never predict how things turn out, can you?

Complimentary basket of papadams

Service was brisk and it was easy to flag down a staff member to take orders despite a busy restaurant and were extremely accommodating and welcoming, carefully explaining the conditions that came with the meal. We eagerly made our way through the basket of papadams that each table is given and with absolutely no consideration for how much stomach space could be wasted on endless eating of this, we shamelessly asked for a refill to which the staff were more than happy to give us.

Chicken Momo (8 pieces) - $10

When four plates of these dumplings arrived at the table, there was mass confusion on our faces, mixed with surprise, disbelief and "What, are you serious?" I had no idea that our entree sized chicken momos was in fact EIGHT dumplings and would probably suffice as an entire meal to some. This is extremely generous on their part, but after making our way through them, we concluded that this was a smart means to prevent diners to take full advantage of the all-you-can-eat ordering of mains that was yet to come considering how much of a stomach filler this really was!

My last and only taste of momos was at the Himalayan Nepalese Restaurant, where I realised the remarkable similarities between this Nepalese dumpling and the Chinese version, jiaozi. Sadly the quality of the momos at The Darbar are definitely not up to scratch and you could probably judge this from the picture, but I have a feeling this is not their usual standards. The dumplings are stuffed with a minced chicken filling and are really not worth talking much about, but its accompanying sauce deserves all the attention and recognition it can handle. It is made from fresh grilled tomato and roasted sesame seeds and somehow carries so much flavour that I kept two dishes of it next to me for the entire night to use it as a dip for my naan bread and rice enhancer!

Vegetarian Momo - $9

 Like their chicken counterparts, the vegetarian momo were not much better in comparison. I think their biggest letdown was not so much the filling; it was the thick, doughy and bland dumpling skin that was its ultimate downfall to this potentially amazing momo. Stodgy would be the right word to describe the feeling of eating these, and the satisfaction levels declined real steadily with each momo eaten.

Although the quantity cannot be beaten, the quality just was not there despite me drowning it in copious amounts of sauce. I think a better strategy would have been to put less dumplings on the plate (I can't believe I just said that) so that it's a lot less overwhelming for the stomach to be confronted with eight sizeable dumplings for just an entree.

Lamb Chops - $20

My eyes inadvertently spotted the words "lamb chops" from amongst their wide range of menu items. It arrived sizzling on a hot plate, with a delicious aroma drifting from the spiced and marinated lamb that nailed it in terms of flavour. It was unfortunate that the lamb chops really lacked meat, otherwise it would have been a stunning starter. The squeeze of lemon worked wonders but that mound of cabbage, onion and carrots did little to enhance the overall dish.

Garlic Tikka - $17

The garlic tikka was our second sizzling dish - this one consisting of large, chunky tandoori grilled boneless chicken pieces marinated with a garlic and cashew nut paste. The pieces were huge but the flavour of the garlicy, nutty marinade was not significant (at all). I could not taste that rich, flavoursome hit I hoped for; overall, a little disappointing.

Lamb Jalfrezi - $19

I was hit with indecisiveness big time when faced with the array of choices on the menu, which are categorised into different sections based on styles instead of the meat. Apart from the more familiar terms such as vindaloo, madras and korma, there are other options (kadai, do pyaza and jalfrezi) which all sound confusingly similar in terms of ingredients used - namely onions, tomato and capsicum.

I turned to our waitress for help to decide which of these to order, to which she suggested the jalfrezi. This is a dish from Northern India that is prepared with onions, capsicum and tomato sauce, which is surprisingly subtler in flavour and appearance than I had expected. The curry was creamy and mild; a perfect company for all the naan bread that I selflessly volunteered to finish off.

Chef's Special Beef - $20

There is a section on the menu entitled "Chef's Special Items" that was quite intriguing, as it offered no other description besides that it is cooked in a Nepalese and Indian style with the chef's special condiments, with no further explanation as to what this actually was. It looked no different to any other serving of curry, but I enjoyed the slight heat to the beef curry. It was spicy but not to the stage of being hot, and tasted as though it was a heavily tomato based curry as there was a very subtle acidity to it. The beef on this occasion however, was tough to chew.

The Chef's Special Beef and Lamb Jalfrezi

Both the curries had just the right amount of spice for me and provided that gentle kick that I want from a curry. All the dishes are served as mild unless stated otherwise or requested by the diner to be prepared hot, medium or mild. I actually loved the flavours of the curries we ordered and if these were anything to go by, I wouldn't hesitate to think their other dishes would be of the same quality.

Garlic Naan - $5.50

We skipped on the four huge servings of rice that was included, as the servings of naan were equally as huge. The garlic naan is studded with small specks of garlic and looked promising in terms of flavour, but the garlic taste was not as distinct as I'd like it to be. I enjoyed ripping into it whilst it was fluffy and hot, tearing it apart and dunking it into the numerous pools of surplus curry sauce I had at my disposal.

Butter Naan - $5

Out of the two, I loved the buttered naan and its fragrant, warm, buttery layers of bread which were crisp in some areas. The aroma was rich and delicious and despite the visible buttery goodness seeped into the naan, it did not have an oily glean nor did it leave a glossy residue on my fingers.

I must commend the chef upon noticing on The Darbar's menu that diners can request for a style of naan that is not necessarily featured on the menu or any other dish you fancy, which is a really nice personal touch that makes the experience that much more special. Very impressive!

Dining area sectioned off into three areas

The exterior of the restaurant is unassuming and its location on a dim, quiet suburban street on the outskirts of Fremantle is a huge contrast to the environment of the restaurant, abuzz with a great vibe and great food. The ambiance is vibrant and welcoming, and is a very comfortable and casual setting to eat with your hands and get as dirty as you wish.

Yes, I think we were the second last table to leave...

Over the course of the night, we received great hospitality from each and every one of the staff members who served us or simply came by to ask how the meal was going. At one point a waiter came over and apologised for the long wait - I'm sure my confusion was obvious, we had only been waiting for 5 minutes after our entrees (which were still sitting on the table!)

This was a very pleasant experience and for once in my blog life, this was worth the road trip it took to get here. Can't say the same about food, but a little extra really goes a long way with service :)

The Darbar Indian Nepalese Restaurant, South Fremantle

The Darbar Indian Nepalese Restaurant

Open 6 days

Lunch
Fri, Sat & Sun: 11.30am - 2.00pm 

Dinner
Tues - Sun: 5.00pm - 10.00pm

Closed Mondays

BYO Wine and Beer, $2 per person

Tel: (08)9336 3600

34 Douro Road, South Fremantle 6162

Himalayan Nepalese Restaurant & Cafe

This was my first restaurant meal of 2013.

If I had to describe this meal, it'd be somewhat like how I feel towards the year so far - not completely underwhelming, but nowhere near overwhelming either. Like this meal, it's brought in a bit of sweetness, bits of spice, and glimpses of gold among the rougher bits I'd rather forget.

There were a few dishes here that looked like they'd be genuine gold but unfortunately, they were gold plated at best. Beneath the golden batter, a lot of them lacked that type of flavour and excitement we were hungry for.

Free nuts?! That's nuts!

I'd have to thank this bowl of addictive roasted spiced peanuts and soy beans for helping make the long, unbearable long wait for our entrees slightly more bearable. Judging by the ~25 people table that ordered JUST before we did, I suspected a couple more bowls would be needed.

Surprisingly, a little goes a long way :) Like most good things in life.

Momo - $14.50

I'd like to introduce you to the affectionately named momo, which I suspect is one of their most well known and ordered dishes. Momo here is a traditional dumpling dish and comes with either minced chicken, lamb or vegetable fillings and a sweet, tomatoey homemade sauce.

The little dim sim-like parcels are specially spiced and wrapped in dough with coriander, ginger and garlic. The skin that holds filling and liquid inside is delicate but not too fragile, so the journey from the serving plate to your plate can be a successful one.

After our last entree arrived and trudging through them (entree being the only thing we ordered - 5 of them), I think this first dish may have been the best one. I don't think people save the best til' last anymore nowadays!

Masu Ko Tandro - $12.50

The next dish we picked out from the entrees list was a minced lamb one - 4 stubby lamb cigar-esque rolls seasoned with Nepalese herbs and spices, skewered and grilled in a Tandoori oven.

I enjoyed these on their own without the minty yoghurt sauce, which I felt seemed to mask their fresh, meaty fragrance.

Chara Ko Sekuwa - $15

I don't normally order chicken unless I have to, and usually when you are dining with a group of friends, you have to.

Chicken is a foolproof, trusted food and these tender pieces of grilled chicken don't differ. I couldn't really taste the marinade of yoghurt and herb mixture the chicken was described to be marinated with though, unless I was meant to marinate the chicken in that herbed yoghurt sauce myself right before I ate it.

Jhinghe Machha Poleko - $15

Probably scoring the least points with our tummies this meal was probably this grilled prawns dish, that came in a batter that could have made a lot of improvements. The prawns were small and not too appealing, and tasted sadly ordinary at best.

And before I sound like a broken food record, all these dishes were indeed described on the menu as marinated in a special seasoning of Nepalese herbs and spices and cooked in a tandoori oven. And in hindsight, remembering how similar in tastes they all were, that description is heck accurate.

Machha Tareko - $14.50

The panfried fish fillets were last to arrive and definitely looked the most flavoursome of the lot. I'm pleased that these were moist and flaky, even though their cut is on the thinner side.

Garlic Naan - $5 per serve

This is actually 2 serves of garlic naan, studded with chopped garlic. The thin pieces of aromatic flatbreads were missing their trusty sidekick - which is usually a generous serving of thick, fragrant curry sauce to wipe plates clean of.

Should have ordered some mains, like normal people do.

The restaurant promises authentic Nepalese cuisine for all of us out there who have been through the same old Japanese-Indian-[insert overdosed to death cuisine here] rotation. It's a nice change from having purely Chinese or Indian cuisine, as Nepalese cuisine draws upon both these cultures.

Prices have definitely risen, and even with just a dinner purely comprised of entrees, this stacked up to a total that could get us not too shabby main meals elsewhere. The kitchen has also taken a one-size-fits-all approach to dressing the plates, so while presentation is nice, I can't help but want a bit of unpredictability to the overused cucumber, carrot, lettuce and lemon wedge look.

Seating is quite packed and the tight squeeze elevates the volume of noises to an uncomfortably loud level where we had to lean across the table to hear and talk to each other. It's a busy, happy environment but hinders on service as a result; staff were a little slow on the floor and in the kitchen.

They do have a fantastic feedback system by leaving a little review notepad on the front counter, which was absolutely drowning in positivity. To our table of surface scratchers who only tried entree dishes, the food was hit and miss.
Not ordering their Nepalese Homemade Mango flavoured Ice Cream made with almonds and pistachio nuts though, could be one of my biggest regrets.

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(08) 6161 8645

Open 7 days

Lunch: 11am to 3pm

Dinner: 5pm to 10pm

http://www.himalayanrestaurant.com.au/

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