Amazing food. Getting really hot curry right is a bit of an art form. I ordered the lamb vindaloo…read more(naan and rice on the side). Vindaloo is supposed to be hot, usually one of the spiciest curries on the menu. Some restaurants shy away from providing the proper vindaloo experience as some Australian palates are not accustomed to the primary burn. Too often the heat is either rolled in on training wheels (in which case the subtle background of other spices may be nonexistent or pasty-bland) or brought in at a level providing a chemical burn, rendering cardamom and other essential elements a moot point. This vindaloo was neither. The heat was a celebration, lively and robust enough to warm the soul and clear the sinuses while allowing the cardamom, vinegar, and other elements to thrive and dance upon the senses.
I was hoping so much for the sign of an epic vindaloo, the secondary burn. The second burn isn't so much tasted as experienced throughout the body - and no, we're not talking about negative GI effects at all. The secondary burn is an experience of warmth across the skin as capillaries dilate just slightly. With the best vindaloo, the warmth seeps into your bones. If you have arthritis, you may even have a symptomatic reprieve lasting from a few hours to a couple days.
Within a few minutes, I knew this was an epic vindaloo. I could actually feel the ache in my knees and back from past years of military service subside. The best food is therapeutic as well as delicious. This vindaloo was truly amazing and a textbook example of what the experience is supposed to be.
I didn't even discuss the tikka chicken.... Just as amazing, but I need to leave you, the reader, with something more to imagine - just with the understanding that it's better than you imagined.
I'm already looking forward to my next visit. I think biryani next time.