Chef's Tandoor, Surrey Hills by Obelix

I am what's to the subcontinent as a Francophile is to France.  I love the rich culture, the cuisine and the people.  As a result, I seem to consume an inordinate amount of Indian, especially takeaway, see Saffron House; Jaimin house; Dosa Plaza.  The aromas are absolutely enticing especially when takeaway is being ferried home in the confines of my car.  The only problem with Indian takeaway is that it does not particularly photograph well in the sense that many of the dishes end up looking very indistinct.  Curry in a plastic takeaway container may not be crowned Miss Photogenic, but the following dishes from Chef's Tandoor would win Miss Congeniality, for sure.

Tandoori mushrooms

Being a tandoor place, we would be remiss if we did not order something from the actual tandoor.  We started with entrees of tandoori mushrooms.  These were marinated in ginger, garlic and spices.  ($13).  Ok, $13 for four mushrooms were a bit steep...but they were delicious so I'm going to let that one past.


I love a good Malai Prawn ($17.50),  These were reasonably sized prawns in a mild coconut milk and cream. Fragrant without the heat.


The chicken curry ($14) was also in the same vein, aromatic without the heat.




My favourite for the night was the eggplant and potato curry ($13.50).  Large chunks of smoky soft eggplant, perfect for serving with a large bowl of basmati and vegetable pulao ($5).


Kiddo insisted on her garlic naan and she begrudgingly shared a portion of it with me.  As per it's name, it was garlicky good and vampire slaying.  The naan had a lovely charred taste.

On a separate occasion, I tried a few more curries...


This was the vegetable korma ($13.50).  Nice but preferred the eggplant curry above.


The chicken shahi korma ($14.50) was also very creamy.  It was very mild and kid friendly.


This was the dal kabila ($13) which was lentils soaked and cooked on a slow fire in the tandoor.  It was a bit too salty for me.

I had enough for leftovers to take to work the next day and it was one of those work days when I actually looked forward to lunch.

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

Chef's Tandoor is worth a look in.  The seating in the dine-in looks spacious and it is licensed and BYO.  I'm more partial to a mid week takeaway however, so that I can shovel the food with abandon in the comfort of my own home.  They can also adjust the fieriness of each dish to suit the palate, a real bonus if you are dining with the heat adversed.

Find it at

Chef's Tandoor
492 Whitehorse Road
Surrey Hills, Vic 3127
Phone: (03) 9830 0655