28 February 2012

curry curry curry

Fitz Curry Cafe www.fitzcurrycafe.com.au
  • 44 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
  • Dining at dinnertime
  • Party of two
  • Da bill: less than $50
Fitz Curry Cafe on Urbanspoon
I love a good curry.  I have often said to people that if I could choose just one type of meal to have for the rest of my life for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it would be curry.  Call me a "curry-muncher" or whatever you like, but I absolutely love all types of curries.  I must admit, I especially enjoy curries that come from India as nothing beats the smell and taste.  I don't really have a favourite Indian curry but generally love Indian cuisine as a whole.  

Hopefully now you get the idea of how much curry means to me, so since I have lived in Melbourne, I have been on the constant lookout for a curry house to satisfy my palate.  I have tried a few scattered around the city, but nothing ever completely satisfied me.  There were times when the aroma of a place has lured me in only to be disappointed by the taste.  It is that extra bit disappointing when something that smells so good can fail in the taste department.

I have often walked past the Fitz Curry house on Johnston Street in Fitzroy and was always curious about what the food was like.  However with the selection of restaurants in Melbourne being so vast, I never decided to try it until after a year of living here.  It was a random night and although there are a number of great restaurants on this street, this was the night for the Fitz Curry House.

The selection of curries in vegetarian, chicken, lamb, beef and seafood options were plenty, however it was not too difficult to decide what to order. We ordered a vegetable samosa and a meat samosa to begin with.  Both samosas had crisp skin the way it should be and the filling in both varieties was tasty.   Although the one thing about samosas when ordered in a restaurant is that they are never spicy enough.  I realise that samosas are not meant to be spicy but just a tad more heat would make this favourite morsel of mine so much better.  The only other let down with the samosas was the mint raita as it lacked the fresh flavour of mint and was on the salty side.

Before I get into the mains, I must mention one fault and that is we waited a long time for them to be served.  Despite the length of time we waited (45 minutes) the service was great and to be fair, but not to make an excuse, there was only one chef in this full restaurant.  

We ordered Chicken Makhani, more famously know as Butter Chicken and Lamb Rogan Josh.  We asked for extra spice in both dishes and they came with a perfect amount of "hotness".  The Butter Chicken was described in the menu as "the fountainhead of Indian Cuisine, chicken cooked in Tandoor and then cooked with home made tomato sauce and spices".  This dish did not disappoint.  It was perfectly creamy with just the right amount of sweetness, very well spiced and seasoned and was a delight to eat.

The Lamb Rogan Josh is contrasting in flavour to a Butter Chicken, with different spices, colour and obviously taste.  It was very delicious, packed with amazing flavour and the lamb was so beautifully tender.  The extra spice packed a punch but the dish was perfect in its own right.  The curries were accompanied with garlic naan and plain rice.  I must mention that the naan was light and fluffy and contained enough garlic to warrant it being called garlic naan as there have been times I have ordered garlic naan when it may as well have been just naan!

It took over a year but I have now found the best curry house in Melbourne.  It is great value for money, offers friendly service and most importantly the taste is deliciously great.  It serves free range chicken and natural spring lamb which is just an added bonus to what will now be the place to satisfy my curry cravings.

2 comments:

  1. Yo will take you to a place in dandenong next time you guys stay over if you feel like curry. Another place is Red Pepper on Bourke st, my cabby recommended it, wanna try?
    T

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  2. Do you know that there are over 100 curry dishes in the world? It was mentioned on Australian Master Chef. People put all sorts of spices in their curries. For me I preferred Thai or Khmer curry with lots of coconut cream. I find Indian curries have too much turmeric and oil. At least the one I had eaten.

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