I’d wanted to check out the Sydney branch of the Melbourne institution, Chinta Ria, for awhile now, so on my “wedding lunch”, the guys thought it would be appropriate to eat at the “Temple of Love”.
Food
Choices! I oohhed and aahhed, but finally decided on the Roti Kari ($17) - Roti with a choice of chicken, lamb or beef curry. I chose to pair mine with the Curry Lamb (Red) (normally $23 as a meal) - Diced loin of lamb, curry, potatoes and coconut milk.. I was very happy with my meal. The roti was flaky and crunchy (but unfortunately went cold quickly), although with not very many charred sections, the curry was very fragrant with its cardamom, slightly spicy, and the meat was tenderised in the thick dark sauce. I found there wasn’t enough sauce for all the roti, but that could be me scooping all the sauce up in the beginning!
Rating - 7.5
Atmosphere
I love it. It’s such an original design and such a breath of fresh air. You are greeted by the huge happy buddha at the entrance. Inside, the colourful plastic bowls and chopsticks grab your attention. You can observe the chefs at work in the open kitchen, and you can also sit in the beer garden outside if you choose to (but make sure you book if you want to). The restaurant was pretty empty when we visited on a Tuesday lunchtime, but it gets pretty packed on the weekends.
Rating - 3
Service
Well, we had about 3 waiters just serving us. They were really keen to clear up everything as soon as we’d finished it, but they didn’t bother filling our tea up or pouring it…All the waiters seem to be genuine South East Asian, with the cool accents to match.
Rating - 3
C-factor
The prices are pretty good for Darling Harbour, but of course you could get much cheaper Asian elsewhere. I didn’t appreciate them charging 3 person $2.50 each for tea when they only gave us one teapot and only 2 people drank from it.
Rating - 0.5
Brownie Points - 14
Info
Cockle Bay Wharf
Level 2
201 Sussex St
Darling Harbour
NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9264 3211
Website
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