If anyone recalls me mentioning, my family really loves Indian cuisine. My dad used to spend every day looking up Groupons to take us all out to try new Indian foods and restaurants as often as we could. This has been a slow year but it seems we are back into it with tonight's latest Groupon for dinner at Jawani Indian Restaurant in Croydon Park!

A really good deal for our family of four. We all came after work and the location was really good for us. 

From the outside, Jawani looked quite unassuming and blended in with the rest of the shops on the quiet strip. However as soon as we stepped inside and could see clearer, the restaurant had a great vibe with its beautiful and unique walls - no two being the same, and candle-lit lanterns adorning each table. The tables were spacious for such a small space and the seats were comfortable and a sleek plush leather like material. 

Aside from two other people, we were the only group dining in the restaurant tonight so it was really quiet.

Our waitress for the night was very friendly and courteous to us the entire night. She quickly took our orders and I feel she went out of her way to ensure we had a pleasant dining experience - such as promptly setting new utensils, fresh tissues and asking us how the food was. Hence, service? Great!

Our entree...

Sharing Platter (2pc Chicken Tikka, 2pc Lamb Chops, 4pc Vegetable Pakora, 1pc Samosa) $21.90

It wasn't actually specified in the voucher that we had to get a sharing platter as an entree but when we got here they automatically told us this is what the deal entails. Nonetheless we are happy with this because it means we get to try a selection of meat and vegetarian entrees!

The chicken tikka was delicious as expected with its smokey flavour. It was a tad on the dry side though. The lamb chops were also good as they were coated in a generous and exotic blend of herbs and spices and charred underneath to perfection. The vegetable pakora was on the burnt and oily side making it a bit unpleasant, and in contrast we can never fault a samosa. Overall, very average start to the meal - we had no idea what to expect next.

Tamarind and mint yogurt sauces to accompany the starters.

We also received our drinks half way through the starters. We decided to get three flavours of lassi out of their five! Unfortunately not four as my mum is lactose intolerant so just a Coke for her.

Blueberry, Raspberry and Mango Lassi, $6.90 each

So so so pretty and colourful! Each had a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating in the middle with crushed pistachios on top. My dad and sister took the first few sips and claimed it was way too sour so they mixed the ice cream in and it became sweet and perfect. As for me I love a tangy yogurt taste so I was fine with the ice cream mixed in or not! As for the flavours - they all taste like the fruit they are supposed to be.

It was around 5-10 minutes after clearing the table that the mains were ready and all started coming out of the kitchen.

Basmati Rice $2.90 + Garlic Naan $3.90

To accompany our mains!
The rice was faultless, but the naan was a little more flat, dry and lacking in garlic flavour.

Butter Chicken $18.90

Ah yes, the worlds favourite curry. The butter chicken sauce was super creamy, smooth, very mild and as always a huge crowd pleaser. The cuts of chicken were so big and had been seared and charred on the outside before simmering in sauce. I feel like this made them a little more dry and inconsistent as there were pieces that were so tender and pieces that were not tender at all.

Goat Curry $20.90

My parents love goat meat and with only the option of 2 meat curry mains, this is the one that would make them the happiest. This smelled so good! The goat meat came in thick and generous cuts still attached but practically falling off the bone. It was so tender! The sauce was a rich, textured and complex curry. Lots of different herbs tasted but in the end, it was the delicious gamey taste of goat that shrone through. 

Also note with the Groupon voucher, we had to pay an extra $2 as this was not chicken, lamb or beef.

Dal Makhani $13.90

We never order lentil curry because it seems so unexciting and we would definitely prefer actual vegetables in vegetarian curry. However given there wasn't that on the menu, I thought why not and decided to order this to give us all a try at it. Good choice Kim because this was actually really delicious. My favourite curry of the night. Dal Makhani is a rich lentil curry made from whole black lentils, red kidney beans, butter and cream. The lentil and beans were so well cooked that they were nice and soft. The sauce was extremely rich and luscious with a milk cream aftertaste. 

Malai Kofta $17.90

I had this dish one of the other times we went as a family to eat Indian food so I was very excited to once again be reunited with it. Malai Kofta is a creamy curry made with Indian style cheese and potato balls and assorted spices. It reminds me a bit of a potato croquette or a potato pierogi dumpling and for that I absolutely love it. The cheese doesn't have a strong flavour in this but it does melt in the mouth with all the soft potato. The sauce is very satisfying being warm and sweet almost like honey. If this savoury-sweet combination sounds a bit scary to you, I say don't knock it until you try it! 

And last but not least, dessert! We had no choice in what desserts we could pick, they come out according to what is on special.

Ras Malai $7.90

This is a Indian dumpling soaked in a sweet milky base flavoured with cardamom and pistachio. It is cool and refreshing after the heavy mains and I enjoy the way the dumpling soaks up the aromatic milky base!

Rose Flavoured Kulfi

Mmmm I love rose flavoured anything! This kulfi had a bit of an icy texture but we all enjoyed it nonetheless. Come to think of it, it was also slightly chewy. It is not too sweet at all and such a palate refresher.

So there we have it - Jawani Indian Restaurant in Croydon Park. I believe this place serves very delicious food that anyone can appreciate and you will definitely find something on the menu that appeals to you. The only thing is that without this Groupon, I think the normal prices are quite expensive with a meat curry starting from $18.90, to a vegetarian curry starting from $13.90.

Let me know if you have been here or if you have any recommendations around the Croydon area as I would love to hear more about it. Until next time!

Love, Kim xx

TL;DR:

Price: Expensive

Quality: Great food, food quality

Service: Friendly and courteous

Ambience: Quiet, candle-lit dinner vibes

Jawani Indian Restaurant

147 Georges River Road

Croydon Park NSW 2133

Open Wednesday - Monday

5PM - 11PM