This is another restaurant that we just happened to stumble upon. Walking down the street at lunchtime, we noticed the slightly unusual exterior, which looks like a fortress (or an entrance to a cave). The interior is much the same, very dark but definitely suits the fortress theme. Kind of reminds me of an old Indian castle in the middle of Rajasthan (don’t ask how).

We happened to be the only guests at the time so the service was excellent with the staff being very polite and attentive.

The food itself was quite a surprise to me as I wasn’t expecting much. Turns out that the dishes we ordered tasted great! I have to admit, though, that the dishes are a little pricey for Indian food.

For entree we ordered:

Chicken 65 ($14.90)
Meaning chicken 65 days old with tender and juicy chicken the right time to have a perfect chicken, marinated in yoghurt and exotic spices, lemon juice, vinegar over night and deep fried servedwith lemon wedge and Spanish onion.

This dish was quite spicy, but full of flavour and really delicious! No wonder my friends always rave on about Chicken 65.

For mains we ordered the following:

Chicken Khandhari ($18.90)
Lightly flour coated chunks of chicken fried and cooked in mint and cumin flavoured cashew and tomato sauce, garnished with roasted cashews.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani ($20.90)
Tempting flavours of spices and herbs definitely stimulate you to try this basmati rice cooked with chicken cooked in poppy seed gravy and sealed with pastry to seal the natural flavours along with coconut milk, mint, saffron and rose water.

The Chicken Khandhari was excellent. Mild but again so full of flavour. Mixed with rice it was brilliant! The Biryani surprised me when it came out, probably because it looked like a Sheperds Pie! The pastry coating is a great idea and differentiates the dish from Biryani dishes found elsewhere. In terms of taste the Biryani was nice, however, I felt like it needed just a little more punch.

Overall I was very happy with our decision to try Darbar. We really need to head back for dinner sometime, just to see how the restaurant is on a busy night, and also try more of their yummy dishes :)

• Food 7/10
• Ambience 6/10
• Service 7/10
• Value 6/10

• Name: Darbar Fine Indian Cuisine
• Website: http://www.darbar.com.au/
• Phone: (02) 9660 5666
• Location: 134, Glebe Point Road, Glebe. NSW.
• Opening Hours: Lunch
  Tuesday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 2.30pm
  Dinner
  Daily: 5:00pm - 10.30pm
•