Monday 11 January 2016

Krishna Indian Restaurant, Footscray - vegan buffet

I have heard a lot of good feedback about Krishna Indian Restaurant in Footscray and was very excited to go along to a vegan buffet there just before Christmas.  The restaurant (which is Krishna Indian Restaurant on the window, Krisha Pait Pooja on the website and Krishna on Barkly on the Facebook page) has been around for a couple of decades but only last year did it decide to become fully vegetarian with lots of vegan and gluten free options clearly marked on the menu.

In the week before Christmas, Krishna Indian Restaurant offered a vegan buffet for a week.  Above is the menu on the night we went.  For $28 per person it was excellent value and the food was delicious.  I loved being able to have lots of small dishes.   It was also interesting to go with a group and see that everyone had different preferences.

First up we had a Lentil soup.  I love lentils so this was very pleasing.  It was quite thin but tasty and a light start to the meal.

For Entrees we had Samosa, Onion Pakora and Veg Manchurian.  I could have stopped right here and just kept going back for more.  The samosa was perfect triangles of fried filled pastry with a sweet and very spicy dipping sauce.  The manchurian were wonderful - dumplings in a sweet and spicy sauce.  The onion pakora was crisp and delicious.  I regretted not going back for more of all of these but I did want to keep going through the whole menu.

The main course had lots of curries to taste.  I was very excited by the sound of the Shahi Tofu (Tofu in a creamy cashew nut sauce) [top right] and surprised to find that the sauce was not quite as creamy as I expected.  It was more tomatoey than creamy and I loved it but wished I had asked for more tofu chunks.  Top left is the Soy Nugget Masala which was my least favourite.  I enjoyed the creamy sauce but the chunks were a bit too mock meat, which is just not my thing.

In the middle right is the Eggplant and Potato Curry and bottom left is the Potato and Chickpea Curry.  These dishes made less impact on me.  I enjoyed them but just as part of the mix rather than as stand out dishes.  It is great to go out with a group but I find that I get caught up in conversation at times rather than focusing on the food.  A couple of the dishes were a bit spicy but generally it was not too spicy for me, which was a relief as I don't eat lots of spicy food.

The curries were accompanied by Garlic Naan and Saffron Rice.  Both were very very good.  I also tasted some of the Gluten Free Naan which was lovely though a bit less chewy and tasted like it had besan in it.  When we were quite full, the owners brought around Kashmiri Naan.  I am very partial to this flatbread stuffed with nuts and dried fruit.  How could I refuse!  It was excellent.  Hot and buttery straight from pan with that wonderful sweet nutty filling.  Is it any wonder that I was too busy scoffing it to take a photo.

I had decided beforehand that I would not have dessert.  I've never been very interested in Indian sweets.  But somehow I found myself taking a bowl of dessert.  Perhaps it was curiosity.  And indeed I was glad I did.  The vegan Gulab Jaman was amazing.  It wasn't as sweet as when I have tasted it before and had all the comfort of a good pudding.  I was not so interested in the Rice Pudding but was very surprised to find that I really enjoyed the Mango and Coconut Ice Cream.  Despite not liking mangos or being much of an ice cream person, I found I could not stop eating the ice cream.

By the end of the meal I was well and truly stuffed, but with such good food.  It was a really lovely night out.  Great to catch up with some of the lovely bloggers that it has been wonderful seeing online and offline this year.  And the family that runs Krishna is so friendly and welcoming.  We had a chat about making our own yoghurt and sourdough and the owners gave us little Christmas gifts.  Check out Veganopoulous and Where's the Beef to see more about the regular Krishna menu.  I am looking forward to returning there soon.

Krishna Indian Restaurant
Shop 3, 578 Barkly Street
West Footscray
(03) 9687 5531
www.krishnapaitpoojawestfootscray.com.au

Krishna Pait Pooja Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

13 comments:

  1. The food looks really good, particularly the entrees. If you hadn't have told me it was a vegan meal, I'd never have guessed - it looks just like the Indian food I order when in an Indian restaurant! Lots of variety here and I'm glad you enjoyed the dessert xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie - as a vegetarian rather than a vegan I probably didn't appreciate it as much as vegans but I am told that there is no ghee or dairy which makes it special

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  2. I really, really enjoyed this too - you captured some wonderful photos of the night!

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  3. There's something immediately pleasing about a buffet - I just like the option to have a little bit of everything, so I don't miss out on anything! I'd be all over the vegan naan and gulab jamun - normally obviously you can get a lot of good vegan Indian food, but sadly those two are rarely made in a herbivorous version!

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    1. Thanks Joey - I think I might have only had gulab jamun once before but I love naan and haven't thought that it is usually not vegan! That makes it particularly special as I love naan and this one was great

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  4. Mango and coconut ice cream sounds far more appealing to me than most Indian desserts I've seen - usually I'm not a fan either. It sounds like you got a good meal!

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    1. Thanks Kari - I would usually turn down mango and coconut ice cream but that is the beauty of the buffet where you can try a little of everything and be surprised at what you like

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  5. It sounds like you had a great night out! That vegan buffet sounds delicious, every single bit. I am very partial to a good samosa but like you, I would have wanted to save some room to sample the remaining dishes. You've got me in the mood for Indian food now...

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    1. Thanks Kyra - the samosas were really good - I need to drag E and Sylvia there some time as it was such nice food

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  6. I wish more South Asian eateries in the UK would feature Veg Manchurian on the menu, I'd opt for it every time. I think small bites and plates of South Asian cuisine is wise, too much of it and you can often come out feeling bloated.

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    1. Thanks Shaheen - I don't think I have had veg manchurian before but I really loved it - I loved having the buffet as often we can only offer a few dishes and I want more variety at an Indian dinner

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  7. Oh wow - what an incredible meal! I LOVE samosas. The ones you have look so good =)
    And the soy nugget masala would be a treat to try too - I'm not normally a fan of mock meat either, but this actually sounds good.
    And I have yet to come across gluten-free naan!! Yum =)

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