Topic: What's The Curry Scene Like In New Zealand

[Yousef]

Hi,

A bit off topic but does anyone know what the curry scene is like in NZ?? I intend to go out there sometime in the not too distant future and wondered if they have curry houses or a market at all for curry?

There is a motive behind this question but its a secret at the moment!!!

Thanks,
S

[curryqueen]

Havn't got a clue.  Come on give!  You can't do this to us.  What is the big secret? 

[Curry King]

Yeah come on fill us in, promise not to tell  :-X

[DARTHPHALL]

Are you going to emigrate & start up a curry house AS those poor kiwi`s are unaware of our true love (curries!!!).
 The curry scene is very much in the cities.
 Yes my wife & i are also considering emigrating there in 4 years(gotta get the taste right before then !!! ;D ;D )

[Yousef]

Well if i could start up a curry house the customers would all have to like Madras as it'll be the only thing on the menu.
I suppose you could just sell it mild, hot, firey or dangerously hot......

 

[curryaddict]

The curry scene in Auckland is pretty good now.
My 2 favourites are 'Diva' in Mt Eden and 'Oh Calcutta' in Parnell. The formers speciality is a curry called 'Hyderabad', which is up in the Phal territory!
I lived out there for about 8 years and noticed a huge increase in the Indian population which obviously brought with it lots of restaurants and spice outlets. They also ran evening classes on Indian cookery at the local school and it was that which got me hooked on this great hobby.
One of my Indian friends put me onto the perfect place for buying spices in Auckland, it was a warehouse full of plastic, dustbin sized containers all full of just about every spice you can think of and very fresh too.
Hope this helps

[kiwi curries]

Kia Ora,
            I'm from Christchurch in the South Island and this city is absolutely over-run with indian restaurants. Some are brilliant and some are absolutley craphouse!! ie Taste of Bengal  (anybody else from chch nz been there?). The nicesest place I've been to is called Two Fat Indians they are a resaurant and takaway. A bit more expensive but worth it if you can spare the coin  . Tandoori Palace is a well to do chain that has started in CHCH and branching onto the rest of NZ including North Island. They produce consistantly decent curries d (tho not brilliant). It is their curries I use as a yard stick with which to judge other restaurants by. To date Two Fat Indians make the tastiest curry i have ever tried. There is a chain called Shamiana which is in the eateries in shopping malls. Their carries are reasonably tasty but again not superb. I once made the mistake of orderirng a Hot vindaloo from a place called Raj Mahal. Ooohhh boy that was an experience i was almost hallucinating  . They used a lot of potato in the vindaloo and are the first resaurant I've come accross using potato in a vindaloo. Little India are also a chain. They have a masssive resaurant in the middle of the city and produce a nice curry. Another chain resaurant "Tulsi" is quite new here. I have been once, had the vindaloo. it was very tomatoey and lemony but nice. As you can see there are heaps to chose from and I have not listed all the restaurant/takeaways in CHCH. The only place you can watch the cooks (that i've seen) making the meals is at Tandoori Palace. I have watched them a few times (they move very fast!!) they always have a big pot of onion sace on the go. Once i saw a big pot of onion halves boiling on the gas ring (i assume they were making the sauce) there didn't seem to be anything else in there but carrot etc may have been on the bottom out of siight. One thing that intrigued me was the pot of red sauce next to the onion sauce pot. I have noticed there is not a lot of dicussion on this board about this or do they not have this in the UK? they use it when making the madrass and vindaloo etc.
I bought a vindaloo the other night from TD and decided that there was three main flavours: tomato, lemon and cumin + chilli i will try to replicate this in the future.