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22 Katherine Place, Melbourne, 9629 2620
My score: 3/5
“It’s a puri and it’s also a party,” said our friendly waiter at Delhi Streets, a new Indian street food eatery that’s all about festive fusion. Puri is puffed dough – the Indian version of choux pastry – and it’s usually a palm-sized snack. This version is a petite shatter-crisp globe containing curried potato, chickpea and tamarind chutney. That’s a party in itself but the real revelry is the vial of spiced broth to be tipped into the puri. It’s a one-bite fiesta and a fun, zingy introduction to a cheap, casual, light-hearted restaurant.
The interior evokes a pop version of India with movie posters, roadway signage stencilled onto stools, and table numbers propped in subcontinental soft drink bottles. The kitchen is enclosed in glass – I love seeing what’s happening behind the scenes but I get the feeling that this window was installed because the chefs are just as keen to peep at diners enjoying their food. The paper menu rattles off fusion dishes like Indian nachos, burritos and pizza naan. Some creations are rebadged Indian staples: the ‘nachos’ are a reasonably straight rendition of papri chaat, a snack of fried crackers strewn with chickpeas, yoghurt and chutney. Others, like the tandoori chicken pizza naan, are a reclaiming of the western bastardisation of an Indian classic. You could tie yourself in knots with post-colonial culinary theory or you could just tuck into a tasty Indian pizza.
A classics section of the menu includes biryani (rice pilafs, not as fluffy as they could be) and thali (complete meal on a tray). The lamb and chicken curries with the carnivore’s thali played the flavours true but the spicing safe. That’s a sign that Delhi Streets doesn’t bear strict resemblance to the streets of Delhi but it’s still a very happy spot for weekday lunch and cheery night-time bites.
See their website.
More street food:
Southside Social, 15-19 Gordon Street, Elsternwick, no phone.
A bunch of food trucks have rolled in to the carpark next to the Classic Cinema and will be there for the next month or so. Heaters, blankets and table tennis are also on hand.
Food Republik, Box Hill Centro, 1 Main Street, Box Hill, 9898 6669.
The concept is Taiwanese night market and the reality is Melbourne food court but, even so, this is a cool place for dumplings, noodles and fried chicken.
Pop Up Street Food, Shop 809, Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Road, South Yarra, 8290 8220.
There’s good snacking in this gathering of food stalls, including Malaysian, Argentinean, Hungarian and Mexican morsels. Try the roti canai.
First published in The Age, May 3, 2015.
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