I always take a note of what my friends recommend.

They’re my homies; it’s unlikely that they put their stamps of approval on something they don’t like.

However, never forget that all of this is subjective. That’s one of the things I learnt from a random philosophy course I did in my second year of university along with many philosophy majors dislike shaving. So, I keep tabs as to which of my friends have the same taste as I do and which ones rather watch Big Bang Theory over Community.

Here’s a place I went to with a couple of homies who know that the Big Bang Theory is the most fraudulent portrayal of ‘nerd’ life of all time.

There are very few constants in my life; here are three:

– Anna Kendrick being adorable

– LeBron James dominating a game seemingly at ease

– Indian food not disappointing me.

About that last one. I’ve had bad Thai (pun intended), I’ve had Crapanese and I’ve had don’t eat-alian but I’ve never had bad Indian. Yet, here I was at a place I had never been to being guided there by a homie of mine whose taste I was still unfamiliar with. A lot could’ve gone wrong.

I was immediately put at ease by the interior of the restaurant.

As someone who’s never been able to wear hats without looking like a dork; I still appreciated the headwear that Abhi’s was rocking. I also learnt that it’s been a mainstay in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide for a while.

Nice.

We started off with a debate over sparkling water.

I was with two other guys. One wanted sparkling water and the other wanted still. The guy who didn’t like sparkling claimed that it was a flavourless drink and that it caused him physical pain.

Physical pain!

I had never heard sparkling water described like a violent ex-girlfriend before.

I avoided the debate by opting for a Mango Lassi.

I’ve had this beverage a few times and this was easily the most unique take on the drink. Normally, you’ll get a yogurt based mango drink that’s very sweet and refreshing. Abhi’s actually had a hint of herbs and spice to it that was something I had never tried before. The spicy aspect might take some adjusting to for some but it’s not a bad variation.

Confession: It was my first time ever sampling pappadums. They were very light and crispy, great way to whet the appetite. They became even better when we were given an unintentional dipping sauce.

This dish was amazing and we used the sauce to boost our pappadums from an 8 to a 10. My buddy ordered this dish and I was very skeptical. I just couldn’t visualise all the ingredients coming together. Look at those ingredients on paper and try to harmonise them. It doesn’t make sense, but it did make my taste buds roar with joy.

The lentil batter was very crispy and the texture was similar to Doritos chips. The yogurt sauce just enhanced everything and didn’t render the dish soggy.

Prawns and scallops are my two favourite forms of seafood so to see them dancing in the same pot was awesome. Great flavours and the naan on the side was the fat bonus cheque at the end of the year that you immediately blow on Christmas presents for the kids.

So good.

I’ve never had a curry with this much of a pepper punch. For the record, I’m masochistic and thoroughly enjoyed the peppers repeatedly jabbing me in the mouth. I know I make it sound particularly spicy but it really isn’t. The chicken was very tender and went great with our rice (which I forgot to take a photo of because I’m still a novice food blogger that neglects my camera).

Easily the focal point of a star studded curry fest. I’ve never had (what she order?) fish fillet this tender before. This was the only curry we finished completely due to how much we ordered and my belly welcomed it with open arms. This was a bit milder than the chicken varutha which was nice for me. I have no intention of setting my tongue on fire at dinner.

Last but definitely not least:

Again, I dropped the ball. I read that description and thought it sounded amazing. When I pointed to the option to the waitress she responded with: ‘Oh, you want the butter chicken?’

I felt like that guy who claims to love Chinese food but has only ever had fried rice from the food court.

Still, this was some premium butter chicken with some incredibly tender chicken. I know it’s typical but this is still my dish of choice.

Here’s the TL; DR for everyone who can spell Nahasapeemapetilon without using Google:

– I’m bad at predicting NFL results

– Sparkling water hurts

– Abhi’s doesn’t know how to make bad curry

Abhi’s Indian, North Strathfield

163 Concord Road

Opening Hours:

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