You know you’re in an Indian restaurant when…

It all started with a Sri Lankan friend who I’ve known since my high school days. He’s suggested this place to me a number of years ago as a good place for Indian and Sri Lankan food. Actually, his words were something along the lines of it being the “best bang for your buck”. He acknowledged that you could probably find better food elsewhere but it was great for what you paid for.

Spoken like a true Sri Lankan :)

I’ve been to Janani quite a number of times since that fateful evening many years ago. Things have changed since that time, at one stage opening 24 hours until some spoil-sport local residents complained to the council and ruined it for everyone. The food has changed too but I’ll get to that later.

Dining room, stage right.

The restaurant has a very down-to-earth feel to it, with an ambiance that is somewhat akin to an Indian version of a roadside diner. It’s a place where the dining experience focuses solely on the service of good, honest food at a reasonable price. In other words, it’s all about the eating and less about the “dining experience”, if you get my meaning. Oh, and feel free to dig in and eat with your hands. When in Rome…

We’d started with an order of drinks. The mango lassi was smooth, sweet and pretty nice. The consistency was right but a little more mango and a little less sweet would have been my preference. The ginger milk tea came with sugar on the side, which was a nice touch. I’ve been told by my dinner guest that you don’t always have the option. The tea itself had a mellow ginger flavour to it, which made it pleasantly refreshing.

The North Indian Thali, my dinner guest’s choice.

The rice (hiding under the roti) and accompaniments were nice from what I was told. However, the roti was dry, tough and chewy. It’s hard to tell whether they used a precooked roti which was fired in the microwave for a little too long or they’re looking to experiment with a new line of roti jerky. In either case, it was one for the bin. It’s really a shame because I’ve had some great roti here in the past.

My meal selection of the chana bhatura, chickpea curry (chana masala) served with fried bread made from wheat flour (bhatura), was ok. I say ok because I’ve had so much better here in the past. The chickpea curry was alright but it lacked the spicy kick and slightly sour twang that had, at one time, made it my favourite curry. Yes, even over the meat based curries.

The fried bread was stiff and had a great crunchy and flaky texture to it. Though it tasted fine, it not only made it somewhat difficult to eat with the chickpea curry but the real problem was that it’s not meant to be served that way at all. The bhatura is meant to be a soft, elastic and pleasantly chewy bread with a slightly crisp exterior due to the frying. Once again I had the feeling that they were reusing precooked or old stock. That twice-fried crunch was unmistakable.

A not-so-plain dosai.

To break step with the geriatric reminiscence of “the good old days”, we come to the highlight of the evening in the form of the plain dosai, the “shared” meal between my dinner guest and I. The dosai and its accompaniments are as they were, and as they should be. The fresh, ridiculously oversized pancake-like device was warm and delicious. The accompanying curries are spicy enough to offer an enjoyable kick, and are clearly not watered down in order to cater to western standards.

This is one of a number of dishes that shines when eaten fresh but can be seriously lacking if consumed as a take-home meal. Call it the dosai dichotomy. Perhaps even the puri paradox, as the puri package (not pictured or eaten this evening) also suffers the same fate.

If you’re after a taste of India and Sri Lanka without breaking the bank, this is not a bad place for it. Though I’ve mentioned that it’s somewhat lacking when compared to its former glory, there is still some value to be found with some of the meals that they offer.

View location at the <3 of food: map

The gourmet hamper selection comes to a close with A&P Sulfaro, the dessert course if you will. Kind of appropriate considering the selection but we’ll get to that in due course (no pun intended).

A&P Sulfaro specialise in a fabulous assortment of Italian cakes, pastries and biscotti. They also have a modest seating area to complement the service of their wares with a freshly drawn cup of espresso or a small selection of gelato, if you feel so inclined. It’s a place that I’ve been to a number of times in the past, mostly for their tiramisu cake.

*sigh* :)

Anyhow moving along, unless you’re fortunate to arrive at the right time, you will likely be waiting in a queue for at least 10 minutes. On this particular day, I was in a queue of four people (myself included) and this time around it had taken about 12 minutes before my order was taken. My record’s been 28 minutes, with a queue that left the premises. It was during the Christmas rush, so no surprises there.

Now, please don’t mistake this for a whiny complaint. The ladies tending the service counter treat their goods with respect; taking whatever time is necessary to put together an order, properly package their fine wares, offer service and storage advice, as well as the service of espresso or gelato as previously mentioned. The service is faster at a similar store up the road, though I find the tiramisu cake here far superior.

They say that “good things come to those who wait” and I’m more than happy to wait the requisite time. However, those of you with a lot of technology and a short attention span, you may want to bring something with you to keep you busy.

Chocolate, custard and cream cannoli. Mmm…

You’ll have to mind the dent in the cream cannoli pictured. There was a little damage sustained during transportation. What can I say, I’m a male Asian driver.

Jokes aside, the varieties of cannoli pictured are chocolate (though more like chocolate custard), vanilla custard and cream. The fried pastry shell has a slight crunch to it which contrasts nicely with the sweet, creamy filling. There are also mini cannoli available if you feel the sadistic need to dole out these pleasures in smaller doses.

Lastly, a little something from their wide range of biscotti. This wasn’t included in the hamper but I have a photo, so why not :)

Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of the one in the foreground. Identity aside, it has almond meal at its base with an amaretto flavour to it. A firm crust on the outside gives way to a sweet, moist and slightly chewy interior. Actually, on its own it’s a little too sweet for my liking. However, it would serve as a worthy counterpart to a strong espresso.

The one in the background is an almond macaroon, with a crisp exterior and a discernibly chewy interior. Once again composed of almond meal and amaretto, though not as sweet. Certainly my preference of the two.