tiger prawns in a coconut, coriander, red chilli, pepper sauce,
with ginger, curry leaf, onions and tomato
A couple of months ago, I was having dinner with some work friends (actually, we were more than “having dinner”; I was “enlightening” them with the wonders of the Number One Special at Kobe Jones) when conversation kept coming back to Indian food. And bowling. We decided right then and there that our next dinner date would be Indian and bowling but really, who sticks to plans that are made months ago and erm, half drunk?
Well, it appears we do.
Last Friday night, we headed down to Zaaffran at Darling Harbour for a big Indian feast, before putting on our striking shoes (hah, funny) and hitting the odd pin or so. Zaaffran is located right in the hub of tourist central in Darling Harbour, next to Hard Rock Café. But I didn’t mind that. The venue is huge, the view is worth a million bucks and the aromas coming out of the place will have you floating in on air anyway…
butter chicken: simmered in a cardamom-bay leaf flavoured tomato sauce
with cream and sundried fenugreek leaves
diced goat in a hearty home-style sauce of onions, tomatoes and whole spices
chicken simmered in an aromatic puréed cashew yoghurt, onion sauce,
infused with cardamom and clove, spiked green & red chilli
I always love the idea of Indian. I get all excited about the curries and although some of them were amazing – namely the goat curry OMG – but somehow by the end, I always think everything is starting to taste the same. Just another curry to smother my garlic naan in. But that’s just me because one of my friends, Heather, who’s a curry fiend loved every single dish, so I think Zaaffran wins 
My dessert, however, bowled me over (oh! the bowling puns!). Kulfi (basically, Indian ice cream) with rose petals and green cardamom. It was like a cold, fluffy, rose cloud and they don’t stinge with their dessert servings either. Heather ordered sticky date pudding (which she inhaled like seriously, in two seconds) and it’s twice the size of any sticky date pudding from anywhere else.
kulfi flavoured with rose petals and green cardamom
Incidentally, what I also loved aside from my kulfi were the papadums! Served with the usual sides of mango chutney, cucumber raita and a couple of other condiments… they were so good, I was eating them at the beginning of the meal right through to the end.
ps. excuse the crappy iPhone pics. Forgot my camera *oops*
Zaaffran
Level 2, 10 Darling Drive
Harbourside Centre
Darling Harbour, NSW, 2000
(02) 9211 8900
website
