Cassia

Auckland is well served by a plethora of Indian eateries, but none has quite the pedigree and panache of this, the love child of Sid and Chand Sahrawat. Sid uses exceptional skills to blend traditional tastes and textures with contemporary techniques and ingredients to deliver an enticing palette of fabulous flavours. The goat’s cheese and truffle fritter with ghost chilli is a suitably spicy beginning to the journey while the Goan-style lamb chops with leek ash took us further south. Sid’s take on tandoori chicken with Chettinad sauce – a nod to the Punjab and Kerala regions – is proof of his innate understanding of regional variances. The menu is fully supported by a wonderful selection of drinks, a highlight being the cocktails that pay playful homage to Sid’s Indian heritage. Narangi Old Fashioned anyone? If you can’t make a trip to the sub-continent itself, an evening here is the next best thing. Check website for opening hours MAINS: $38-$48