For a quick lunch, we headed out to Harris Park, the home of Indian cuisine in Sydney, to eat at the popular Billu’s restaurant!
Food:
Billu’s has an expansive menu of both North and South Indian delights, including popular dishes such as Tandoori Chicken, naan bread and various assorted curries and breads. On this visit, I ordered the cheese and garlic naan bread, and saffron chicken tikka with mint yoghurt sauce. The naan bread was perfectly cooked, and was crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy with the right amount of cheese and garlic topping, and a smear of butter on the top to add to the richness. This was perfectly balanced by the spicy chicken pieces, which come out on a sizzling hotplate and remain warm while you eat. While it is an entree dish, I order it as a main, and the heat and flavour is easily soothed by the mint sauce, which is refreshing and cooling for the biting spice.
I also tried some of the Friday Special, also known as the ‘Sarson Ka Saag and Makhi Di Roti’, which translates to spinach curry and corn bread. This is a famous Punjabi dish, and Billu’s definitely makes an authentic version of it. The saag or spinach curry is generally a bit too spicy for my liking, but is well liked by my family. The bread however, is dense and flavoursome, and lightly grilled on the outside, and the perfect accompaniment to other curries, or even eaten by itself.
Ambience:
We went at lunchtime on a weekday to avoid the large crowd that gathers of a Friday and Saturday night, so be sure to come early if you are dining during peak periods. The service is usually a bit slower due to the time it takes to prepare these dishes, but it’s well worth the wait. If you’re feeling like having a pre-dinner or lunch treat, the Indian sweets at the counter are worth a try – they have a great selection and you can enjoy another aspect of Indian dining as well. The restaurant often has Bollywood music clips playing in the background, allowing you to experience Indian culture at its finest as well.
Overall:
For authentic Indian cuisine that showcases a wide variety of the subcontinent’s flavours and delights, head to Billu’s restaurant in Harris Park! Nestled in a whole row of Indian restaurants, Billu’s definitely is the leader of the pack and is well worth a try.
Khana 