Aki’s Indian
Location: 1/6 Cowper Wharf, Woolloomooloo
Cuisine: Indian
$$$ per person spent inc drinks: $70
AMBIENCE
Dels says ‘felt like I was in someone’s home with the cute
windows looking out onto the street. Nothing fancy but pleasant.’
DKay says ‘Down by Woollomooloo wharf. Doesn’t get much
lovelier than that.’
Kaan
says ‘Aki’s is located on the famous Woolloomooloo
wharf which sets the scene with the amazing CBD skyline views from the
restaurant. However, the décor felt like it was mish-mashed together with
touches of India,which made me think that the décor was just slapped together.
Nevermine, why eat inside when you can
dine outside anyway.’
Bron says ‘Fabulous setting on the wharf – and if it’s a
cool day, even better, as Indian is lovely comfort food. I loved the little
indian touches – very nice ambience. 8/10.’
FOOOODDDDD
We ordered:
Entrees to share
CRAB WITH
IDDIAPPAM $24
Signature
dish: A southern delicacy of shelled blue swimmer crab tossed with
black
mustard seeds, fresh tomatoes and ginger served with traditional Tamil
brown
rice string hoppers and a
coconut broth
BAINGAN
JAIPURI (v) $15
Crispy
eggplant dusted with spiced chickpea flour and served with a cumin flavoured
yoghurt dip
MASALA
DOSA (v) $15
Crisp South
Indian ‘Dosa’rolled pancake
accompanied by lentil 'sambar' and ‘mulaghai
podi’
chutney with a filling of
spiced potato, onion and mustard seeds
Mains to share
RAILWAY
GOAT CURRY $31
Slow cooked goat with
tomatoes, ginger, garlic, black cardamom and fresh coriander
VENDAKAI
SUNDAL $22
South
Indian favourite of fried fresh okra with chickpeas, garlic, onions, crushed
dried whole
chillies and curry leaves
CHICKEN
MADRAS $23
This was on their ‘special’
menu. Served with Cucumber & Yoghurt ‘Raita’
MADRAS
PRAWN VENDAKAI $36
A
traditional South Indian dish of jumbo prawns and fresh okra with shallots,
coconut,
tamarind, mustard, fenugreek
and cumin seeds
PESHWARI NAAN BREAD $6
Dessert to share
Indian ‘Kulfi’ ice cream
laced with cardamom and pistachios $15
Traditional dessert of
Semolina cooked with pineapple, saffron and golden fried cashew $14
CRAB WITH IDDIAPPAM $24
Dels says ‘ No wonder this is the signature dish of the
restaurant, it was absolutely divine! So flavoursome and unique, this is worth
coming back for.
DKay says ‘Yum! Light, different and very tasty. Perfect
flavours and textures.’
Kaan
says ‘WOW & WOW! No wonder it’s a southern Indian
delicacy and is considered Aki’s signature dish. Yes for an entrée, the price
is a bit of an eyebrow raiser but you realise why it is what it is when you try
this dish. The way they have put this dish together is perfect. The Tamil rice
as the base adds a different dimension that I am yet to see in any Indian
restaurant in Sydney. Do yourself a favour and try this dish! I will guarantee
you walk away saying this was a great new experience!’
Bron says ‘Dish of the night. This is why they are
considered a one chef hatted restaurant. Well done Aki’s this was beautiful!’
BAINGAN JAIPURI (v) $15
Dels says ‘ This is a nice and easy starter but it isn’t
anything spectacular. Nice to much on while waiting for your mains though.
DKay says ‘I love eggplant so I was happy. Nice light batter
coating and well fried. But have to say it was nothing too special. In
comparison to the other dishes that is....’
Kaan
says ‘I also loved this dish! It was such a unique
twist on serving eggplants and it made total sense to make them like deep fried
hot chips! However, I would not order this on its own as an entrée. I would
make sure you share it and have another entrée with it or you would not enjoy
this dish as much on its own as a starter.
Bron says ‘I didn’t mind this – it was fresh and light, and
nicely battered. It wasn’t amazing though and so in my opinion, not worth
ordering again’
MASALA DOSA (v) $15
Dels says ‘ YUM! I love dosa so had to order this! The
spices and flavour of the potato inside was great and the dipping sauces
completed the dish. This is quite a large serving for an entrée so best if
shared with people.
DKay says ‘Well presented and good looking dish. Was sweet, spicy,
salty, tasty. Enjoyed it enough but happy to not order it again.’
Kaan
says ‘I absolutely loved the spices & flavours in
this dish. This is exactly what you expect from a vegetarian Indian dish. I
think it’s a perfect starter to have on its own. Especially, if you are going
to have a seafood main or a small main.
Bron says ‘Hmmm different indeed. I liked this but its far
too big for one, and quite difficult to share. Perhaps having smaller pancakes
would have been better. Over all though I like this dish.’
RAILWAY GOAT CURRY $31
Dels says ‘ Skipped this!’
DKay says ‘Yum! Goat isn’t found too often on menus but I
like to order it when it does. This did not disappoint. Meat was tender and
full of flavour.
Kaan
says ‘I’m not a big fan of goat curry at the best of
times. I must say it was the best goat curry I have had but I would probably
not re-order this dish at Aki’s when they already have so many other uniquely
amazing dishes. If you want the one chef hatted restaurant experience skip this
dish.
Bron says ‘Oh, Goat is difficult to get perfect, but again,
they did just that. This was a lovely dish! I’m just not too sure that it could
be classified as a fine dining dish if that makes any sense. It wasn’t
presented in the way that I would expect. Hence, I do have hesitation in paying
the hefty price tag. BUT I did find it quite delicious.’
VENDAKAI SUNDAL $22
Dels says ‘ A vegetarian dish where you can truly taste the
vegetables. It was nice to try something that you don’t normally see in many
restaurants either. This okra dish was light and one of the winners of the
night.
DKay says ‘I LOVED this. The okra played a huge part of
course but it was also delicate and full of strong flavours – had a nice chilli
bite to it. I could eat a whole bowl of this on its own. Will order over and
over again.
Kaan
says ‘Having a Turkish background I grew up with okra
and I loved the texture and taste. When making okra there is the danger of the
dish becoming slimmy and Aki;s made sure that was not the case with this dish.
This was also my first time having okra in an Indian dish and I was not
disappointed at all. I know it is another vegetarian dish but for a unique
fine-dining experience I would choose this dish any day over the goat curry.
Bron says ‘This dish was tasty. I don’t have Okra often, and
I usually don’t find it tasty, but they made a wonderful dish. Something
unique. Something to cater to the fine-dining experts’.
CHICKEN MADRAS $23
Dels says ‘ Nice dish, great flavours and balanced well.
Didn’t pay much attention to it though because I was too busy trying to eat all
of the prawn curry!
DKay says ‘This was good. My fellow CC’s highly recommend we
try it as when done well it is amazing. Well, it was done very well. Served
with perfect compliments and on a flame so constantly kept warm.’
Kaan
says ‘Out of the all the protein dishes in Aki’s this
was my favourite dish. Aki’s has definitely perfected a classical Indian dish.
It is a must order as a main dish when dinning at Aki’s.’
Bron says ‘This was absolutely delicious. One of the best
madras dishes I have ever had, and well worth the title of ‘special main
course’. I would come back for this dish.’
MADRAS PRAWN VENDAKAI $36
Dels says ‘ This was my second favourite dish of the night.
I could not stop eating this curry, not only was it perfect, but the prawns
were also cooked to perfection. I loved that the chef used fresh prawns in the
curry.
DKay says ‘Good size dish. Prawns were large, cooked
perfectly and fresh. Perfect sauce coated the prawns.’
Kaan
says ‘I enjoyed this dish but it was not a highlight
for me. I personally would
order this dish if I was at a good Indian
restaurant but I felt that Aki has so many other better options.
Bron says ‘Very nicely spiced dish, and the prawns were
massive. I loved the curry sauce of this dish, it was creamy and just enough
spice to taste.’
PESHWARI NAAN BREAD $6
DKay says ‘As I expect naan to be – fluffy and light. Only
had a little bit though – was suffering from food overload.
Kaan
says ‘Just the perfect amount of nuts,YUMMY YUM! Not
the best naan bread I have ever had but it was very close and the portion could
have been bit bigger. However, it will be on my plate again when I visit Aki’s
next time.’
Indian ‘Kulfi’ ice cream laced with cardamom
and pistachios $15
Dels says ‘ Wouldn’t order this again, it was nothing
special
DKay says ‘Good dessert. Though desserts in general aren’t
my preferred course especially with Indian cuisine so can happily skip it
altogether.’
Kaan
says ‘Taste wise it was the perfect Kulfi desert. The
presentation was terrible and for the portion I found it very pricey. I love my
deserts but I would skip this course at Aki’s purely to focus on their amazing
entrees and mains.
Bron says ‘This was a nice dessert too – I would re-order
it. It was very tasty… It is a little pricey for its presentation though.’
Traditional dessert of Semolina cooked with
pineapple, saffron and golden fried cashew $14
Dels says ‘ Great way to finish a delicious meal. A light
dessert and not too sweet.
DKay says ‘Personally not a big fan. Too sweet for me and I
was never a huge fan of stewed fruit.’
Kaan
says ‘A very homely winter desert but yet again the
presentation was terrible and I found it very pricey for a traditional Indian
desert. As I said before I would skip the desert course at Aki’s purely to
focus on their amazing entrees and mains.
Bron says ‘Delicious – I loved this. It was refreshing, and
yet brought that kind of comfort you get from eating an apple pie. I recommend
this desert. I loved it’
VINNOOOOOOOOO
Kaan,
Bron, Dels ordered the following wine:
2011 Gartelmann ‘Benjamin’ Semillon Hunter Valley NSW $39
Dels says ‘This was really good with the spices!’
Kaan
says ‘For an Indian restaurant Aki’s has a very good
selection of wines and this was a perfect wine to wash down all those spices we
enjoyed at Aki’s.
Bron says ‘A nice light white wine. Perfect with a good
curry’
OVERALL TEAM
VIEWSSSS
Dels says ‘ Will definitely be back! Worth every cent.
DKay says ‘Great location, tasty dishes. Interesting dishes
which makes it stand out from other Indian restaurants (and probably reason why
it is hatted). A little pricey but would happily go again.’
Kaan
says ‘Sydney needs Aki’s! Especially, in the
Woolloomooloo wharf. Restaurants like Aki’s provide the diversification in
cuisine that Sydney needs. If you are starting to get bored of the typical
Sydney dining experience, Aki’s is the place to visit to break-up your dining
out experience. They more than deserve their one chef hat. I wouldn’t be
surprised if they eventually push for that second hat. They just need to keep
creating these unique dishes with the traditional origins.
Bron says ‘I love Woolloomooloo wharf, and its restaurants,
while expensive, do provide a wonderful setting for dinner. Aki’s was a good
Indian restaurant to go to, but I’m not sure still about being chef hat
awarded. It’s just that I expected a little more – not that the food wasn’t
amazing, it was. I appreciated it, I just expected a bit more ‘oomph!’ – but
some of my CC members disagree so…’
KAAN WILL SHELVE (i.e. not very good)
1. The service… ten waiters, no
tables, and yet getting their attention was very, very hard.
AND THE RAJ AWARD GOES TO:
Dels says ‘the swimmer crab yum yum yummmm!!!’
DKay says ‘The okra! I could eat that dish daily!’
Kaan
says ‘The crab with the Tamil rice. I could honestly
order a double portion and have this as my main meal. I was blown away by this
dish. I’m going back to Aki’s for this dish very soon!
Bron says ‘The crab – sooooo delicious! And I quite liked
the ambience too ;P Put me at the Woolloomooloo wharf for dinner any day’
Team meets in 2013…
Hint : Old MacDonald
Date we visited Akis: 14 December
2012
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