Melbourne Food Review: Punjab Cafe, Clayton

Just when you think life works out when you get a brand new shiny computer (well, we put it in the old case, so really, it doesn’t look any different) and blogging is now going to be much easier, I realised that Windows 7 is really not interested in talking to Josh’s old card reader. Yep. It’s that old. So anyway, that’s not the excuse why I’m behind. The excuse of why I’m behind is:

IwasoverseasIwaslazyIstartedanewjobIwaslazyIwassickIwaslazyIwaslazyIwaslazyIwaslazy

The card reader being ignored is but one of the problems actually but the good thing is I now only have the old materials I should have blogged about ages ago. So catch up blogging it is.

We discovered Punjab Cafe quite recently (well, when I took these photos, we discovered it recently then) and it has become one of our favourite Indian takeaway in addition to Moza Corner which is just down the road. Josh actually works in Clayton, which is how we become in love with that strip of Indian heaven near the Clayton station even though it’s nowhere near where we live. And we have had the takeaways in on Friday night on a few occasions since.

But let’s go back to that fateful day when we first went there for lunch. I had ordered an onion bhaji because I was hungry (and greedy) and couldn’t wait for the food. It was from the bain marie so it was slightly on the warm (rather than hot) side but it was intensely spicy and onion with crunchy outside. Pass with a flying colour.

Josh had decided on the lunch special ($7?) which was any curry of your choice with rice, naan, pappadum and raita. He decided on the lamb curry which came with the option of mild, medium or hot. Josh was not the one to back down on spice so he went for hot which seemed to make the lady very happy. The lamb was beautifully tender and the curry intensely spicy and flavourful. So very good.

I went for the goat biryani* and was also given the option of mild, medium or hot. Hot of course! I’m Thai! Again, that great, spicy, ass-kicking flavour made it one of the best biryani ever. Loved it.

Just to seal the deal, I ordered a serve of garlic naan. From my experience, when a naan is freshly made, nothing can go wrong with it. This was one of those. So soft, and warm and butter and garlicky. Oh yeah.

So while its sparse, cafeteria-style dining room doesn’t make it ideal for a night out, the food was just awesome enough to make up for it. We have also had mushrooms jalfrezia and other biryani from there which I can also strongly recommend. Especially on a quiet Friday night in. With an action movie. And some beer. In fact, make that lots of beer.

Bliss.

Punjab Cafe
Address: 143 Carinish Rd, Clayton VIC 3168
Phone: (03) 9544 4218