19 July 2021

Hot in the City: Indian Town opens in Belconnen for dine in and takeaway

| Sophia Brady
Indian Town

Indian Town is now open in Belconnen for dine-in and takeaway. Photo: Facebook.

The colder weather has arrived in Canberra and the dip in temperature means the puffer jackets are out in force across the region.

Coupled with the dizzying evolving COVID-19 situation around the country, and some days I just want to retreat to my home, away from the cold (and the news) and indulge in some comfort. For me, that means throwing on a comfortable pair of slippers, putting on a predictable light-hearted movie and eating something deliciously familiar (that I did not have to cook) that will warm me from the inside.

Newly opened restaurant and bar Indian Town has answered that call.

The eatery, which only opened in June, is the third venture for friends and business partners Sandeep Singh and Ricky Singh. Along with Chef Rajiv Kumar, they are also at the helm of two other popular northside joints, Dawat-e-Punjab in Holt and Indian Pantry in Florey.

Indian Town opened in June

Since opening in June, Indian Town has already hosted many events. Photo: Facebook.

Ricky said Indian Town was opened based on the success of their other two restaurants. Their customers were after the same quality food but in a larger venue capable of holding events. With that in mind, they found their perfect spot, a place in Oatley Court in the heart of Belconnen with capacity for 95 people.

With a smart renovation featuring murals and a fully stocked bar, in the short time since launch, the restaurant has already been booked to capacity for multiple events. But having been through COVID-19 restrictions last year with their other restaurants, Ricky and the team knew the importance of working towards a balancing act of having a business model which included not only dining in but also takeaway and delivery, so they built a website with an online ordering capacity.

Lamb cutlets

The lamb cutlets from Indian Town were a highlight. Photo: Sophia Brady.

There is a lot of temptation on the menu. A big selection of entrees, vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, biryani, dosa, tandoori bread, kebabs and banquet deals. When Ricky mentions butter chicken has been a massive crowd favourite, I settle for revisiting the familiar comfort dish.

For entrée, we had the vegetarian samosa, along with chicken tikka and lamb cutlets. The cutlets were a highlight, still on the bone with just the right amount of fat to keep the meat juicy and tender under the blend of aromatic spices.

It was a feast of butter chicken, lamb korma, palak paneer, naan and rice for mains. It was nice to dive into the rich gravies of all three curries with rice and bread. The firm pieces of cottage cheese in the creamy sauce of the palak panner were a real hit, and I greedily called dibs on any leftovers for the next day … along with the butter chicken. Not usually a dish I would order, it was good to check in on this staple of Australian Indian restaurants and indulge in the generous serving of perfectly cooked boneless tandoori chicken.

Naan

One of the best things about takeaway is that any leftovers are already boxed up and ready to take for lunch the next day. Photo: Sophia Brady.

I am glad I employed my usual strategy of over-ordering when it comes to takeaway because one of the best things about takeaway is that any leftovers are already boxed up and ready to take for lunch the next day.

Indian Town is located at 4/17 Oatley Ct, Belconnen, and is open for dinner seven days a week from 5:00 pm and lunch from Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.

Original Article published by Sophia Brady on The RiotACT.

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