Melbourne has quite a broad choice of restaurants when it comes down to Indian cuisine, with many well established restaurants already in place. However, with the shift in trend towards a more South-East Asian influenced fusion and hawker style experience, there has been a decline in new Indian restaurants opening in Melbourne. Jai Ho is one of these aforementioned established names in the Indian dining scene, with three locations, including Hoppers Crossing, Berwick and Richmond.
Chicken tikka and fish amritsari
The chicken tikka and fish amritsari were the first of the dishes we sampled in our visit to Jai Ho. While the chicken tikka was a solid dish, we were more impressed by the fish amritsari. The fish itself was quite tender and still moist, while the spiced chickpea flour that they were coated with accentuated the fish with a little kick.
Vegetable samosas
Lamb rahara
Dal balti
The dal balti was one of the vegetarian dishes as well as one of my favourite parts of the meal. The spices used in the dal balti were lighter and more balanced, which worked well with the lentil based dish, as opposed to a dish like the lamb rahara, where a stronger flavour profile would be more suitable, as the distinctive flavour of lamb can sometimes be a little too strong.
Butter chicken
Mushroom pulao
The mushroom pulao did not look very impressive when it arrived, however looks can be deceiving as the rice dish was one of the highlights of the meal. The best thing about the mushroom pulao was that the dish was great at doing exactly what a side dish should do, providing a base for and helping to accentuate the main dishes of a meal.
Garlic naan
Pistachio kulfi
The pistachio kulfi was one of the few disappointing points of the meal, which is a shame, because it was the last thing that we tried. Although our main problem with the dessert was the strong flavour of the spices which overpowered the pistachio, the texture and mouthfeel of the dish was also a little unpleasant, which is unfortunate as the rest of the meal was quite enjoyable.
If you are a fan of Indian food, I would definitely give Jai Ho a go, they have three different locations around Melbourne so there is bound to be a location that is convenient. With so many new restaurants popping up and introducing new flavours and styles of cooking, sometimes it is better to go back to something more traditional.
We were invited by and dined courtesy of Jai Ho
If you are a fan of Indian food, I would definitely give Jai Ho a go, they have three different locations around Melbourne so there is bound to be a location that is convenient. With so many new restaurants popping up and introducing new flavours and styles of cooking, sometimes it is better to go back to something more traditional.
We were invited by and dined courtesy of Jai Ho
Food Rating 7.5/10
Overall Rating 7.5/10