Dinner @ East Bar & Grill

A friend and I caught up for dinner at East Bar & Grill near the Civic bus interchange (Sydney building). I noticed the lunch specials board outside with all options only $9.90. That’s a pretty good deal. East Bar & Grill is an Indian fusion restaurant with your usual curries on the menu. Then you have fusion burgers such as the Tandoori chicken tikka burger or East special lentil burger. They also do classic Aussie food such as chicken schnitty, lamb chops, fish and chips and meat pies.

I had a craving for the butter chicken ($17.90) which came with a serve of rice, naan bread, pappadum and mint chutney. Great value! I asked if I could substitute the rice with a garlic naan and this was fine with the waiter. However, only one plain naan came out so they must’ve forgotten my garlic naan.

The naan and pappadums

There was no mint chutney either but I wasn’t fussed. I hadn’t eaten butter chicken in a long time so this sauce was lovely and I eagerly mopped this up with my naan. I still think Blu Ginger wins in this department though. I found the chicken a little fatty on the edges and there were only five pieces of chicken which I thought was minimal. I was still full towards the end after stealing some of my friend’s naan to fill me up.

My friend ordered the smokey eggplant and potato curry ($17.90) which was the same deal as above. He asked for an additional garlic naan instead of the serve of rice and received his two garlic naans. The curry was a little too spicy for me but I’d happily order the milder version. Love eggplant and potatoes.

The restaurant is very small with only a few tables along the far wall, the rest of the place is filled with bar tables and stools. The bar is a prominent feature towards the front when lit up and there are a few beers on tap.

The front folding doors are opened up to let the cool breeze in and you can sit right up front and watch passerbys (or buses go by).

Service was friendly and we were checked upon a few times to see if we needed drinks or anything else. It was very quiet inside as it was a weeknight. The meals took about 20 minutes to come out. Apart from my not receiving the other naan I’d asked for (not that I could’ve finished it anyway), I had an enjoyable experience here. However, there is tough competition with the likes of Blu Ginger and Flavours of India close by. The $9.90 lunch options sound nice and cheap – I’d try it out if I worked in the city.

Foodgasm 6.5/10