Lal Qila Restaurant

Matching our lockdown takeaway eating to items we can’t cook at home, we hit up Lal Qila in Surry Hills. This Pakistani restaurant, which has a second, fancier-looking restaurant in Darling Harbour, makes great use of the tandoor. Plucked from an extensive menu, Naramdil Galafi Seekh ($17.90) are spicy minced chicken kebabs served on a simple selection of cooling salad with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Aftabi Tandoori Phool ($16.90) gives tender florets of charred, golden-hued cauliflower flavoured with garlic, ginger and spices. From the range of tandoor-cooked chicken dishes we opted for the Pakistani favourite, Murgh-e- Musalam ($20.90), where yoghurt, vinegar and spices gave an almost creamy surface that contrasted well with the chook’s charred edges. Cooked on the side of the cylindrical oven, the fluffy garlic cheese naan ($5.90) here is a contender for Sydney’s best. Khumb Pulao ($7.90) and Zafrani Mater Pulao ($7.90) are simple rice dishes, respectively dotted with mushrooms and garden peas. We saved the bulk of them to freeze for a curry night later in the week. A generous Shouq-e-Nawab (BBQ Biryani) ($24.90) rounded out our meal. Well-separated long-grain Basmati rice coloured with saffron hides plentiful hunks of tandoor-cooked chicken. We tried it for dinner but kept the bulk of this spicy rice dish for lunch the next day, with an accompanying cooling, home-made mint raita. Not a bad outcome for a takeaway meal for two that cost fewer than a hundred bucks.

This place has the best Pakistani and Indian food I have ever had! The menu is big with many choices (everything I have tried I have loved so it is hard to decide what to eat!) I have been to this restaurant I think around 10 times and every single time I enjoy myself there. The staff are always lovely and attentive and the owner is a great guy! He works on the floor speaking to customers and advising food choices haha