Charminar is an Indian restaurant chain that consists of 7 stores across the city. After reading not so flattering reviews about this particular store location, I was a bit hesitant about coming here. Located on Anzac Highway, this store is located in a nice secluded location where there is plenty of parking on the side streets. The store itself is decorated quite nicely with many traditional elements. I really like their glossy timber tables and the use of browns in their decor. The dim lighting really sets the mood for an intimate occasion.

Tonight, several curries were ordered as well as Chicken Tikka, a serve of Rice and Naan Bread. The dishes came out within 10 minutes of ordering and everything arrived at the same time.

BUTTER CHICKEN – Not the best Butter Chicken I’ve ever had. The dish was really sweet like a chicken jerky. They really skimped on the chicken as the meat was shredded to give it more volume.

BEEF KORMA – Beef was lean, tender and well marinated. Flavour was nice. Could have done with a bit more salt.

NAVRATAN KORMA – A nice vegetable curry. It was the first time I had curried broccoli. The curry flavour was subtle, but a nice dish none the less.

CHICKEN TIKKA – Chicken was well marinated and perfectly cooked. Meat was tender and succulent. Flavour was well balanced. Chicken thigh was used which is more tastier than breast meat.

RICE – Perfectly cooked rice with firm individual grains. The variation in grain colour was beautiful. Rice amount was generous, and the rice to curry ratio was spot on.

NAAN BREAD – Nice freshly cooked naan bread brought straight to the table. Bread was adequately puffy and slightly browned on each side.

I didn’t think the service here was too bad. The waitress serving me looked like she would rather be somewhere else, but other than that, the service was fast and efficient. Water was brought to the table promptly, my plates were cleared as soon as I had finished and they even asked how my meal was.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed and the meal was OK. The pricing is on par with other Indian restaurants. Not the best Indian food I’ve ever had, but not the worst either.

WHERE: 235 Anzac Highway, Plympton