Manjit's @ the Wharf, King St Wharf, Sydney CBD

Have you headed out to King St Wharf recently? You can never get enough of that waterside view. Matt and I head to Manjit's @ the Wharf this particularly chilly Winter's Sunday. As we walk in, I notice the lights on the ceiling and there's also a nice view of the water. However as it's a bit cold this night, the venue has closed the blinds to protect the customers from the wind. 

Manjit's @ the wharf has a simplified menu which I like. It's an upmarket Indian restaurant with traditional flavours with modern twists. On this particular night I am able to meet Manjit himself. Manjit has been in the industry for a very long time and has deep family roots the originate to the creation of Butter Chicken. How interesting and how proud must his family be! Make sure you ask him if you see Manjit around. 

To start off the night, I order a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon which I figure will have nice acidity to match spicy food while Matt goes for a refreshing beer, the Peroni Gran Riserva Doppio Malto. For those who are driving, take note of the Peroni's high alcohol content.

To start off the meal, Matt and I snack on rolled papadums ($4.5) with accompaniments of flavor chakra ($12) which is the chef's choice of 4 sauces/snacks. I dip the rolled papadum into the Pudina Mint Chutney, Raita Yoghurt, the Imli Tamarind Chutney and spicy mixed pickle. I like the creamy minty flavours and the contrast of the tamarind the most. The spicy mixed pickle was very full on so I didn't go back for more but perhaps you may enjoy it if your palette loves really bold flavours of spicy and pickle.

Matt and I have the Gol Gol Gappa (4pc for $11) which is a contemporary twist on a classic street food delight. It's a crisp pastry filled with spiced chickpea and potato, served with tamarind and amchur caviar.  I love this street food and the liquid which has zesty citrus tones.

Next up is the Crab Utlapam (3pcs, $19) or you can ask for the Vegetarian version. This dish has a rice and lentil pancakes topped with blue swimmer crab, sprinkled with fresh green chilli, coriander, ginger and crunchy yellow spilt pea. I really liked this dish as the savoury rice and lentil pancake absorbs a lot of the bold flavours.  Matt also agrees that he would recommend this dish.

 Next up is the the Fish Malai (2pcs, $16) which is lightly marinated market fish fillets tenderly roasted and served with four signature chutneys of Indian cuisine. This dish is beautifully served up with a series of pattern with a tamarind sauce. The fish is light, flavoursome and very easy to eat.

My favourite entree would be the Banjara Tikka (5pcs, $16) which is Tender grain fed chicken fillet, marinated yoghurt and spices, broiled in the tandoor oven. Finished with puree of cauliflower, fresh lemon and coriander. The smooth puree of the cauliflower just adds a creamy, silky texture to the flavoursome chicken. It's a nice modern touch to the traditional flavours of the tandoor chicken.

Next up is the The Bharrah Kebab (2pcs, $17) Lamb Cutlets marinated in yoghurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice and red spices. These cutlets were flavour central and you could really taste the prominent garlic and ginger spices. To slightly balance these flavours, the kebab is served up with a cool yoghurt.

The Dilbahar Tikki (3pcs, $14) are potato dumplings filled with spices, lentils, beetroot powder, and sweet and sour chilli chutney. The potato dumplings are served up on a colourful square plate and would be best described by Matt as an Indian mildly spiced hash brown. 

The next dish has great theatrical flavour, unfortunately I was quite distracted and forgot to video/take a photo but if you are interested, you can have a look on my instagram for the video. The Baingan Takatak ($22) is a smoke roasted baby eggplant mashed with onion, tomato, chilli, prepared on the traditional "tawa" hotplate. There's a real smokey flavour to the soft baby roasted eggplant. This would be considered their signature dish. It's full of flavour. 

 Murg Mumtaz Begam ($28) popularly known as Butter Chicken. This delicacy is half cooked in the Tandoor and finished in the traditional Indian Wok. This is the best butter chicken I've tasted in Sydney. The smooth flavours are heightened by a nice lapse of spice. The chicken is moist and very much melt in your mouth. Highly recommend.

Manijt is also thinking about putting a giant naan on his menu. I basically fell in love with this table sized naan. I would recommend ordering some naan with your meal. Fluffy, soft and crunch on the edges, perfect for soaking up those flavours. 

The next dish is a perfect example of modern meets traditional flavours. The Dum Ki Biryani ($42) is a specialty from the Moghul days, fragrant basmati rice, pressure cooked in stock with tender chicken thigh fillet, saron, sultanas and nuts. It's also topped with puff pastry!!  The basmati rice is very fragrant and you are encouraged to mix up the the rice with the chicken.

Rasmalai ($21) the signature dessert of milk dumplings, soaked in a saffron and cardamon milk reduction served with ground pistachio was creamy and had a good burst of cardamon flavours. 

My favourite dessert was the Deconstructed Shahi Tookra $21 which is a modern twist on a royal mughai bread pudding with crunchy bread topped with a creamy saffron milk reduction, and dusted with nuts. This dessert is next level tasty and once you pour the saffron milk reduction, your tastebuds will be in heaven.

For a classic dessert, i'd also recommend the Mango Pistachio Kulfi ($11) India's favourite ice cream, a tall spire starting with a sweet mango cream on top with an earthy pistahchio on the bottom. It's a bit of sweetness to finish your meal.

Summary: Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Manjit's at the Wharf. Do not mistake this for your everyday Suburban Indian restaurant, it's more upmarket, modern and full of sophistication. My favourite dishes were the Crab Utlapam, Banjara Tikka and  Murg Mumtaz Begam. For dessert, my favourite was the Deconstructed Shahi Tookra. 

Price: $60-80 per person

Location: 10/49 Lime St, Sydney

Opening Hours: 
Monday to Friday 12pm to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Saturday 5:30pm to 10:30pm
Sunday 12pm to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10:30pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.