Overview: Indian Room (I.R.) is a new Indian restaurant located in the heart of West End's dining and entertainment precinct. It's situated at the busy intersection of Melbourne, Boundary, Mollison, and Browning Streets.

Food: My wife and I dined at I.R. on a Sunday night in August and ordered a selection of dishes. We started with papadums and mint chutney, followed by samosas with tamarind chutney, lamb saag, and amritsari fish. We also had naan bread and a large bowl of Basmati rice, and to drink, a couple of Kingfisher Ales and a mango lassi. We were impressed with the freshness and taste of the food. The samosas had a soft filling and a crispy coating, while the fish was succulent and tender. The standout dish was the lamb saag, with tender meat cubes in a creamy spinach sauce. The naan bread and fluffy basmati rice were perfect accompaniments. The presentation was neat and attention to detail was evident. We finished with a delicious gulab jamun dessert, served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Service: Despite the restaurant being busy, the service was flawless. The friendly owner/manager made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived, and our booked table was ready and waiting for us. Orders were taken quickly, and drinks, entrees, and main courses came out in the correct order. Both the owner and his assistant were polite, efficient, and pleasant, and our evening ran smoothly without any hitches.

Atmosphere: When we arrived at around 6:30 pm, the restaurant was fairly empty, but it soon filled up, giving it a lively, fun, and energetic vibe. The interior design is modern and stylish, with brown, yellow, and white colour tones, comfortable upholstered seating, and large tables. It's spacious and airy, making for good acoustics, and most tables have a view out onto the bustling streetscape of the West End. The overall ambience is casual, laid back, and relaxed, making it a perfect place to enjoy a fun night out with friends or family.

Cost: Our bill came to $106, which included a couple of drinks, a starter, two main courses, rice, naan bread, papadums, a few sauce bowls, and a gulab jamun dessert. We booked through the Eat Club and saved about 19%, bringing the bill down to a more reasonable $86. While that may seem high due to hyperinflation, we still found it to be fair value for the quality of food and service.

Toilets: There are no toilets in the restaurant itself, so you need to grab a key from the manager and head outside to the adjacent apartment complex, where you will find a couple of toilets in the car park. While it may sound inconvenient, the toilets were relatively easy to find and reasonably clean and well-maintained.

Parking: Parking can be a bit tricky in this area, but we usually head straight for the nearby Soda Factory car park, where you can get two hours free and even after that, it's quite reasonable at about $3 per hour. Street parking near the Hotel West End is sometimes available.

Summary: Overall, we had a fabulous evening at I.R., and everything ran smoothly from booking and paying via the Eat Club app, to ordering, food quality, service, and ambience. Toilets and parking can be a bit of a challenge, but they are not insurmountable obstacles, and we're definitely up for a return visit.