Tantra Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

Seriously Disappointed Again.

Thought of giving them another chance, but one place for sure I am not going back.

For the price they charge, really not worth it.

Going dish by dish

Onion Pakora - There should be more onions and less besan. This is more like an onion tikka.

Palak aur Moti Ki Seekh - It was no where close to a seekh. It was a tikki again and really oily.

Chicken Reshmi Kebab - Not all soft as it is supposed to be. It should contain fat to make it soft and herbs and spices like coriander, saunf maybe some finely chopped onions, cream cheese and cream.

Goat Masala - Nowhere close to a goat Masala, was more like Kadhai Goat. The goat was also was not tender thready, and felt more like lamb.

Roomali Roti - Okay but could be thinner.

Gulab Jamun - the saving grace. Not too sweet and right balance.

But seriously not going to order again.

First Time

Seriously Disappointed.

After reading reviews through various social media websites, decided to order through uber eats and was looking forward to a sumptuous meal but seriously Disappointed.

Please do note that their portion sizes are generous though.

Murgh Kalimirich Tikka - (Ideally succulent boneless chicken pieces with a creamy and highly peppery flavour cooked in tandoor which should slightly hit the back of your throat). Coming to the tikka that was served, it lacked flavour of pepper, there was no seasoning as well. The chicken was not completely finished in the tandoor, rather half done in the tandoor and then tossed in a pan with cream and lots of kasturi methi. It was more like murgh kasturi methi rather than murgh Kali mirch tikka. No clue what was sinfully peppery as their menu states. On a plus the chicken was soft, thats all.

Roomali Roti - (Ideally a very thin and large roti made from plain refined flour, feels like a handkerchief when you hold it in your hand). For almost $8 this is a serious rip off and not worth it. A. The roomali roti is clearly half the size of what it should actually be. (The size what they serve is more like a Western India Chapatti). B. It was not made with plain refined flour. C. The roti which I got was undercooked.

Chicken Biryani - No where close to delicately spiced, and you should stop calling it a biryani and call it a pulao if your going to mix everything together and not layer it. Also one can clearly make out that the biryani was tossed in a pan and then served.

Rather than having 100's of dishes with fancy names and not doing justice to any, it would be better to have a few dishes but make them...

We came with the family for Diwali dinner and while it was still utterly delicious I did feel quite sick after which was definitely not ideal. I’m not sure it will put me off a return visit however as I’m just addicted to their curries

Recent We took a fresh round of friends to Tantra for double date night introducing them to the delicious delights that is the butter chicken perfection. It's a relatively small place run by a husband and wife team so make sure you book to avoid disappointment. Like I know things always have that disclaimer 'book early to avoid disappointment' and they are often in in no danger of booking out but seriously in this instance I implore you, BOOK. Other than that sit back relax and enjoy

Further Update We visited for a double date night recently to show our friends how much we adore this place as their favourite local Indian has recently closed down. They actually still preferred their local but I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.

This remains the best Indian restaurant in Melbourne in my opinion (and my opinion is backed by extensive tasting research). The flavours in their curries are simply second to none and we are yet to try a dish we don’t love

UPDATE We were back at Tantra this week for a family birthday and I’m pleased to report it’s as fabulous as ever. My beloved butter chicken is still hands down the best in Melbourne and on this occasion I also tried the amritsiri fish and the malai kofta which were both very yummy. Simply outstanding overall

Original review First up lets talk numbers. I've lost count of the amount of times I've been here. It's probably the same amount of times I've ordered takeaway from here. I've brought four different groups of friends here. I've been given complimentary delicious desserts at least three times. And I've arrived twice without a reservation and been turned away (😭😭).

The butter chicken is probably my favourite in all of Melbourne. I'm talking basically scraping the bottom of the bowl so I consume every last drop of that phenomenal sauce. And the tandoori chicken is a strong contender for the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. Just...

We ordered via Ubereats at 7.20pm and it was meant to arrive at 8.15pm. At 8.10pm the order got delayed a few times and once it hit 9.20pm I decided to call Tantra and ask why my order has taken so long. They stated the Uber driver had our order and was delivering it. As soon as the phone call ended my order was cancelled. We called them straight back and they said it was the Uber drivers fault. Stating this always happens and at times they took the food and cancelled the order. Then she told us to either come in and pick it up or to re-order the meal on Ubereats and it won’t take long at all since it’s already made. I decided to drive to the restaurant since I live less than 5 minutes away also because of the fact we had already been waiting over 2 hours and we were starving by this point. We arrived no less than 5 mins and she looked confused and as makes what my name was and reconfirmed my order. She then woke to the chef and asked me to wait 5 minutes. At this point i was done waiting and stated that fact! They then wanted to blame the Uber driver once again when it was quite obvious they had over estimated themselves and had taken too many orders and could not keep up with all of them.

Unfortunately for them, they have now lost a valuable customer. I will no longer order from them. It was quite disappointing as I received no apology I just felt as though they were playing the blame game.

A very...