Spice Durbar — Restaurant in Sydney

Highly recommended – Eat-in or takeaway – Licenced.

The Spice Durbar is the old Resunga Indian Curry Restaurant & Bar under new management.

Sandwiched awkwardly between a café and a swimming pool shop on Mona Vale Rd in St Ives, on the face of it the Spice Durbar appears to be a simple Indian takeaway with a bain-marie in front. But take the time to step behind the takeaway area and you enter the newly renovated Spice Durbar Indian and Nepalese cuisine restaurant and bar! Seating for ~50 people and ample parking in the area.

The Resunga has recently changed management and rebranded as the Spice Durbar. They have renovated to lighten the interior and removed the semi-transparent picture on the main windows which prevented people outside from seeing the interior. The result is an airy, minimalist decorated restaurant with a top-notch menu!

As the new management is from Nepal, the Spice Durbar is putting the emphasis on Nepalese dishes so while it has all the standard Indian favourites such as Palak Paneer and Bombay Beef (medium or hot) it also has a section of Nepali Specials: Vegetarian or Chicken Momo (steamed dumplings); Vegetarian or Chicken Chowmein; Chicken Chilli; Chicken Choila and Chicken Sekuwa (boneless chicken marinated in Nepalese spices served with beaten rice and Nepalese pickle).

The bar from the old Resunga remains and has a good range of spirits as well as two beers on tap. As we were visiting as too early for spirits we stuck with the tap beers, being a Cernovar dark lager with coffee and caramel tastes and a light, euro-style life-saver which was neither too hoppy nor too fruity. Both matched the food very well.

We had the Chicken Biryani (as they were out of goat when we were there), the Masala Baingain and from the Nepali specials, the Chicken Sekuwa. We also had rice, Naan and the standard papadums with pickle. The Biryani was excellent and the ‘medium’ spice level was hot enough to be flavoursome but not so much as to be difficult to eat. Biryani is a typically dry, baked-rice dish. We knew what to expect with this dish and we were well pleased.

We also hugely enjoyed the Masala Baingain which is eggplant cooked with onion, capsicum and spices. The eggplant was cubed, cooked and was moist and delicious! It had a rich sauce from the vegetables but not a creamy sauce as you often find with curries.

The surprise delight was the Chicken Sekuwa, however. We didn’t know what to expect from Nepali cooking and the other menu items made it look like a blend of Chinese and Indian (understandable given the country’s location). The spices on the chicken were mild and it had been baked on a skewer, I think in a tandoor, which gave it an additional element. The beaten rice was a little like eating spicy rice bubbles, but flatter and not sweet. Think of each grain being flattened and then baked. The staff at Spice Durbar were very friendly and attentive but didn’t hover while we were trying to eat which was nice.

The young lady who served us recommended the Chicken Momo and said she would eat it all the time, anytime! We’d already ordered by then but we’ll certainly be going back to Spice Durbar to...

the dude doing service is super nice - portions won’t be as big as the typical indian franchises. it seems the more authentic places have this serving size

quite frankly you could literally order anything and it would probably be good. one thing to note is they have a lot of goat which isn’t common in sydney i don’t think

the menu has enough range so the options aren’t boring but everything is done well - no weaknesses in the menu

they have a takeout option which seems to be really popular based on the amount of people coming to get their order

expect this place to blow up really soon. the reviews aren’t lying this restaurant is the real deal. in my opinion you really should come here before it gets really packed, with the slowing down of food fuzion in artarmon this place could be...

We had the opportunity to try their non-veg thali, dal makhani, palak paneer, butter naan, and green salad, and everything was absolutely delightful. This cozy joint, run by a warm and friendly couple, stands out for its authentic flavors and exceptional hospitality.

Krishan, the owner and chef, is not only an excellent cook but also a wonderful host. The food was incredibly flavorful, with a good variety of curries and naan bread that was perfectly soft and fresh.

We requested some fresh chilies, and they happily obliged, going above and beyond to ensure the food was tailored to our liking. They offer set meals and thali options, making it a perfect choice for anyone craving wholesome, delicious Indian food.

It was truly a 5/5 experience, and we can't recommend this...