Tarka Indian Eatery Botany — Restaurant in Ōtara-Papatoetoe

After watching a movie, my partner and I went to Tarka for dinner. We ordered one Paneer Angara, which was recommended by the owner or manager (the person who took our order), along with one Lachha Paratha and two Tandoori Rotis.

The food tasted good, but the portion size was extremely small—so much so that it wasn't even enough to finish the third roti. While the flavor was decent, it didn’t justify the high price, the portion size, or the overall ambiance of the restaurant.

If the restaurant is positioning itself as a premium dining experience, the crockery should reflect that. Unfortunately, they are using plastic plates instead of ceramic, which doesn’t match the upscale pricing. Additionally, the Paneer dish had an excessive amount of artificial color, which took away from the presentation and quality one would expect from a premium restaurant.

When compared to other restaurants offering main dishes in the $18–$20 range, Tarka falls short. The food was average at best, the presentation was lacking, and even basic things like cloth napkins were missing.

To be honest, the price, portion size, ambiance, and service all felt very average and didn’t justify the $24.50 price tag for the Paneer dish, $5.50 per roti & $ 7.5 per Lachha Paratha. I wouldn’t visit, consider, or recommend this restaurant at this price point, Quality of food & services.

Moreover, when I shared feedback about the portion size at the billing counter, the staff—either the waiter or cashier—did not even acknowledge it. It felt like they simply didn’t care, which was disappointing. It gives the impression that they’re aware of the issues but are unwilling to address them.

There are many better premium restaurants out there that offer higher quality food without overusing color, more generous portions, and a much better dining...

An afternoons lunch was organised by our social club are Tarka Indian Eatery. The entrance was very welcoming, especially the Tuktuk in front is a fun attraction & focal point for those of us who took pictures & selfie's. The staff were warm & most cordially welcoming & very polite to deal with. The bar is well stocked & superbly decorated & illuminated. Very appealing to one & all. They have a spacious upstairs as well as ground level dining area with an outdoor seating area too. The facilities were well maintained with staff ensuring everything was clean hygienic & spotless. Including the washrooms. The ambience is very nicely & tastefully done without getting too strongly ethnic. We loved the starters & lunch mains as it was a fixed menu for the large group. Their food was fresh, tasty, had good chunks of meats & vegetarian paneer as per choices, it looked appealing & tasted great too. The service, cutlery, crockery, serviets, etc. All flowed smoothly & efficiently, indicating a very good work flow being efficiently orchestrated behind the scenes. Well done to all the staff at Tarka, you have taken great care of all your guests from kids to elders. All areas were adequately comfortable temperature wise & air circulation wise. The washrooms did not run out of anything & overall everyone had a great time. It was a real pleasure to visit Tarka first time & certainly recommend it to all...

We went for a big party it was a gathering of 50+ seemed to have gone well. Great good and hospitality.

Tarka Botany (next to Flatbush) allowed a good DJ program which was attraction of the place and everyone enjoyed there. Staff is also supportive and helps you to manage the arrangements for such a huge crowd gathering. Enough parking area and shops near by to arrange cake(s) for Birthdays and parties. We went in last winters and it had nice arrangement for setting up heated areas in cold weather which made us feel cozy in deep winter times.

We liked the idea of closing at late nights until 11:00 p.m., once can even plan to visit on a working day. Definitely a must to repeat restaurant i.e. Tarka Botany (next to Flatbush) branch and highly recommended to friends.

We ordered ala-carte, specialty item on the menu is Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken and Goat Curry. Buffet system is also good. Sometimes can get busy, always good to ring Tarka staff and book a table to avoid disappointment.

For regular visitors, Tarka should offer some discounts In all overall nice experience and we all loved it ! Keep it up, wish if I could give them 10 stars (double 5...