I've only been to one Indian restaurant before and that is Neelam in Parramatta which I have found to be quite good but I wanted to explore other options and happened to read about Harris Park which is Sydney's "Little India". That being the case, deciding on which Indian restaurant to go to when you're in Harris Park is a challenge in itself. It was my first time to visit the area so I did some research beforehand and eventually narrowed down on Ginger Indian Restaurant which specialises in North Indian Mughlai cuisine.

A humid day warranted a nice cold drink. Mango lassi was my choice and it is essentially a mango milkshake but yoghurt is substituted for ice cream. It was super thick and creamy and was sweet from the mango and tart from the yoghurt.

Imagine going to an Indian restaurant and not ordering naan, just the very thought is preposterous. While you can get ordinary plain naan when you have the option of having the cheese or garlic variation it is difficult to resist and that was exactly what we ordered, no surprise there. There is even a cheese and garlic naan so if you could only pick one then I think that would be an obvious choice.

The unleavened flat bread was so wonderfully soft and warm and the melted cheese inside added a delectable chewy texture. Easily enjoyed on its own but my favourite way to eat it would definitely be dousing it in some yummy curry. 

Compared to the cheese naan the garlic naan was more aromatic due to being topped with finely grated garlic and the absence of cheese meant that the flat bread had some defined layers and a more crisp and charred exterior. 

In an attempt to deviate from the usual butter chicken we opted for the tikka which according to the menu is a Westernised dish and I've discovered that it is hugely popular in the UK. The curry, cooked in tandoor was deliciously rich and creamy with a hint of masala to add some spiciness and was perfectly balanced out with naan or rice. The chunks of chicken were also very tender and flavourful and topped with thinly sliced almonds. As for portion size it was large enough to share between two people.

The waitress recommended a North Indian non-vegetarian curry which DT and I absolutely loved. Consisting of juicy button mushrooms cooked in a tomato-based gravy with onions it was actually quite a healthy dish now that I look back on it and despite its colour it wasn't spicy at all. The redness only comes from the tomatoes. An excellent side dish and not as rich as the chicken tikka masala which was great. Taking the ingredients into consideration though I did think the price was a bit much. 

You can't have curry without rice, not me anyway. Plain white rice pairs beautifully with thick and rich Indian curries which would be difficult to eat by themselves. I also really like that basmati rice doesn't seem to be as filling as medium grain rice which inevitably results in me eating more than I should.

While the whole street is lined with Indian restaurants, you can't miss this particular place with its vivid blue signage and the chilli pepper for the letter "I". And what you'll immediately notice about all the Indian restaurants in the area is that they all occupy former residential spaces so you'll definitely feel right at home inside. Overall, DT and I had the pleasure to enjoy excellent food at Ginger Indian Restaurant which came out in a timely manner and the service was simply really lovely and prompt.