Phone: (07) 3822 9822
Website: www.thespiceavenue.com.au (link doesn't work, checked 2/8/08)
At the time I took these photos, it was the second time I had gone to this place. The vibe of the restaurant is always buzzing, waiters are warm, smiling & friendly (and can actually describe to you what dish is what, often necessary when ordering ethnic dishes) and the food is superb everytime!
From what I hear, Balti is a unique UK-Indian style of cooking. There are only 2 of these restaurants in the world - the UK and strangely - Brisbane, Queensland.
I ordered pappadams and I assume these condiments were the companion: the left green sauce tasted like a cross between a mint/cucumber yoghurt (very refreshing) and on the right, a watery hot-chilli chutney.
Below: The famous Butter Chicken, Balti-Style! This is absolutely awesome, as you can see the colour is slightly less orange compared to most butter chicken dishes abundant at generic Indian eateries - and the key ingredient is that they add ALMONDS (and possibly other goodies). The taste is definitely different, butter chicken plus more! It comes in its unique "wok" so doesn't look like its been poured out of a giant vat out the back somewhere.
You have to order rice and other stuff on the side, but I actually prefer naan bread to go with curries. The rice never seems to do it justice - just absorbs all the liquid and fills up your stomach too quickly!Naan bread (pictured below) here is warm and soft, with a sprinkling of what looks like black sesame seeds (but aren't because the seeds are much more fragrant) throughout the bread. Comes in all varieties - plain (for those who want the focus to be on the main dish, and the naan to be the testing ground), garlic, cheese and other exotic varieties I haven't been able to sample just yet. The naan bread with herbs/cheese/garlic is recommended if you want to eat the bread as a side, or if you want to enhance the flavour experience of the main.
Above: Because the retarded link does not work, I was unable to locate the exact name of the featured dish. This was a smokin' (and spicy) sizzling dish - just as the waiter described as "fantastic presention" because it seemed to capture the attention of onlookers of the tables not-so-far-away. Chicken meat (not dry, very moist), mushrooms, green peppers/capsicum, onion - a stirfy made with chilli/curry powder. Very hot!
This place is suitable for an intimate dinner for two, but also great for larger parties around the 10-person mark. Probably a better experience if you can get more of your friends together and order a whole heap of dishes - to sample everything! Don't be afraid to chat up the waiters and ask them for a recommendation - I haven't had or seen any bad experiences so there is definitely a dish to suit the tastes of the non-spice eater to those with bowels of steel.
