Recently opened Garnish of India, overlooking Garema Place, is serving some of Canberra’s best Indian dishes at good value prices.
Located in former site of Canberra City’s Flavours of India, it has a similar décor and feel, but a new menu with great promise.
Service is friendly and efficient and there is a warm generous hospitality that seeks to help diners understand and enjoy regional Indian cusines.

Five dishes, three naan and 4 serves of rice and a raita is more than enough for six mixed sized appetites. Four dishes, 3 naan, 3 rice and a raita would be perfectly sized for 6 medium appetites.

Ask for recommendations/specialities as these are the often best options.

Dishes are listed here in order from best pick:

BEEF HARA MASALA  $16.50

Diced beef cooked to perfection in a spinach based gravy & flavoured with
fenugreek leaves.

MURGH ZAFRANI KORMA  $16.50
Morsels of boneless chicken cooked in cashew gravy & flavoured with cardamoms,
mace & Saffron.

SQUID PEPPER & COCONUT FRY  $18.00
A Speciality from Southern India that has a flavour of coarsely ground pepper, coconut
& fresh curry leaves.

ALOO – GOBHI  $14.00

Flowerets of cauliflower &diced potatoes cooked with onions , tomato, & ginger juliennes.

MEEN VEVICHATHU –FISH (KERALA) $19.00
Fish in red hot chilli curry flavoured with kodampuli (Fish Tamarind) (not great at all, flesh is too firm, lacking flavour and overwhelmed by chilli).

Sides:

The plain ($3) or garlic ($3.50) naan is excellent and the plain rice is probably a better accompaniment than the saffron rice or even the coconut rice.

GARLIC NAAN  $3.50
Indian garlic bread that is baked in Tandoor

2 serves of ZAFRANI PULAO  $3.50 per serve
Steamed basmati rice with saffron in milk & garnished with roasted cumin.

2 serves of SAFED CHAWAL  $3.00 per serve
Steamed plain rice

THENGAI SADHAM (COCONUT RICE) $3.50
Steamed rice mixed with fried grated coconut& garnished with curry leaves &
mustard seeds.

MIXED RAITA  $4.00

Plain yoghurt mixed with cucumber & cumin (good).

Recommendations to try next time include:

…and the samosas looked yummy too!

Corkage is $8 per bottle and a 25% discount is offered to Canberra Entertainment Book holders.

Located near other restaurants on the waterfront in Gungahlin, Thai Herb has a more upmarket setting that is engaging with both indoor and outdoor seating. BYO is very reasonable at $2 per person. Dishes, while tasty and attractive, are not large and difficult to share between more than four or five people. Prices are good, ranging from about $15 to up to $27 for specialities. Rice is $2.50 per serve. Desserts are generous serves and good for sharing – $6.50- $9.50. For a mixed group order one dish and one rice per person. A banquet from $25 per person is also a good option and a 25 % discount is welcome for Canberra Entertainment Book holders. Some the best dishes are: 47. Roasted duck with oyster sauce and steamed Chinese Broccoli $26.50 48. Roasted duck in red curry with lychees, pineapple, tomato and basil $26.50 28. Beef massaman curry $17.50 20.Stir fried chicken with cashews $14.90 the 18. Stir fried prawns (7) with ginger and mushrooms $14.90 while generous with prawns $18.90, was a bit too salty Also recommended is the 17. Beef with Chilli and Basil $14.90 and the other curries and 27. Sushee $17.50 look worth trying too.