Restaurant: Bolliwood Location: 110 Ponsonby Road Ponsonby Auckland New Zealand Web: www.bolliwood.co.nz Phone: +64 9 376 6477 Price Range: Dinner $NZ13-$NZ22 (about $US10-17)

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: February, 2008

Jeff and Randy split: Bhuna (beef), described as Choice of chicken, lamb or beef cooked with mango chutney, garam masala, ginger, garlic and spices; Kadhai Chicken, described as Boneless chicken cooked with capsicum, onion, ginger and garlic, with a touch of coriander, herbs and spices; and Bolliwood Special Nan. Also a side salad.

Rating 10 (of 12) Excellent

Randy says:The first piece of chicken I had wasn't very good in texture or flavor. After that it was fine. The salad was exceptional: beautiful presentation, multiple lettuces with herbs and mint. The beef dish was a little sweet for me, but I assume it's supposed to be, and was still enjoyable. The flavor of the Kadhai sauce was very good, although there were some pockets of extra chili at the bottom. The Bolliwood special naan was good, despite the fact that the chicken it contained looked like minced previous day's leftover tandoori chicken. I asked for some mint chutney for the naan and was brought some creamy, delicious mint raita (for NZ $2.50) that even Jeff liked. It was so tasty I used it on the naan, the rice, and as a dressing for the salad.

Jeff says: Not knowing how New Zealanders customarily take Indian food, and after being told that mild would be totally devoid of heat, we asked for ours medium on the hot and spicy scale. The beef came out with a little too much heat for me, and there were pockets that were extra painful and others that were just right. The chicken wasn't as hot and very flavorful. The beef was sweet as well as hot which made it more complex and interesting. I liked the Bollywood videos projected large onto the wall.