One of Melbourne’s most enduring contemporary Indian restaurants brings a lot more to Flinders Lane than curry. Yes,there’s butter chicken – juicy thighs swimming in terracotta-hued gravy – but the snacks and sides star.
Betel leaves,stuffed with coconut curried prawns and fried in a tempura-like batter,are built for an ice-cold Kingfisher beer. Charcoal-licked octopus arrives on a puree of green apple and almond with G-rated chilli oil.
Things heat up with the streetfood-inspired mushroom chaat. Crisp-fried oyster mushrooms meet luminous mint chutney,sticky tamarind sauce and pops of boondi,the tiny chickpea flour balls.
Spice-friendly wines range from jaunty white grenache to chillable reds. Gulab jamun,deep-fried dough soaked in saffron-scented syrup,is a vibrant two-bite send-off. A laneway location,central open kitchen and views of Flinders Street cement Tonka’s status as a Melbourne must-do.