cooking the dishes in pairs is almost as much fun as the eating read more...

nilgiri's is so much more than just a place to eat read more...

I have nine chefs, but my job isn't to teach them how to cook – they know how to do that; it's to give them the freedom to be creative. read more...

The Indian food we tried and cooked during the class was amazing. If we had similar Indian restaurants at home I would be lining up at the entrance to get in. read more...

to encourage us to cook more Indian food at home, last weekend our family took Indian cooking classes. And, where better to learn the art of Indian cuisine in Sydney than at Nilgiri's with Ajoy Joshi read more...

I don't think too many people will disagree with me when I say that the best Indian in Sydney can be found at Nilgiris. Located in St Leonards, Nilgiris is Indian's answer to fine dining. The menu rotates on a monthly basis and offers very unique speciality dishes. There are also a few regular menu items including a dish you absolutely must try - mini masala dosai. If you don't feel like eating something you've never heard of, request an Indian classic. They're not on the menu but the chefs will happily make them for you. read more...

India Cookbook, published by Phaidon Press. Click India Cookbook to read more

2010 Savour Australia Restaurant and Catering NSW Metropolitan Awards for Excellence.

I'm always on the lookout for interesting Indian food and have been a fan of Nilgiris since a good friend put me onto it years ago. This is no ordinary Indian. Click Breadshoes review to read more

The goat curry is heavenly, the meat practically melting off the fine little bones into a yoghurt-thickened gravy laced with nutmeg and ginger........Basmati rice ($3) is as light as wedding confetti and naan ($3) is brought hot, golden, puffy and smoky from the oven....... completely professional, highly satisfying and really good value. Come here for real Indian cooking that has been upgraded by the freshness and quality of its produce and the light hands of the kitchen. Nothing is crude or rough, everything is in balance and the tandoor oven work is particularly sensitive. Hallelujah. I'm thinking Nilgiri's could make even humble pie taste good.

"Outside is a world of dull, grey office blocks, so make your way upstairs to Nilgiri's colourful dining room for a journey to India, through the many flavours and cooking styles of, its multiple regions"

Putting up a modest facade to the unassuming pedestrians of Christie Street, from the outside Nilgiri's could be mistaken for a plain restaurant. It could even be mistaken for a place that doesn't serve some of Sydney's most awarded Indian food.....

However the real cuisine magic happens upstairs......Nilgiri's menu travels to a different part of India every month and excavates the intense cuisines of each region, unearthing little-known secrets. Some dishes, like the masala dosai (rice lentil pancake), never leave while others can be recreated on demand. But my favourite part of Niligri's are the private rooms fashioned to represent the four elements (air, water, earth and fire)

Agnes Gajewska, July 2009

NSW Restaurant & Catering Awards For Excellence 2009