LOCATIONOn Cleveland Street, between Nickson and Bourke, just minutes from Crown Street.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIASeemingly endless shelves packed full of colourful treats await the sweet-tooth at Maya Tandoori in Surry Hills. Stacked in pyramids, it’s a test of willpower not to succumb to these sugary delights before you’ve eaten your dinner-time vegies. If you can tear your eyes away from the tempting display and towards the dining room, you’ll find walls doused in warm brown and maroon tones and dotted with artworks, and televisions silently playing Indian MTV. The large space, which unfolds into two separate dining rooms, is often packed with families, students and groups. Order and pay at the counter, choose a seat and moments later an aromatic Indian feast will fill the table.
For those wanting to feast on an assortment of Indian flavours, try the Punjab thali, a large, silver platter boasting six small bowls of assorted northern Indian delights. Mop up every last drop with rice, pappadums and chapatis. In the cases of the raita, jalfrezi and sweet pistachio dishes, bowls will certainly be left sparkling clean. The appetite-satisfying dosa, a magnificently large crepe made from rice and lentils, is stuffed with your choice of filling. The vegetarian option, with its combination of beans, peas, cauliflower and tomato, proves a very delicious main. Wash it all down with a lassi or make use of the BYO policy and bring along a bottle. With such an alluring display of desserts, the final course here is mandatory. Almonds, sugar, reduced milk and green cardamom form a delicious almond burfi, or try the sweet gulab jamun, small round balls of dough with green cardamom flavouring. Maya’s sweets are available per person or per kilogram, giving sweet-tooths the chance to savour these delicious morsels long after they’ve left the restaurant.
Lauren Barker