270 Morphett Steet
Adelaide SA
http://www.britishindia.net.au/
After months of reading reviews and trying to find time to go , I finally found the night for British India! It was a very busy weekend in Adelaide. The V8s were in town, and it was the last weekend of the Fringe. After a fantastic comedy show, we hiked down Gouger street for a late dinner. With the weekend so busy, it was not a huge surprise that our table wasn't ready when we arrived. We were seated outside to wait, and eventually asked if we wanted a drink while we did so. By the time the drinks came, we were ushered inside to our table.There is nothing usual about the decor of British India, animal heads and portraits of kings adorne the walls, with the unique touch of delicate tea settings as lamp shades. Bizarre... yet really comfortable and appropriate!
Somehow I didn't find the taxidermied heads offensive of all. They seemed to blend in well with the dark wooden tables and high ceiling. 
It was so difficult to choose what to eat. Unique combinations and so many things I hadn't tried before made for a very tough time to make a decision!
We started with a selection of relishes served with naan breads ($9). We were so hungry I think we would have appreciated more of everything .. more bread more dips... 
I finally chose two entrees (which apparentely is what I ALWAYS do?!) settling firstly on the Kedergee. I had read a couple reviews of this dish, and was interested to try it. I had never tried, although had heard of kedergee so decided it was a must on this evening. Kedergee is slow cooked spicy rice and in this case, was accompanied with seared prawns and scallops, and finished with sour cream and dill. ($12). There was heaps of flavour in this dish, a soft peppery finish gave it the bite it needed. I really enjoyed it, despite not being the usual sort of thing I would order. The seafood was fresh in particular the scallops were sweet and juicy.
I followed the kedgeree with the Tandoori Quail. It was served on broken wheat porridge with saffron sauce ($10) and was magnificent! Wonderful flavour and cooked to perfection, I loved this dish! So reasonably priced too.
We ordered mango chutney and raita for condiments of course. We recieved a huge amount of raita, and a tiny bowl of mango chutney. Much to our disappointment, the chutney consisted of one big chunk of mango in a small dish! Not really enough for four hungry people drinking wine late at night!
Fellow diners ordered a curry and the duck dish, both with nods of approval. The only complaint I got was the duck was slightly over-cooked, making it a bit too dry. 
The wine list was great, and our beautiful New Zealand Mansion House Bay Sauv Blanc ($30) was crisp and wonderful on the warm evening. As you would expect, there are a number of different gins to choose from, and I will definately experiment with those next time.
There WILL be another visit to British India as I must try the braised beef with rhubarb. What a unique combination! Also will have to try the Thali room too.....
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