Krishna Pait Pooja,578 Barkly Street, West Footscray. Phone: 9687 5531

Long before there were double-figure Indian eateries in West Footscray, there was Krishna.

As far as I know and can recall, it was the first.

Certainly, it’s been there as long as we’ve been in the west – a duration I can readily ascertain by referring to Bennie’s age (14)!

As the influx of other Indian eateries into West Footscray gathered momentum, Krishna seemed to be neglected – but it kept on keeping on.

Then, about a year ago now I think, it went all-in vegetarian.

This we applaud – any point of difference beyond those surrounding is a Good Thing.

Though a good few of those newcomers – perhaps even all of them – have South Indian options on their menus so the vegetarian thing perhaps is not so starkly different after all.

As well, the non-meat Krishna menu features such things as soy nuggets and tofu, which we are not much interested in eating in an Indian context.

Or, in the case of the soy nuggets, in any context at all!

 

 

Still, we have been to wanting to try meat-free Krishna for a while and the opportunity arises with a rare home delivery on a lazy Saturday night.

What we get, promptly delivered and very reasonably priced, is a good and solid Indian feed with a few bemusing quirks.

The mushroom soup ($5) is not unpleasant but it is quite salty and quite odd tasting – and not particularly of mushrooms.

The raita ($3.50) is a tad too sweet for our tastes but otherwise OK.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our single naan ($1.50) has steamed in its foil wrapping so is floppy and moist.

The mixed pickles ($1.50) are so pungent with mustard oil we don’t even try them.

Mustard oil is one of those things we haven’t found a way to love, despite the amount of Indian food we eat.

But …

 

 

… the dal tadka ($9.95) is fine.

We’ll always order this or an equivalent instead of the creamy richness that is restaurant dal makhani.

 

 

One of the joys of Bennie being a co-blogger for five years is the openness he has developed to trying new things.

Quite often, he’s happily prepared to go where his dad demures.

One of things he has grown to like is eggplant – so we’re happy to give baingan bhaji ($9.50) a go.

As it turns out, this as much capsicum, onion and peas as it is eggplant.

And quite oily, too, though not unforgivably so.

But it IS an enjoyable curry of the dry style nevertheless.