Restaurant Review: Indian Star

CONSISTENTLY CLASSY: Rotorua's multiple award winning Indian Star Restaurant on Eat Streat. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER 291014AW03

From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave you feel like the most important person in the place.

So, it's no wonder that the restaurant is the most awarded eatery in the city.

Owned by Ray Singh, Indian Star won the Outstanding Restaurant & Outstanding Chef awards in the 2012 Rotorua Hospitality Awards.

The next year it picked up the Rotorua Hospitality Awards Outstanding Takeaway Restaurant award and the Rotorua Business Excellence Awards Customer Service award. It also won the People's Choice award at the Rotorua Hospitality Awards.

Ray sets a great example for others in the industry when it comes to personal service and attention to detail - he asks it of his staff as well - and it shows.

Once you've eaten there a couple of times I can guarantee he'll remember your name.

The food: The hardest part of any meal at Indian Star is choosing what you want to eat. I'm a chicken tikka masala fan but also enjoy its saag chicken (with spinach) and seriously tender and succulent lamb balti. It also has a great range of more traditional vegetarian dishes including chana masala (with chickpeas) and dal moong (with lentils).

When I've got an appetite I can't go past its fabulous seekh kebab or vegetable samosa entrees.

Ask the staff for banquet options and don't be scared to try something a bit more exciting than a plain old butter chicken, even though I've been told it's also fantastic.

You won't be leaving hungry.

The service is, in a word, superb.

A big shout-out has to go to award-winning waiter and duty manager Jassi. The man certainly knows his beers. The staff are very well trained, and present themselves well. They are never far away from your table and nothing is too much of an effort.

The prices are reasonable. If you are enjoying a full banquet or a meal for two you can be sure you won't be breaking the bank. The most expensive items are the fresh prawn dishes costing up to $21.90. Entrees cost between $6 and $17. Full banquets cost between $28 and $32 per person.

Overall it's an excellent dining experience made even better by great staff and reasonable prices. It has a fully-licensed bar and is also BYO.

Try its Kingfisher or Croucher pilsner on tap or try one of their great Kiwi and Australian wines. You also get a 10 per cent discount off all meals if you take away.