Woodlands

By Franz Scheurer

There are millions of vegetarians in southern India and the vegetarian food in the region has had time to mature and acquire a complexity that is astounding. Woodlands in Liverpool is a vegetarian family restaurant, specialising in South Indian vegetarian cuisine and it’s exceptional! It makes the long trek from the Northern Beaches (and back) worthwhile. They welcome BYO (corkage $1 per person) and value for money is astounding.

The restaurant is quite Asian in its décor and colours. A black and white tiled floor, purple walls, a little altar at the back and some Indian wall hangings (one covering most of the side wall) with bright lighting, café style tables and chairs and a front counter with lots of colourful sweets on display.

The menu is an interesting read and, if I may issue a warning: order less rather than more; the portions are big and the food is filling. I suggest you visit in a group, giving you the chance to try many different dishes.

We ordered the ‘Vada’, two lentil doughnuts, mixed with fresh herbs, deep-fried and served with a superb curry-leaf chutney, a coconut chutney and a sambar (a kind of savoury dhal-based soup/dip). Then we gorged ourselves on ‘Gobi Manchurian’, battered, deep-fried cauliflower, coated with garlic, chillies and fresh coriander leaves. A dish of Chinese origin (according to the menu), it’s bright red, crunchy, sweet and sour and is everything a good Southern fried chicken tries to be but rarely achieves (except without the chicken). A stunning dish and my favourite of the night! We also tried ‘Idli’, two lentil and rice cakes, soft and hot, to dip in the accompanying chutneys, a typical breakfast dish, filling and satisfying. This is where we should have stopped, but..

The ‘Plain Dosa’ and the ‘Paper Masala Dosa’ arrived at the same time. I was under the misapprehension that the Dosa would be considerably thicker than the Paper Dosa, but discovered that the difference is marginal, however the Paper version is a LOT larger. I must say the ‘Paper Masala Dosa’ is an architectural wonder, a visual sculpture of shades and shapes. It is beautiful, crunchy, savoury, slightly smoky and very moreish… mind you, one is enough for four! We also ordered a ‘Rava Dosa’, a semolina pancake with cumin, coriander, onion, coconut and green chillies incorporated into the batter. It’s cooked to a perfect golden brown and has the consistency of spun sugar mixed with fresh sourdough. Amazing!

This is definitely where we should have stopped but…

A huge platter of excellent bread arrived next: ‘Ceylon Paratha’, a layered plain flour bread served with paneer curry (cooked cottage cheese) and a cauliflower korma. Struggling, we then nibbled at a ‘Thali’. This is basically a complete meal for one, served on a platter, comprising many small dishes, from entrée to dessert.

Desserts include the ubiquitous ‘Gulab Jamun’ (rosewater and sugar soaked milk dumplings) and various ‘Kulfi’ (Indian ice cream with a stretchy, gelatinous texture).

Service is friendly, informed and happy to explain the dishes. They did warn us about four times that we ordered too much food, but fools are hard to convince of their own foolishness. Mind you, we did the food justice and were rewarded with enthusiastic handshakes from the kitchen brigade who all came out to look at the strangers that ate enough food for a small country.

This is food that makes a carnivore forget that meat exists. It’s a joy for every palate and I thoroughly recommend that you drive to Liverpool and try it.

Score: 6.5/10

For more information or bookings:

Woodlands Family Restaurant

238 George Street

Liverpool NSW 2170

Tel.: 02 9734 9949