Seriously scrumptious curries! Not sure how I’ve overlooked this cute little restaurant located on Koornang road Carnegie but I can assure you I will soon be a regular here. It’s located between the railway and Dandenong road and while isn’t large does sport a nice number of tables and red leather chairs. Personally I felt a little off balance on those chairs. But don’t let that put you off. My friend and I ordered a saffron rice, a plain nann bread Rogan Josh and a Butter Chicken. For just on $ 30. Good value. Clearly we chose from the Indian part of the menu but there was also a number of Pakistan dishes.(Like I said, I’ll be back to try them). I was recovering from a stomach upset so when asked for my preferred spice level I said really really mild and that’s what I got.(Thanks guys!) The mildness allowed me to better taste the exquisite flavour combination. Wow! I was so impressed. It was a bit sweet which I loved but maybe not everyone would. The service was great. They also do takeaway and they deliver locally. Highly recommend that if you like Indian(and Pakistan) food then give this place a go. You will not be disappointed!
Tony M.
Place rating: 4 Melbourne, Australia
Agree with the only other Unilocal review here, this place has the tastiest curries I’ve ever come across. Succulent, cheap and full of flavour, the naan bread is to die for and the rice is fluffy and saffron hinted. The kids adored their Lahore fish and my wife had goat which she loved. Only issue I had was the staggered service as the kitchen must be small & we had to remind them that we’d ordered rice. Décor not 100% but hey it’s cheap tasty and if you ask you’ll get great stories of being a Pakistani refugee.
Cory B.
Place rating: 5 Vancouver, Canada
BESTPAKISTANI and/or INDIAN in Melbourne! Now that I have your attention, I’ll explain. Sizzler Ji looks like an unassuming restaurant on Koornang Road, the epicurean capital of the SE suburbs in my opinion. I haven’t seen such a highly congested row of restaurants over 500 meters anywhere in Melbourne. Upon walking in, the décor and table setting seems standard for such a restaurant; it’s clean and polite but nothing intimate or overly-decorated with Eastern tapestries or religious icons. Just dark wood furniture with red table mats. Outdoor seating is available, but it’s literally a plain concrete courtyard out the back of the restaurant, where you’re greet by the back of the Woolworth’s parking lot. I’m sure it will expand in time, but at this time of review there’s a plastic table with seating for 4 – 6. I’m also pretty sure there’s one family running the whole operation, from the little girl handing us menus to the mother and son quietly refilling our water glasses. The service is friendly, polite, and prompt without being overbearing. The food is delectable. They are a Pakistani family, but also serve classic Indian dishes as well. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but I’ll list my favorite dishes below: Green Chili Chicken Chicken Karahi Lamb Vindaloo Sindhi Biriyani Butter Chicken (haven’t tried any vegetarian dishes… yet!) Kashmiri Naan(naan made with sultanas and nuts… amazing for spicy food!) The sauces are all incredibly complex and flavourful. The chutney with the BBQ items is TODIEFOR(and secret recipe), and at Sizzler Ji they don’t skimp on the meat compared to the usual Indian joint. Also, the venue is BYOB, but they don’t advertise it. If you bring in a bottle of wine, they provide glasses at no cost. I don’t drink beer, but I find if you bring in 24 beers, it’s pretty uncool. A little gem of a restaurant, and worth the train trip out from the city. It’s literally 50m from the Carnegie station.
