Oh! Calcutta!

Ph: (02) 9360 3650; 251 Victoria St, DARLINGHURST 2010 www.ohcalcutta.com.au

Indian, $$ -, ** for Ambience
Open: Dinner Mon-Sat 6pm-midnight; Licensed, Corkage corkage $5 person; Cards AE MC V, Seats inside 60, Seats outside Outside, Private rooms private room, Kids welcomed
Chef (Sonia Kayani, 2007-11-3) Owner (Basil Daniell, 2007-11-3)

Mietta's Review
The proprietors refer to the food here as "modern subcontinent", with influences from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, what is really served is fundamental Sydney Indian, albeit with a far subtler hand than almost any other restaurant in town. A trendy re-fit last year warmed the space up. Service is efficient, if occasionally curt. Justifiably popular.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14/20 "A spice-inspired colour scheme and decorative Moorish screens give this compact twostorey space a warm sophistication"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "In the edgier part of town, you'll find Oh Calcutta serving Sydneysiders exciting mod-Indian food in a suitably designer dining room"

Sydney Eats 2008 "This trail-blazing restaurant has been dishing up modern Indian food with finesse in a slick bistro setting for nearly 20 years now"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "lain Halliday-designed interior (tick), black-clad waitstaff (tick), funky locale (tick), cruisy lounge tunes (tick). Sounds like just another inner-city restaurant, right? It's not. Omnipresent owner/ chef and all round bon viveur Basil Daniell has gone thoroughly modern and Moorish on us, using the uber-stylish space to showcase his contemporary Indian cuisine (with influences from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan too)."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide "The smart chocolate-coloured dining room has been packed for 18 years now, with Basil Daniell everywhere at once, entertaining diners with his banter and guiding them on a culinaryjourney through the ever-changing menu."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "Under the designer gloss. Oh! Calcutta! is a bit of a Victoria Street warhorse. It has kept the denizens of Darlinghurst enthralled for some 15 years now with its sexier-than-your-average Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi-style dishes, and the promise of a sophisticated night out that won't cost a million bucks."

Sydney Eats 2006 "Owner Basil Daniell has been in the game for 10 years and his restaurant still sets the benchmark when it comes to innovative, upmarket Indian food. Thanks to regular travels, you will also find influences from both Pakistan and Afghanistan."

SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2005 " 'The look of the restaurant is a beautiful fusion of modern meets traditional,' says former colleague Liz Deep-Jones, a big fan of the food offered here by chef Louise Harper and the ever-charming Basil Daniell. 'They're never afraid to try something new'."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 14/20 Good Vegetarian Options "Contemporary Indian flavours consistently delight, while the boundless, sometimes excessive exuberance of host Basil Daniell is unrivalled. The upstairs! downstairs designer space is pristine with calming hues, white tablecloths and smart grey chairs. Mostly, despite the crush, the mood is goodhumoured, even newcomers made to feel like a welcome addition to Daniell's private dinner party."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 "Enter Basil Daniell's chic Indian temple which features an elegant seasonal menu with its modern Sydney take on some classic regional dishes of the subcontinent, leaning towards West Pakistan and Afghanistan."

Sydney Eats 2005 "The servings at this legendary upmarket Indian are scandalously small, and service can go from very friendly to very not, but damn the food is good! Sleek upstairs-downstairs dining rooms are always jam-packed"

SMH GFG 2004,Score 14/20,'Oh! Calcutta! is as full as ever...The dishes on offer are more delicate than your average Indian,enhanced by excellent ingrediants and a light and knowledgeable touch in the kitchen...The room is still designer slick and contemporary and the food good,but the service can be inattentive and not as knowledgable as it should be.There is no doubt,though,that Oh! Calcutta! remains one of the best Indian restaurants in Sydney.'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide 2004, Good vegeatarian options,'Serving well-crafted Indian food that borrows from Pakistan, Afghanistan and the varied food styles of the subcontinent..Meat, seafood and vegetairan dishes showcase wonderful spices and textures, while specialities make the most of local produce...friendly wait staff'

Sydney morning Herald, Good Eating, Matthew Evans, 10/9/02, Score 14/20. "Sydneys best Indian Rest. plays safely with spices, serving a wide range of hits."

SMH 3/10/2000 Terry Durack review filed

Good Living, SMH, 7.3.00, with one or two exceptions indian rstaurants aren't usually renowned for their design (unless you've got an eye for patterened curry stains ont he carpet), so its pleasing to see Good Food Guide insian restaurant of the year is getting the old iain halliday modernist scrub., the restaurant closes for four weeks from 13 march, reopening with a terrao floor and accoustic screens emblazoned with islamic motifs. and the colour scheme? spicy of course!