Butter chicken
$30Tandoor chicken, tomato and fenugreek gravy.
GF
Contemporary Indian dining, Wellington
India is not one cuisine. Neither are we.
Punjabi tandoor, Goan coasts and Delhi street chaat, cooked with spices ground every morning in Mount Victoria.
We cook India the way it actually eats, one region at a time. The spices are ground here every morning and the tandoor is lit by four, because the best of this food cannot be hurried.
Three kitchens under one roof
India is not one cuisine, so our menu is not one note. It travels from the tandoors of the north to the coconut coast and the street stalls of the capital.
The north
Punjab
Tandoor and slow gravies. The clay oven runs hot from four each afternoon for the tikka, the naan and the rogan josh.
The coast
Goa
Coconut, tamarind and kokum. Bright, sour seafood curries built on whatever the boats land that morning.
The streets
Delhi
Chaat, the loud and joyful end of the menu. Crisp, sweet, sour and hot at once, meant to be eaten with your hands.
The menu
Built for sharing and sent out as it is ready. Order a few plates across the table, or let the kitchen feed you. Prices in NZD.
Heat, mild to fieryV VegetarianVG VeganGF Gluten free
Signature dishes
The five plates our regulars order first.
Chicken tikka, smoked butter
$28Overnight yoghurt marinade, charred, finished in butter.
GF
Hyderabadi lamb biryani
$32Saffron basmati, bone-in lamb, fried onion.
GF
Dahi bhalla chaat
$15Lentil dumplings, whipped yoghurt, three chutneys.
VGF
Garlic and coriander naan
$8Off the tandoor to order, brushed with ghee.
V
Chaat and small plates
The loud, joyful end of the menu, meant for hands.
- Pani puri, five ways$16
Crisp shells, tamarind water, mint, pomegranate.
VVG - Dahi bhalla chaat$15
Lentil dumplings, whipped yoghurt, three chutneys.
VGF - Amritsari fried fish$19
Gram-battered market fish, ajwain, lime.
GF - Aloo tikki$14
Griddled potato cakes, chickpea masala, sev.
V - Chilli paneer$17
House paneer, capsicum, soy and green chilli.
V
From the tandoor
Clay-oven cooking, lit by four each afternoon.
- Chicken tikka, smoked butter$28
Overnight yoghurt marinade, charred, finished in butter.
GF - Lamb sheekh kebab$26
Hand-minced lamb, green chilli, mint chutney.
GF - Prawn tikka, ajwain$30
Tiger prawns, carom seed, lime butter.
GF - Tandoori broccoli, cashew cream$24
Whole florets, hung-curd crust, toasted cashew.
VGF - Malai paneer tikka$23
House paneer, mild spice, blistered peppers.
VGF
Curries
Every gravy has a house heat. We take it up or down for you.
- Slow lamb rogan josh$34
Kashmiri chilli, fennel, bone-in shoulder.
GF - Butter chicken$30
Tandoor chicken, tomato and fenugreek gravy.
GF - Goan snapper curry$33
Coconut, tamarind, kokum, curry leaf.
GF - Black dal, 24 hours$22
Urad lentils, tomato and butter, cooked overnight.
VGF - Kadai paneer$26
House paneer, capsicum, roasted coriander.
VGF - Chana masala$21
Chickpeas, ginger, dried mango.
VGGF
Biryani and rice
Sealed and steamed on the dum, saffron through every grain.
- Hyderabadi lamb biryani$32
Saffron basmati, bone-in lamb, fried onion.
GF - Vegetable dum biryani$26
Saffron basmati, seasonal vegetables, mint.
VGF - Jeera pulao$9
Basmati, cumin, whole spice.
VGGF - Steamed basmati$6VGGF
Breads
Off the tandoor to order, brushed with ghee.
- Garlic and coriander naan$8V
- Laccha paratha$8
Layered, ghee-brushed.
V - Butter naan$7V
- Roomali roti$7
Handkerchief-thin, griddled.
VG
Dessert
- Gulab jamun$13
Warm milk dumplings, cardamom syrup.
V - Pistachio kulfi$12
Slow-cooked milk ice, crushed pistachio.
VGF - Saffron kheer$12
Rice pudding, almond, rose.
VGF - Mango and lime sorbet$11
Dairy-free, alphonso mango.
VGGF
Drinks and lassi
Spice runs through the glass too. Lassi to cool the heat.
- Salted mango lassi$9VGF
- Rose lassi$9VGF
- Masala chai$6VGF
- Tamarind margarita$19
- Cardamom old fashioned$21
- Curry leaf gimlet$19
Inside Tulsi House
The spice room runs the kitchen
Whole spices arrive by the sack from a family broker in Kochi and are roasted and ground here every morning, blend by blend. Nothing sits in a jar for a month. The garam masala for tonight was whole seed this morning, and you can smell it from the street before the doors open.
Up a narrow stair in Mount Victoria
One warm room of copper and timber, with a tandoor you can watch from the pass. Forty seats that fill fast, and a mezzanine that takes the bigger nights.
Book your table
Pick a night and a time and we hold the table for you. We keep every booking for fifteen minutes past the hour, and we pace the kitchen to the room so plates land together.
- Service
- Dinner Tue to Sun from 5pm, lunch Fri to Sun from midday.
- Prefer to call?
- 04 555 0151, or leave a message and we call back the same day.
What guests say
“The black dal alone justifies the taxi across town. Silky, smoky, given a full day of someone's attention.”
“Finally, Indian food in Wellington with regional range and real heat when you ask for it.”
“We booked the whole table for a birthday. Dish after dish, the heat set exactly where we asked. Twelve of us left very happy.”
Good to know
- Can you cook it mild, or properly hot?
- Both. Every curry has a house heat, and the kitchen takes it down for children or up for the chilli-chasers. Tell your waiter where you sit on the scale.
- Is there enough for vegetarians and vegans?
- About half the menu is vegetarian, and most of that is vegan or can be. The black dal, the paneer and the tandoori vegetables are the ones regulars come back for.
- Can you take a large group?
- The mezzanine seats up to sixteen, and the whole room is yours for parties over thirty. Add a note to your booking and we plan the night with you.
- How do you handle allergies?
- Tell us when you book and again when you sit down. We grind our own blends, so with notice we can usually work around nuts, dairy and gluten.
27 Majoribanks Street
Mount Victoria, Wellington 6011
Dinner Tue-Sun from 5pm
Lunch Fri-Sun from midday
Reserve a table
04 555 0151