Karma - New Farm

Great food, lots of flavour and good offering of vegetarian options. Asked for all starters and entrees to arrive with mains and everything arrived hot. Requested spice levels were spot on for all at the time. Will I return, yes.

Amazing flavours in everything we tried. Best naan I've tried in brisbane. Came with a party of 8 and tried a few different things and all spectacular. Will be back.

Where there is already quite the array of good eats to choose from, even within the tight competition where strong attention-to-detail is given, somehow Karma comes out looking like the prime choice. It is easy to look past and think "another Indian place" but even with dining at so many Indian restaurants over the years, Karma is one of the more special outings out there. They give you the good food, but also the experience of eating there. It has a more specialisd and focused outlook, and you could melt several hours away in there - it is just that comfortable and inviting. It was precisely the case when I went here with a friend. Getting around to the usual rounds, I messaged a friend of mine and checked to see if she was free some time in the next small while. Her response landed us at the week after Easter, on the Thursday of all nights - perfect. Closer to the date, as in one the day of the night, there was the task of finding what she was hankering. A curry was in her favour, and it only took a few minutes for me to come up with what is one of the most well-received places in town, and that had been elusive so far. Quick to respond to that, the location was locked in. Upon going in to the restaurant, the usual question was about going inside or out. It was at the time of year when the weather was beginning to get cold (note: not my thought process) so inside it was. And this is a big restaurant, going through the door on the left there was many tables low to the ground to sit at, and with non-verbal agreements, this was where the two of us were parked. This is one of the gold stars to this place, especially so because it was comfortable. And boy howdy is it! Not one inch of the interior is left without due attention. Adorned are all sorts of decorations, with a rich tapestry around most of the tables, and decorations including statues, paintings, ornaments et al. It is really striking, and the definitely went to a lot of trouble with designing it all. The mood light just makes it all the more stark, creating a good atmosphere and ambiance. For the full experience, they have a lounge in which diners are able to dine in the traditional manner, with the table close to the floor. This is one of the most comfortable modes of seating I have ever experienced. With a whole lot of cushions at your back, and a nice wooden table, I can't say that there are many places in town offering anything like this - truly a unique spin. On its own, it might be merely quite competent with the air of being friendly and professional, but in the whole scheme of it and as the big picture, how they do the service here is well-suited. For the most part, they do leave you alone, checking in every now and then. If a weak spot had to be noted from the whole experience, this would be it by default. There is nothing wrong with it, they clear the plates and are persistent, but it definitely won't be the aspect you remember going out of the restaurant. Well, is it safe to say that this is an Indian restaurant? Mostly yes, as they also have some Nepalese delights on offer as well. The selection they have in all sections is extensive, and it would be hard choosing one from each if it were needed - much less whittling it down to a manageable meal. There is a good range of starters - the pakoras, the fried kind and many others of that ilk - along with several kinds of tandoori starters, and even a few Nepalese ones as well. Going onto the main part of the menu, there is a significantly sized vegetarian selection which has various potato, paneer, and mushroom curries among others, as well as a decent one that has meat curries utilising chicken, beef and lamb - with some of them being exclusive, and of course the local favourites aren't shafted. Not forsaking the Nepalese cuisine, they also have a good selection of Nepalese curries as well as the seafood. For the items on the side, there is a few types of rice, several kinds of naan bread, the usual accompaniments, some drinks and a few desserts to sweet the whole deal. For some more drinks, there is a good range of beers, of wines, of spirits and the whole ilk, as well as the general non-alcoholic selection. If there is one thing that is safe to say, it is that no-one will be bereft of something to have here. This is one of those big, massive menus in which one saving grace is going in a massive group. Obviously, there was not that luxury here, so onto the next saving grace - the banquet menus. If I had a dollar for every time that I went (with another person) and the banquet section was for at least four people, then there would be a fair few more dollars in my wallet. Therefore, a saving grace I love to see is the banquet menu in which is services two or more people. That is what we went with. And this is a girl who can be convinced fairly easily with the food. Looking the banquet, and thinking about value and all that, it was certainly the go. At first, she was reluctant to go for the bigger one (price and all that) but after seeing the tandoori chicken being included with it, plus dessert, she was all ears. Another great success before the ordering was done, it was going to be a good night already. So the bigger banquet starts off with a selection of entrees, before going on to have the choice of curry - any curry - naan, and dessert. All the usual condiments came with the curries, as well as a good serving of the zafrani rice. This was a big and filing meal, one that had me resting easy later on that night all satisfied and with a full stomach. First thing off the bat was the drinks. Seeing as it is Indian, the normal drink request I do was in order. That is a lassi, and the sweet one was the usual order. Nice, smooth, slightly tart in taste, and refreshing - it was all it needed to be. That was good enough there. Before the food was due to arrive, the starting component was there to satiate the appetite, some complimentary pappadams. These are as expected, a decent feed - maybe a little oily, but still crunchy and a nice start regardless. Think of them as an "amuse bouse". For what they are, they will do. Then it was when the fun really began. The starters, which are often one of the best components of any big Indian meal. For each person here, there was a lamb samosa, an onion bhaji, and a quarter of a tandoori chicken. All three of these were fantastic. Heck, a lot of times in the past it was the entrees that I looked forward to the most at Indian, just because of how tasty they were. One need only look to here to see why, with each one being good in its own way. The samosas were huge, the size of a fist practically. They had a good, solid pastry crust which were filled to the brim with spicy mince, tender, well-seasoned mince. Going onto the chicken, these were some mighty tender cuts. It was soft, with the flesh falling off the bone, and into the flesh was a good rub of some smoky spices. These were served on the platter, sizzling loudly, and with a mild mint sauce. Finally, there was the good and reliable onion bhaji - sweet, and crispy, these are always a winner when ordered. There is not much more to say about them. Then it was onto the main dishes, a choice of curry each. My friend was in the mood for a lamb one, and went with a lamb madras. For me, the real opportunity was getting to go off the beaten track as normal. Without the restrictions, it was a case of how to make the most of the opportunity and that landed getting two birds with one stone - a seafood one, and a Nepalese one (never mind the lack of feasibility). That one ended by being the "Jhinge Machha Ra Takari", which is pan-fried King prawns in a herbed coconut cream sauce with lime, ginger and capsicum. Both of these curries were really good, being cooked slowly so the meats were tender, and the spice mixture in the sauce was rich and deep. Absolute care was given to them, and the way they were presented just as much proved it. First off, with the lamb madras - it is a standard order for a good reason. The madras is in a good spot between the mild ones like butter chicken - which are tame and sort of for beginners to the cuisine - and the ones that are spicy - such as the infamous vindaloo, which is a real firecracker that might be for all tastes and is rarely cooled down with cream - making a good medium for those who do like a bit of spice and heaps of flavour in their curry but can't quite fathom the intensity of a said vindaloo. The gravy was thick and rich, with big bits of onion in the sauce; and to top it off, the lamb meat was tender and the pieces were both plentiful and sizable. As for the prawn curry, it was one of the best that I have tried. They certainly did not skimp on the prawns, and those suckers were well cooked and done to the right consistency. Ordering this one hot, they managed to do well (though still had hotter, not quite the sweats folks). It had a flavoursome sauce, that did well from the lime, ginger and plenty of herbs - the latter which was visible without having to look closely. That sauce was also thick, soaped up well using both bread and rice, and it is definitely worth trying; though that might be the case with each of the curries on offer. The curries were served with the usual trimmings: rice, choice of naan bread, raita, pickle and Indian salad. The rice was mildly flavoured, warm and well steamed, the raita was smooth, and the pickle added a bit of bite when mixed into the curry. However, there is something to say with the naan. Both the choices were pashwari, the sweet one that has fruits and nuts mixed into the batter. The bread was well-cooked, soft, and spongy, plus a good amount of oil was used to cook this sucker. The pieces of bread were huge, and were perfect for scooping up the sauce and picking up the bits of meat. This was fantastic, and made the meal go from very good to great. Finishing up a well-rounded meal were the sweets, and who can't fit a little in even after the biggest meal in the world? For me, going for something different again, it was the raj bhog, which were steamed dumplings in a sweet syrup. These were doughy in texture, with a soft and light aroma, mixed in with the sweet, sticky syrup that added flavour to it. A simple way to end the meal, and that came to an apt finale. While Indian is one that you can have a bit too much of at times, it is always willing to lead you back to its many charms and show you how good it is. Bad Indian is hard to come by, or it has an analogy there that it is still worthwhile if so. Well, there is the odd one that rises above the rest, and it is not just because of the food - and this is coming from someone with whom the rating often hinges on how good the food is. Karma is such a place, and several reasons are apparent to how well lauded it is. A place like Karma will go above and beyond. It is not enough to be an aesthetically-pleasing place to take pictures of, but it has to also have the atmosphere down pat. From the many Indian places that I have eaten at over the years, while I won't deny there might have been a couple where the food was better - even by a hair or so - virtually none of them were the whole package like this. It was chilled, it was relaxed, the service was very casual yet professional, and most of all - this is some of the tastiest food representing its own cuisine. You could go here with a friend, go here with a group, family, or on a date, and it will serve its purpose just as well. That is perhaps the biggest draw it has, along with many of its neighbours, that no matter what the occasion, context of visit, or anything of the sort, there is no difference in just how good of an overall experience that they promise to deliver. TL;DR: Thanks in part to location, but mostly because of the interior and the service, Karma is propped up above the countless options of going out for Indian. That is without considering the range of curries on offer; that has both Indian and Nepalese in tow, and each one is done with perfectionism. Whether you like to call the design intimate or relaxing, there is no doubting how much of a gold star their lounge room is. Anyone is (or close to) New Farm is spoiled for choice, and it is fair to say that Karma is one more example of this being apparent.

Where there is already quite the array of good eats to choose from, even within the tight competition where strong attention-to-detail is given, somehow Karma comes out looking like the prime choice. It is easy to look past and think "another Indian place" but even with dining at so many Indian restaurants over the years, Karma is one of the more special outings out there. They give you the good food, but also the experience of eating there. It has a more specialisd and focused outlook, and you could melt several hours away in there - it is just that comfortable and inviting. It was precisely the case when I went here with a friend. Getting around to the usual rounds, I messaged a friend of mine and checked to see if she was free some time in the next small while. Her response landed us at the week after Easter, on the Thursday of all nights - perfect. Closer to the date, as in one the day of the night, there was the task of finding what she was... read more

We have dined here several times and have found the curries to be consistently good. Large and interesting menu. Portion sizes are average . Prices reasonable. One of the better Indian restaurants in the inner city area.