Royal Palace Indian Cuisine

Extensive variety on the menu; typical Indian cuisine, in a laid-back environment; BYO and was open on 25 Dec for dinner. Parking at door or walk from beach.

We had 2 x vindaloo and 2 x Goat curry plus Naan, and it smelt great and tasted better, fully recommend this little gem.

On our first night in rainbow beach we opted for Indian, after reading a few mixed reviews we decided to give this local a try, it looked a bit quiet and doesn't have the best decor which made us a bit nervous, but the food was incredible, my family love Indian food and are great critics, they all agreed it was one of the tastiest curries butter chicken dishes they have had in a long time, they wanted to go back again the following night.

An old Indian doctor once told me that if you want to order the best on the menu in an Indian restaurant, ask where the chef is from. Indian food is tremendously diverse geographically, with hundreds of locales that go back to the dawn of time. The food of each locale is influenced by what's available and local tradition - the people close to the deserts in the north lean heavily on spice in their food and their food is economical on sauces etc, while other regions may have richer sauces and creamier flavours. So while there may be consistent dishes on the menu of each restaurant you dine at, there will almost certainly be a cultural and geographical lean on what you order. A customer who has only experienced Indian food from one restaurant may be alarmed when they order the same dish from another restaurant as the flavour profile can be dramatically different. Some misinterpret this as unauthentic or just wrong and for the less adventurous who are already somewhat confronted by what they are eating this is an unexpected and at times unwelcome change in direction. Go straight to the chef's specials page and Google what you see on your phone to get an idea of where the dinner may be heading. The biryani suggests the chef may be cooking from the style of the southern sub-continent.It's a very small restaurant next to a bottle shop, modest on the inside but immaculately clean. Effort has gone into creating two beautiful table settings. They employ a young local Aussie girl to create a welcoming first impression although I found the young Indian lady working there articulate and very aware of the needs of her diners. A small girl is peeking from behind walls while two young Indian men work the kitchen in what is a very narrow space that can be seen on the other side of a small dividing wall. They use traditional earthen ovens which explains the low volume of cooking sounds in such a tight space which is both clever and authentic. The owners, despite the limited canvas they have, are working hard to paint something.We are an Indonesian lady with a very high tolerance for heat, an eleven year old girl, an elderly lady raised on true blue Aussie cooking and myself so finding something on the menu that will please all is a challenge. We order a mild butter chicken and a medium chicken korma. We are served with complimentary pappadums while we wait which are perfectly cooked and lightly flavoured with lightly cumin seeds. We also order garlic naan.We were impressed by the generosity of the portions, the texture of the sauces, the bold but clever flavours and the aromas. Heat is clearly by western standards (I've learned to ask 'when you say heat do you mean by Aussie standards or your own?'). Rice is free before 7pm. The sauce is perfect for mixing through rice and eating with naan and there is a delicious raisin taste in the butter chicken from the slight burn in the sauce which is intentional and masterful. Our elderly guest is cleaning up the chicken Korma which has a beautifully smooth texture and has lovely cinnamon notes mixed with an almost butternut pumpkin taste. Four of us - fed to the gills for $50 and change. After dinner we decide to walk home two blocks away.Two nights later we order the Korma again with a rogan josh for our Indonesian lady and we ask for it hot. We take advantage of their BYO license, opening a bottle of Tooheys extra dry. The rogan josh has a wonderful depth of flavour which is contrasted by hits of fresh cut coriander and interestingly, when you follow the Rogan Josh with Korma the cinnamon is strongly emphasised. The balance and understanding of spice is impressive.Our elderly guest has other visitors staying with her in a few days and she excitedly says she'll bring them to The Royal Palace. This little restaurant would thrive in the city in a culturally diverse or food savvy suburb like Brisbane's West End or Underwood/ Sunnybank. To find it here in Rainbow Beach is an unexpected pleasure.

We ordered takeaway which took over an hour to recieve. Food was okay. Very basic decor and chairs could do with a clean. No real customer service. Korma was good if you are happy to wait.