Shiraaz Indian Restaurant, Ferntree Gully

It seems like Gaz and I have been eating out a lot lately, a result of having a few birthday celebrations, events and meet ups in the past month. Having eaten out so often, I've also grown lazy to cook.

Last Thursday, fueled by one of my lazy moods, we visited Shiraaz in Ferntree Gully. I was pleased to find the place cozy and warm because it was pouring cats and dogs outside. The decor was definitely better than other suburban restaurants, but was very dark inside.

I had planned to order a little bit more so that we can take away the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. My plans were foiled when we saw a note at the end of the menu stating that any food that requires doggy bagging will be charged an additional cost. I suppose taking away leftovers in an Indian restaurant might not happen very often since the portions are normally small. But if a Chinese restaurant tried the same trick, they would be forced to abolish it almost straightaway. Chinese patrons are so kam siap (stingy) that they wouldn't stand for it!

Gaz ordered a mango lassi. Very refreshing... and too sweet for me!

A garlic naan to go with the dishes.

Eggplant potato - Eggplant and potatoes in a light gravy sprinkled with ginger and fresh coriander. This was medium hot. I liked the eggplant which was well cooked. It was not too hot which suited our tastes.

Chef's special Shiraaz steak. The piece of beef was coated with tandoori spices, served on a sizzling plate with a big serve of greens on the side consisting of beans, peas, cauliflower. I didn't quite like the steak - a bit sour, but the meat was very tender.

The service was incredibly good. Wait staff made sure we had everything we need, and passed by our tables asking if the food was OK etc. Overall, it is a good restaurant for when one need some decent Indian food and attentive service.