14 November 2010

Govinda's: Vegetarian Buffet, Darlinghurst (13 Nov 2010

112 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Phone: (02) 9380 5155
http://www.govindas.com.au



All-you-can-eat vegetarian

I fondly remember my first visit to Govinda's many years ago and how surprised I was to find vegetarian food could be so tasty. Today I revisit with a discount voucher I bought from Ouffer for $9.90 saving 50% and the food is still pretty tasty and I simply love those poppadums with cucumber yoghurt dip. Arriving for my 6 pm booking there's still quite a few tables available but it's not long before it starts getting pretty full — bookings are recommended. The movie session starts at 7.15 pm and like a remembered from before the movie goers start queuing up on the stairwell for the cinema at least 20 minutes before opening — it's the only way to guarantee getting a nice spot. Tonight I'm just here for the dinner and I try everything in the buffet. It's all pretty tasty and fairly fresh with dish items being replenished from the kitchen when they become low and used up.

The menu changes nightly but apparently always includes an Indian dahl soup, vegetable curry, baked penne pasta, lentil pie or potato au gratin, cauliflower pakoras, potato wedges, rice, poppadums, bread and a variety of salads, sauces and side dishes. Drinks are reasonably priced but only non alcoholic beverages are available and there's also a dessert menu. The service was quite friendly and efficient although first time customers seemed to be a little confused with the movie ticket and queuing system. I suggest arrive early to eat then pay for your meal and ticket and line up early for the cinema to grab a good spot when the doors open.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: All vegetarian, Basic yet tasty dishes, All-you-can-eat, Good selection of movies, Reasonably priced drinks, Private cinema hire is available
CONS: Might need to book in advance, Allow enough time to eat and lining up if seeing a movie, Toilets are downstairs
MUST TRY: Poppadums, Cauliflower pakoras, Vegetable curry, Dahl soup with bread

All you can eat vegetarian dishes ($19.80 / was $9.90 with Ouffer discount)





The buffet

Buffet $19.80, $10 surcharge for Movie goers


Simple and basic seating — grab a balcony spot if you're lucky

Vegetarian cookbooks available for purchase

1st floor dining, 2nd floor movie room

Opening hours

Movie program

4 comments:

PIE-314 said...

Hey we have a place here called Govinda's Vegetarian Restaurant too that sells vegetarian food and cheesesteaks!

thang@noodlies said...

looks great Simon, I remember when you could eat and see a movie upstairs... their food is tasty and nutricious.. glad to see quality is still up there!

samis1988 said...

Great post Simon!
I've been to Govinda's before for the movies but never for the food...this was yearsss ago though!

Simon Leong said...

hi PIE-314, could possibly be the same organisation?

hi thang, looks like they have the food down to a fine art now of knowing what's popular. it's quite fun lying down to watch the movies although i don't like how everyone takes their shoes off as well which can make it a bit unpleasant if you're unlucky ;-)

hi samis1988, i think it's all about the food at Govinda's although they do tend to show some really good movies. i guess it's a good option for that area to see movies otherwise the closest is oxford st :-)

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