Indu – Melbourne – Southern Indian and Sri Lanka food with a top devilled pumpkin dish

Indu opened in February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still happening around the world. What struck me was just how elegant this fine dining establishment was and just much color popped on each plate as well as the incredible aroma from the delicious cuisine. I hope many people get the chance to try some of the best Southern Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine in Melbourne. Indu has a sister Mexican restaurant across the road at Pink Alley, Mejico.

Indu is located in the fancier part of Melbourne, the Paris end of Melbourne, on Collins Street. You can get there by walking or by taking one of the tram, which are completely free within the CBD.

On the day, as I walked in through the long corridor towards the reception, I was taken aback by the décor, the fusion of traditional ornaments and fancy fit out in the restaurant. It was a modern restaurant with both an incredibly cool bar, with heaps of alcohol on display, and an impressive dual dining set up, where patrons could dine in the brighter, illuminated side or the more edgier darker side. It was a pretty cool set up and easily could serve for an office function or get together.

I visited Indu with friends who were keen to try a bit of everything on the menu. We ordered cocktails and a mixture of smaller and medium sized plates. To get me started, I had the mango lassi which had pieces of mango and mixed with spices and yoghurt. It was nicely chilled and was an incredibly creamy, yet juicy drink.

We ordered several small plates including one of the dosa, eggplant and croquette. The dosa was my favorite of the small plates. It was a crispy crepe with a delicious serving of tasty, wholesome ingredients. While the dosa was served on an open plate, it was best divided and then wrapped like a scroll. Incredible.

For our mains, we ordered their devilled pumpkin, coconut and jalapeno chutney, and fried shallots for $24 and Goan pork belly curry, xacuti spice, coconut cream, cardamom and crackling for $32, along with some roti.

My favorite dish was the devilled pumpkin. I usually love pumpkin, but the chutney managed to bring out some great creamy and spicy flavor. It was a really satisfying dish. Equally the pork dish was fantastic with crispy cracking and super tender pork. The spices were just right without being overpowering.

Dining at Indu was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious southern Indian and Sri Lankan food and the hospitality. It serves as a great venue for office workers or lunch/dinner with your better half.

Indu is located at 86A Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000:

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