Cassia restaurant review: Metro Top 50 2018

By Metro date Jun 21, 2018

Cassia restaurant review

Metro Top 50 2018 restaurant Cassia serves incredible contemporary Indian food in the Auckland CBD on Fort Street.

Executive chef Sid Sahrawat and his head chef, Alok Vasanth, share a passion for the regional cuisine and ancient cooking techniques of their homeland: the result is Cassia’s stellar reputation. From the outside on Fort Lane, you might not notice this place, but there’s a certain kind of magic in play as you descend the stairs into the underground dining room, which sparkles with light and colour. Cassia feels like a well-kept secret, but it’s one of the most exciting restaurants in Auckland: engaging waiters work the room with admirable efficiency, explaining the menu and decoding the wine list, and when the food arrives – exquisite, exotic, complex flavours, deftly wrought, delicately plated – everything just makes sense.

What it offers Shared-plate options / Fixed-price meals, including business lunch / Dégustation options /Free-range chicken and/or pork / Good for vegetarians /Bar / Private dining room / Takes large groups / Craft beer selection
A favourite dish Tandoori chicken perfumed with fenugreek and lemon
Awards Runner-up, Supreme Award; Winner, Best Smart Dining; Winner, Best Chef: Sid Sahrawat; Winner, Restaurateur of the Year: Sid and Chand Sahrawat (Joint); Winner, Restaurant Personality of the Year: Prateek Arora; Finalist, Best Service; Finalist, Best Drinks List
Bookings Yes
Hours Lunch Wed-Fri, Dinner Tue-Sat
Price $$
Seats 75
Chef Sid Sahrawat, executive chef; Alok Vasanth, head chef