Cheap, tasty, spicy, Sri Lankan food.
Did I mention it’s cheap? Crazy cheap.
I reckon I’ve had better dosas - in Sri Lanka - but this place is pretty bloody good too. And in Newtown.
I organised dinner for 25 friends.
Kammadhenu delivered. Pleased with the outcome.
Definitely worth considering.
I thought the veg masala dosai and the kothu roti were both pretty good. Chicken 65 is also a good entree. All up pretty good value with the Zomato gold discount
Very nice food. The Kothu roti was something different but very tasty. Good service. Huge variety. Will visit again.
Wonderful little gem of a restaurant with some authentic Sri Lankan food. Their fish curry with deliciously cooked Spanish Mackerel was outstanding, delicately spiced and tender. Their kothu roti was perfect and just eased onto the palate with just the right hint of spices while their prawn sambal was very nice too. I'd highly recommend their dessert of 'Wattalapam' - Sri Lankan coconut baked custard with cardamoms and condensed milk. Their prices are very reasonable too!
I normally avoid somewhere that states Malaysian, Indian, Sri Lankan as I doubt they can be all things (or good at them), but Kammadhenu surprised me. It’s nothing fancy and the service can be really slow but the food is tasty.
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We have been here couple of times to get that old Malgudi style cafe experience.
If you looking for a budget Indian restaurant in Sydney then this is one of the best bets.
In a place like Newtown, where they have many Indian restaurants this place somehow holds its identity great.They have an elaborate menu, you will have fun time reading it, and you will wonder "wow they serve this too".They mainly serve North&South-Indian and Srilankan cuisines.
Now coming on to the food.
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My suggestion would be to try South-indian and Srilankan cuisines(like Dosas,idli,kottu-rotis,hoppers etc.) thats a speciality here and light weighted on your pockets too.
North-Indian (Naan, Biryani,Tandoor-items and curries) are average in taste.
Overall experience is fun.
The quantity of food is impressive.
Do try their Masala coffee, it was pretty good.
Final verdict:
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Food-4* (For all the south Indian dishes)
Ambience-4* (If you want to get that old styled Mumbai and Bangalore Cafe experience)
Wait-time-4*
Price-5*
I went to a different Sri Lankan place in Sydney that thought hoppers were some fancy food that demanded high prices. Not at Kammadhenu where you can get two hoppers with egg for just $6 and add some sambal to make a tasty meal. They've also a big menu of other dishes and the kothu roti and samosas were very rich and tasty. We got a pile of great food for $40 and we haven't even tried their curries yet!
Food was amazing and great value. Particularly liked the dosa and the fact it was BYO. Only downside was the miserable female waiter, who didn’t smile even once and looked very bored.
A nice Indian restaurant and takeaway in Newtown, South Indian inclusive, with very nice service, the ambience and spaciousness is fine too, can be improved
Been here a few times now and the food is always delicious. My wife had the veg thali and I had Masala Dosa. We both loved it. Food is plentiful and very reasonably priced. There is no corkage charged as we brought our own wine and beer. Highly recommended.
I recently moved to Sydney and since my arrival have been looking for a good Sri Lankan restaurant within close proximity to the city. A colleague recommended Kammadhenu and I was pleasantly surprised! The kotthu roti was great - I went with the lamb option. The pan rolls had a great filling but seemed like they had been refried and the batter wasn't the same as a typical pan roll. Nevertheless the price you pay for the great taste is totally worth it. Can't wait to go back and try the hoppers!!
A short wait for a spicy, hot and tasty feed. There was a variety of vegetarian options, and they were all so delicious that I went there twice in 1 day. Generous portions and affordable. The staff are unassuming and friendly.
After a heavy night out I was desperately craving some western creamy Indian curry. I had walked all along King street and this place stood out with the dark purple decor.
I was not in the right frame of mind to be spending more than 20 minutes deciding what I want (cause I usually do) so I played it safe and went with a mild butter chicken + jasmine rice and a garlic nan bread.
I love how the curry is presented in the old copper Bowles but I do think serving food for one person on three different plates is a bit much (just a suggestion on saving dishes and water?)
The curry was creamy and chicken was soft and had been cooked perfectly, I did ask for mild but it was a bit too mild that I couldn't taste any heat. The ban bread was thin and light which I liked as it wasn't drenched in flower. The only let down was the mass amounts of garlic is was smothered in - I love garlic a lot but not the point where I'm chewing chunks of it.
Back when I volunteered recently in Sri Lanka with a group of university students in Sri Lanka, we had a reunion back in Sydney a few days ago, and it was only appropriate to have Sri Lankan cuisine. A peer suggested Kammadhenu and it was definitely a good choice.
Had the Sri Lankan atmosphere, cosy and not too loud, ordered a lot of the classics like the lamb/fish curry, roti and hoppers. The taste was very reminiscent of Sri Lankan food. Definitely a throwback, though the spice was not as strong.
Regardless, paid only $16pp and was full after. Definitely a place to try if you want to get a 'glimpse' of Sri Lankan food.
Was so happy to find this place, don't know of any good Sri Lankan food in Brisbane so we couldn't get in there fast enough. The service wasn't the friendliest but it was quick and the meals were quite cheap. The devilled lamb was insanely good and the chicken chettinad was good, but not as flavoursome as I was expecting. I found the roti was a bit burnt and quite greasy which was disappointing but the vadai were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside, cooked perfectly. I would definitely go back to try some other dishes (and get the lamb again).
SheWhoMustNotBeNamed
+4.5
We tried the egg hoppers and chicken kotthu roti at Kammadhenu. Overall, our dining experience was really positive.
The egg hoppers were thin and crispy; plus the egg was nice and runny in the centre.
It was also served with a side of spiced coconut which was a nice finishing touch.
The chicken kotthu roti had a nice kick to it with green chillies. It's rare to find Sri Lankan food in Sydney, so it was a real treat.
My only criticism is the restaurant requires a much needed makeover. It's interior is a tad outdated, and a real shame because the food is actually really good.
Nevertheless definitely coming back!
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Kammadhenu is a restaurant in Newtown region of Sydney serving Indian, Sri Lankan and Malaysian cuisine. We wanted to predominantly try Sri Lankan food and hence mainly ordered the specialities from the Lion nation.
The egg and jaggery hoppers were delicious and went along well with the pol sambol. The seeni sambol made with a mix of onions and sugar was delightful and so was the egg plant curry which went well with the appams. The mushroom omelette was well delivered and so were the veg patties containing an aloo masala flavored with a heavy dose of pepper. The ghee dosa was just normal and the egg kothu roti didn't really appease the taste buds. We also had a papadam which was crispy and contained jeera pieces in them. Overall, the food was a winner with majority of the stuff passing the test with colors.
The ambiance is very simple and there is nothing really to write home about on this front. The walls are painted pink and yellow with some portraits hanging across and that's all to do with the interiors.
The pricing seems pretty reasonable and just. There was nothing on the menu which looked obnoxiously expensive. The service also was pretty quick and we got our food well within our stipulated working time.
The Newtown area is serenaded with restaurants aplenty with wide varied cuisines and Kamadhennu is certainly a good place to visit to have some Asian food not of the Chinese kind.
Going to this Newtown stalwart for some wholesome Indian food is always satisfying. The dosa, I recommend the masala dosa, is simple and delicious. Well presented and no frills. Comes with a yummy sambar, coconut chutney and chilli chutney. As a snack, Chicken 65 is well prepared and an absolute delight. I usually end the meal with a sweet and frothy Teh Tarik.
Being an Indian myself, i loved this place. Must Try: Dosai & Hoppers. Highly Recommended: Thali (a generous plate full of home-style south indian curries & lentils accompanied with yogurt, rice, roti bread, poppadum & mini serving of dessert- just the way indians eat at home!). At $15 per Thali it is the most cost effective, authentic and delicious specimen of south indian cuisine we have had in Sydney. Enjoy :)
This is an establishment that has been around for years. It may not look like much but the food is great. The dosai never fails to impress. A dosai and a single meal is more than enough to fill your stomach. The mango lassi is also nice.
The service is nothing special. Basically order takers and table servers.
Price wise it's about $40-$50 for two people which is not bad nowadays.
I love this place, and cannot ever fault it. My parents love it too, and I can get home delivery!! The folks love the briyani. I think the dosais are fantastic, as are the palak paneer and lamb saag. I am especially fond of the wattalapam dessert. The service is great, and the prices are amazingly cheap for the quality of the food. I also love the decor. One of my favourite places in Newtown. I cannot express how much I love Kammadhenu. If I feel homesick I eat here, reminds me of Singapore.
Do you want attentive service with a smile and a nice place to sit so you can best photograph food for your blog?Go somewhere else. The staff here are notoriously lax and this place is incredibly no-frills.However, if you want the best goddamn dosa in Sydney and great value curries and delicious, soft, piecey roti with fresh raita, this is the place for you.I've been coming to Kammadhenu at least once a month for at least 4 years now and I still get cravings!
I've been to Kammadhenu a few times now, initially called Kathmandu is one of my favourite fusion (Malaysian, Sri Lanka, Nepalese and Indian) restaurants in Newtown. The styles of the different cuisines compliments each other as they are fairly similar.
The food does not really distract from the conversation. It is all very edible but none of it is particularly memorable. Not by me anyway. Dhosas are always fun but the size of the plates proves a bit of a challenge to the whole food sharing ethic. Still there wasn’t any left over by the time we spilled out of the restaurant, and started shuffling along King Street in search of a gelato for dessert.
The Chicken Masala Dosai is absolutely amazing. The spicy chicken filling is mixed with cubes of potato and wrapped in a crisp rice pancake with four different dipping sauces two tomato chutneys, similiar in flavour, differing only in their level of heat, a yoghurt, mint and cucumber dip and finally a coconut curry dip that tastes similiar to a very light korma.
I've been to Kammadhenu many times over the years, and I've always been impressed by the food and blown away by the value. The service can be erratic but it's always friendly, and when you're paying $15 a person for delicious food I can deal with waiting a little longer for the bill/glasses/whatever.
It's lucky for me that this isn't a video blog as I seriously have NO idea how to pronounce the name of this restaurant. For years I've just put a capital "K" in front of a string of random letters and hoped someone knew which Newtown restaurant I was talking about...you know "let's go to Kamendakendanularoolaroo - that Indian Place on King Street". I'm lucky again then that Miss Chicken and I were strolling past Kamendakendanularoolaroo-blah-blah one lunch time and all I had to say was "let's eat here". Done! The "Restaurant beginning with K" offers a myriad of cuisines from Malaysia, South Indian, Indo-Chinese and also Sri Lankin, but it's hard to go past the $8.00 lunchtime Thali Plate special. Thali is a WONDERFUL dish as you get to try a little bit of a lot of things - dahl, pickles, curry (I choose lamb and Miss Chicken goes for...the chicken), rice, poppadums and something sweet to finish with. Often I look at the little serves before me on a Thali plate and think "I won't be fu
Helen | Grab Your Fork
+4.5
After a day out traipsing on a Newtown food tour, a late lunch was clearly in order. A trail of cheeky comments on the post pondered why we didn't eat at one of 123,894 Thai restaurants along King Street. But why would you when you can have dosai and deep
Mr Shawn & Miss Chicken
+4.5
Excellent roti, light and fluffy, right up there with the much loved Mamak in Chinatown.
...Kammadhenu is a restaurant that does Malaysian, South Indian and Sri Lankan Cuisine. We had stopped by here for lunch as part of a walking eating tour of Newtown (see part 1 & part 2 ). I was looking forward to lunch here after the overdose of sweet things at our previous stop. There's actually 2 Kammadhenu's in Newtown, one in the southern part of King Street and one in the busier northern strip. We went to the northern one. The service was a little slow but the food came out quickly. We were actually quite late for lunch, with only a couple of other tables there so it wasn't too busy or noisy. No flashy interiors here. Being food bloggers ( one food eater) we ordered
Here's another one of those places with a grand claim to fame. Some would agree. Some would not. My first experience at Newtown's Kammadhenu was a few years ago, when they first opened on this manic Inner West eating strip. I remember
I Ate My Way Through
+4.5
Kammadhenu has a menu which satisfies many Asian tastebuds. They have vast options available, categorically split by starters, curries, vegetarian, goat, egg, lamb, beef, chicken, seafood, rice/noodle, kothu roti, hoppers, breads, desserts and extras! Wit
Amazing.the food here is so tasty and cheap. Far less rich and stodgy compared to North Indian.Friendly and quick service.highly recommend the dosa and briani.I wish there were more places like it
A Good Curry Joint. A great place for a slap up curry. If you're in a hurry, you might get a little cheesed off by the slow service, but the tasty food and reasonable prices more than make up for that.
Absolutely amazing food. Friendly customer service.
I think this place is declining - the food is still mostly tasty, but the service is half-baked and the prices are high.
We still managed to have fun and leave fairly full. You can read about it at paintingthebridge.com
I've changed my review - reasonably good masala dosa. Will be back again.. New review Feb 2014:
I had a pretty nice masala dosa here the other day. It was big and crispy and not oily at all. The filling and chutneys were so-so, but the sambar was tasty. All in all, promising. I will be back for another masala dosa lunch soon. Makes a nice change to grabbing a sandwich for the same price.
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Old review:
Boring slop. I wish they'd make more of an effort. Their food is unimpressive, and it makes me sad.
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I'd love to find a good masala dosa in Sydney. Like the ones you get in India, with lots of tasty curry leaves and mustard seeds in a piping hot fried potato mess and a big crispy dosa and a good thick spicey sambar and real chutneys that don't taste like packet-mix. Served on a stainless steel dish.
Sadly, the food here is not worth it. The reviewer below from Sri Lanka is right. A let down.
Love!. Love the food here - authentic and great flavours.
I can't say one bad thing about this restaurant. The curries are the best I've tasted in Australia, coming from a background where we grew up on curries these rival my mum's in flavour!
The Dosai's are so fluffy and light, and all the food is always served quickly, hot and tastes fantastic.
I rate this restaurant a 10/10
Really good, order the banquet, heaps of food for vegetarians and large serves.
Decent South Asian food. The vindaloo here was stomach and heart-warming. The hoppers were good, as were the curries, except that the portions were a little on the small side. A little pricy for the quantity of food, but the quality is definitely more than average.
Difficult to write this review as my food - the Uttappam- probably not worth ordering again. It is described as an Indian Pizza. Mmmm. Anyway the Dosai everyone else seemed to be eating all looked fantastic. Can't say much about the service but at the price, who cares?
After urbanspooning our decision for dinner we decided we would have Indian. As we were at the freaky tiki kannadhenu was just over the road. The outside and inside of the place is a little tacky. But as mum used to say never judge a book by it's cover. The food was delicious. We had no idea what dosai was but the friendly waiter was helpful inturprating the menu! But ibam glad we ordered it because it was delicious, we also orders three mains, the meat in the dishes were tender and flavoursome and the rice was cooked to perfect. We also got garlic roti wich was crispy and soft. All up the price was very good. All up I'd give it a 8/10! Yummo
Every so often i get a craving for sambal eggs and this is where i come to satisfy it. hoppers are also yummy. it can get a bit crowded particularly given that the tables are close together, so we usually try to come reasonably early.
Food is great however the service was poor eg given no plates had ask for wine glasses 2 times empty food dishes left on table
Eclectic subcontinental experience. This place gets my vote for its hoppers, rotis, lampries and sago pudding. Great food hall atmosphere, ultra cheap and authentic flavours keep me coming back.
Food was great, never seen that many versions of the dosai before. Service was really slow, only 1 waiter for the entire restaurant .. A very unique variety of food and very cheap!! Nice Sunday brunch..
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