For well over a decade, D and I have referred to a shop near Seven Hills train station as ‘the shop with the lamb rolls’. For over a decade, we’d only visited the shop for one thing: lamb rolls. It wasn’t until early 2017 that we discovered it was called the Indo Lankan and tried other items on their menu.
Indo Lankan has been open since 1996 and is visited by swarms of Indian and Sri Lankan people even on a rainy night. Take away items were about $1.00-2 cheaper than the equivalent dine-in item.
First off is the Lamb Roll ($1.50 takeaway) with a spiced lamb mince and potato filling.
The lamb rolls have a delicious crunch with a spicy kick and heat to the filling, although it’s markedly less intense than what we remember from earlier visits where we had to rest between bites. We find them easier to eat at this reduced heat but miss the burn.
This is the Chicken Roll ($.1.5), which looks identical to the Lamb Roll, with chicken mince and potato filling.
The chicken rolls had a less crunchy skin, although that likely varies between batches, with the flavour being sweeter and less gamey with a more tender texture. It’s enjoyable, but we find the lamb adds a depth of flavour.
This is the Lamb Samosa ($1.50) with a potato and lamb filling.
The pastry is delightfully crispy and the filling has a greater potato to lamb ratio that gave it a softer mouthfeel. There’s even less heat to filling of this samosa than the lamb rolls.
I love eggplant and this is the Eggplant Curry ($8.00, medium, takeaway). Honestly, I expected something more along the lines of an aloo baigan at Faheem Fast Food, so was surprised to see something so dark and mashed. There’s visible eggplant skin, but the eggplant flesh has been mashed and mixed with spices that have a gentle heat but a prominent bitterness in its savoury flavour that completely takes away any enjoyment from the curry.
On our next visit, we go back to our safe option with Butter Chicken ($9.90, medium, takeaway). We enjoy this rich and creamy curry immensely, me especially so, for its prominent tomato flavours bringing a pleasant sweetness that’s countered by savoury buttery notes. The portion of chicken is generous, using juicy thigh meat. We prefer this less sweet version over the one at Paradise Biryani House in Strathfield.
To go with the curry, we have Butter Naan ($2.90, takeaway). The naan is pleasantly doughy with a faint hint of butter, but nothing that screams butter to a butter lover like me.
Their Garlic Naan ($2.90) is speckled with coriander and garlic, bringing out more flavour than the butter naan. We prefer it.
And we also try their Roti ($2.50, takeaway). The roti is light, although not as fluffy as the roti we’ve had from Malaysian restaurants like Mamak and Paparich. For curry, though, naan is the better vehicle.
We’ll need to try more of their curries, hoppers and other entrees, which are very popular the Indo Lankan customers.
2024
Having found ourselves in Seven Hills, we stopped by Indo Lankan for a meal of Sri Lankan and Indian dishes.
The restaurant appeared much as it did on our last visit in 2017—its fit-out unchanged, its menu largely familiar, and still drawing a notably larger lunchtime crowd than the surrounding venues.
Lamb Curry Meal ($14.90)
Served with two vegetable curries (potato and tomato curry, and dhal), spinach, rice, and a papadum.
The lamb curry delivered bold spice and prominent curry leaf notes, though the lamb itself was unfortunately tough and overly chewy. In contrast, the potato and tomato curry offered comforting familiarity: the potatoes were well-cooked, soft without disintegrating, while the tangy tomatoes brought bright acidity that mingled with the heat of the curry for a satisfying depth. The spinach added welcome freshness, while the dhal—mild and slightly earthy—helped to temper the heat of the plate overall. A crisp papadum rounded out the meal. Though the lamb fell short, the variety and portion size made this good value.
Butter Chicken ($14.90, medium)
This remained a reliable standout. The sauce was rich, creamy, and well-balanced, with a full-bodied tomato base that managed to be both tangy and sweet, followed by a buttery finish that coated the palate. The chicken was plentiful and had a charred, smoky edge, though the interior pieces were slightly dry. Still, the robust flavour of the sauce compensated for any textural flaws in the protein.
Garlic Naan ($3.50)
Among the largest we’ve encountered, this naan measured around 25 cm in diameter. It featured a crisp base, air pockets across the top, and a generous brushing of butter. The chopped garlic was well distributed, while the coriander imparted a subtle brightness, making it particularly well-suited for sopping up curry.
Ulunthu Vadai ($2.00)
This South Indian savoury fritter, shaped like a doughnut, was made from urad dal and flavoured with onion, green cumin, and curry leaves. Served fresh from the fryer, it had a crisp exterior with a slightly dense interior. While inoffensive and texturally interesting, it was not compelling enough to order again.
Indo Lankan remains a neighbourhood mainstay, still frequented by local Sri Lankan and Indian patrons—an encouraging sign of its continued relevance. Despite the occasional shortcoming, the overall offering remains strong, and it is a venue we would likely return to when next in the area.
Indo Lankan is at 61 Boomerang Pl, Seven Hills NSW 2147.