Ceylon Inn

Went here with a bunch of guys for our bi-​weekly curry club. First impression was that it seemed a little snooty, and I might have been a little annoyed because I had thought it was BYOB but in actuality it was only BYOWine. Also, outside of our waiter, the other staff was quite inattentive. I had to prod a couple of them several times before I got a water and wine glass.
Ceylon Inn has a very modern décor which entails a dark interior and some classy-​looking tables. Since there were about 15 of us, we ordered quite a variety of appetizers, curries, biryani and naan. I remember we started with some onion bhaji which was quite crispy as well as a sampler platter of samosas and poppadoms. I thought the samosas were very flavorful while the poppadoms were just a bit average.
Then came the naan and biryani followed by the curries. There was a good 10 minute delay between the rice and curry which seemed a bit odd to me but perhaps the restaurant was just trying to further build up our appetites for the main courses.
The carbs were nothing terribly special. The naan might have been a tad too doughy for my taste but otherwise they were great but not bad either.
OK so the moment we were waiting for finally arrived after the 10 minute tease of rice and bread. Some of our guys succumb to just eating the rice by itself or with a little bit of the mango chutney. However, once the curries came, they did not disappoint.
I was most fond of the butter chicken, chickpea curry and of course the nameplate Ceylon chicken curry. I’m not entirely sure if I can do justice to the Ceylon chicken curry but let’s just say that it is probably the best curry dish I have had in Brisbane. It is a mild creamy curry made with spinach and some spices I can’t pinpoint. The chicken is super tender (possibly poached) and absorbs all of the best flavors from the curry spices. If you come to Ceylon Inn, make sure not to miss out on this indescribable concoction of savory, sweet and just plain awesome!

Old review, but my opinion still stands.
When I was waiting for internet for a whole month, I basically camped out at Toowong for internet, and scouted out the different places to eat, which aren’t that many. I still havn’t tried the Newsroom Café, which is allegedly good, but I have had many a cup of melloccinos at the Coffee Club. One night, for a farewell party-​or mourning– rather, we decided to eat at Ceylon Inn, after having a peer into their windows and seeing an authentic-​looking Indian restaurant with a welcoming ambience. It seemed to be a popular place, as we had tried to dine there once, only to find that it was booked out for the night. This time around, we did make a reservation, since we had quite a number of people. Our waiter, who actually seemed to be the owner of the place, recommended we get the Banquet, though we declined.
We ended up ordering our own, which came up to be almost just as expensive, with less variety, and the portions were rather stingy for how much we were paying. The rice was 2.5 per person, and it was a half scoop between two people, which we were not pleased about. The curry portions were also small for 18.5, and weren’t that impressive for the price. The service wasn’t too great either, though it was a normal weeknight, and no– being in a large group doesn’t quite excuse that point. Though the ambience was nice and romantic, especially when seated inside, I don’t think I would ever return by choice. Yes, the ambience of a restaurant is important, but always comes after the quality of the food.

Usually, I find that the Indian restaurants with the best food are the ones that look dingy and dated, with cheesy décor and framed pictures of the Taj Mahal everywhere. Ceylon Inn, however, manages to look classy and have good food. The restaurant is candle lit and romantic, with dark wood tables, elegant drapery and soft background music. They have all the favourite Indian curries like Butter Chicken, Korma and Vindaloo and fresh Naan for mopping up that last bit of curry left in the bowl. It isn’t as expensive as one would think for such an upscale looking restaurant either, at only a couple of dollars above average for a curry or around $ 17.