The Night Our Family loved at Papakura Indian Restaurant
How a simple family dinner at Indian Zaika in Papakura ended the takeaway debate. Authentic butter chicken, garlic naan, biryani and warm hospitality in South Auckland.
Reeta S
It began just like pretty much every food story in our house: you're starving, the fridge is nearly barren, and no one can settle on a restaurant. Your partner wants Thai. The kids are craving pizza. And you? You're in the mood for something with a little more vibrancy and depth. After ten grueling minutes of the endless and tiring debate, I utter the words that turned the night around: "What about that Indian place on Broadway? The one with the good reviews."
And suddenly, here we were, at Indian Zaika in Papakura for the first time. The moment you walk in, the aroma hits you straightaway. Not the heady, oily miasma you're used to, but toasty, warm spices-cumin, coriander, perhaps a whisper of cardamom-a fragrance so comforting you think it's your grandma, everyone's grandma, who's been cooking all day. With two slightly crazy kids in tow, that's a small miracle.
The staff were super welcoming, as if we'd been long-time patrons. We went half and half - butter chicken (obviously a must-have for the kids), a chicken biryani, garlic naan and momos. The butter chicken was glistening and lush, far from the watery curry we had been served elsewhere before. The kids were silent for a solid three minutes (which for us is nearly a full round of applause) and the biryani was fragrant with the fragrant elements - saffron, fried onion, you get the idea - and the garlic naan was soft enough to roll up into a wrap but had the signature blackened spots from being cooked in the tandoor.
What hit me was the matter of the place, not just the meal. How calm, how unhurried. No one was hastening us along. The kids got a lollipop on the way out (this was another dealmaker for the rest of their lives). And on our way out, my companion, who had earlier voted for Thai, said, “Yeah, we can come back here.”
We've been back a hundred times since. One or two of those are hurried takeout on the way home after a long day. But the best part? We've brought them to our table for a leisurely meal more than once. We've supplied them to celebrate a family birthday. They showed up on time, still steaming hot, and everyone ate way too much and nobody went away hungry.
For somewhere that has quietly been feeding the people of Papakura (and Takanini, and Manurewa, and Drury) for a number of years – and even took out the title of Best Indian restaurant in the Southern Auckland Zone way back in 2018 – it certainly doesn't feel like a destination for the destination's sake. You walk in, order that same butter chicken you had yesterday, and it'll taste exactly the same. Vegetarian doesn't seem like an afterthought – the kadai paneer and dal makhani stand up just as proudly. And if you're after something a little different, that Indo-Chinese section of the menu (Manchurian, Hakka noodles etc) is legitimately satisfying.
Indian Zaika isn't attempting a new take on Indian cuisine. Instead, it's doing the more difficult work: making it more than just okay by taking the time, using fresh ingredients, and treating old and new customers equally. Sure, in a more downtown-focused neighborhood that doesn't get the greatest eye candy, consistency is king. If you've been meaning to give it a shot, or if your clan is currently fighting the "What should I order?" battle, let this be your inner voice of reason: garlic naan.
