My, how it has grown. Four short years ago, Cinnamon Club was a bustling takeaway joint in a side street off The Parade, with just 20 seats for those dining in. Now the vibrant Indian eatery boasts locations in Norwood, Hyde Park and Henley Beach – and its consistency of service and quality of food keep each restaurant humming no matter the day of the week.

Patrons continue to return for the classics – a creamy korma that’s chock full of almonds, a vindaloo that hits all the right spice notes without wiping out your palate and a butter chicken that, with its perfect balance of tomato and cream, is perhaps the best in SA. But Cinnamon Club also opens up a wealth of other subcontinental delights. And it would be remiss to not step outside your comfort zone.

Lamb chops with Bhatti spices, cooked to a perfect pink, will leave you wanting to gnaw every last shred of meat off the bone. Touted as a “favourite of southern India”, Chicken 65 – are there 65 herbs and spices? – is coated in fried, shredded curry leaf, and reveals links to Sri Lankan cooking.

Also from the south, the chettinaad kalimirch chicken is lighter than many other curries, featuring a mouth-popping black pepper gravy. A milder bhuna beef kolhapuri, hailing from India’s west, is tender with notes of tomato and ginger, the chilli toned down for Australian mouths. Mop it all up with some piping hot naan, simultaneously crispy and chewy, that comes straight from the tandoor to your plate.