V Rating: VVVVV
Where: 112 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst
When: Dinner: 5.50pm - 10ish
Tel: (02) 9380 5155
Price: Buffet dinner: $15.90. Plus movie: $6.90.

Last Thursday was my birthday. The big 29. I didn’t want to plan something special, but also didn’t want to let the final year of my twenties slip through my fingers unmarked.

Casting around for something to do I thought I’d check the movie schedule at vegetarian restaurant / cinema, Govinda’s. I knew immediately that I was fated to go there because they were playing Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biography that I was disappointed to miss at the movies.

I love the fact that Govinda’s combines an intimate cinema with a hare krishna vegetarian restaurant. There’s no need for the two to go together, yet it’s so handy that they do.

Govinda’s only offers one “main” - the $15.90 all you can eat buffet. I’m not backward in coming forward with buffets, but rarely make it past a plate and a bit at Govinda’s. This makes it a reasonably expensive dinner, especially seeing as the quality of the food is not exceptional. However, if you also go to the movie it’s good value.

The buffet options are reassuringly familiar. There’s lentil and vegetable soup, home made bread, brown and white rice, a korma curry, dahl, potatoe and cauliflower pakoras, pasta in tomato sauce and a few cold salads. While Govinda’s food is plentiful, it’s more comfort food than gourmet. I think it tends toward bland, perhaps because as a hare krishna restaurant it doesn’t use onions, mushrooms, or garlic in its dishes.

I enjoyed the drinks better than the food - my mango lassi was thick, sweet and cool, and my soy chai was one of the best that I’ve had in Sydney.

For me, the real attraction of Govinda’s is the upstairs movie theatre. This is a cosy room filled with low beds, pillows and couches. It’s kind of like being at a sleepover, only with a decent selection of movies.

There are usually two - three movie sessions a day. It’s worth getting in line early so you can bag one of the long beds, rather than the slightly less comfortable couch option. The movie choices are always interesting - a combination of art house and popular mainstream releases that are no longer playing at the major cinema chains.

Govinda’s is a great concept and a lot of fun. If vegetarian food is your priority there are tastier and better value choices in Sydney. I also wouldn’t take a non-vegetarian here if your intention is to convert them to the pleasures of vegetarian eating - although the range of food means that there should be something here for everyone.

However, I love Govinda’s because it feels like going to your best friend’s house for an easy night in - somewhere you know that you can indulge in hearty food, a relaxed movie and great company to your heart’s content.

KP. 25/05/06.

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