Munch - Jugnu’s Duniya

A feed for fuck-all

Jugnu’s Duniya

What: South-Asian + ‘world’ cuisine

Price: $5.00 - $10.00 

When: 11:30am - 6:00pm, Monday - Sunday

A nice idea for a very nice price, but overreaching. 

⭐⭐

There’s a new kid on Cuba Street, who might make you double-take, and then double-take again. Just up from the Bucket Fountain, left of the red brick podium that hosts a weekly rotation of swing dance groups, high school buskers, and Falun Gong protesters, sits Jugnu’s Little India. Or what was his Little India and is now Jugnu’s Duniya (meaning ‘world’). Many will be familiar with the bright pink and orange storefront of the other Little India, just off the far end of Courtenay Place. It was this proximity that led to the two sibling restaurants competing and prompted the switch to a broader, international cuisine. 

Which, in short, was a poor choice. But we’ll get to that in a second. Because the second double-take-worthy facet of Jugnu’s Duniya is their menu, which is split into two columns of $5.00 and $10.00 meals. Nothing here goes beyond that price, which does make it incredibly attractive for those on a budget. On top of that, there’s a blanket 5% student discount, which is a nice touch. I might expect this from a small side-hustle store or a community cafe, but for a 30-year-old franchise with 4 restaurants across the region (in Porirua and Paraparaumu, too) to actually use its commercial stability to help support people is wonderful. 

And unsurprising, now, having sat inside. The decor at Jugnu’s is bold swaths of teal and mustard, with accents of hot fuschia. One wall is dominated by gold framed photographs of Jackie Kennedy’s visit to Rajasthan in 1963, against a beautifully-patterned wallpaper. The hostess, a kind and motherly figure, was happy to elaborate on the menu’s Indian classics such as Papri Chaat and Roohafza. All this together gave the place a beautiful and homely feel, personal and loved and people-oriented.  

But, of course, no one goes to a restaurant to sip on rose cordial and look at Jackie Kennedy riding an elephant. You go for a meal; which is where Jugnu’s Duniya stumbles. The menu is diverse, from pastas and pizza to pad thai and pork ribs. There are also a handful of fusion options, such as the Aloo Tikki Burger and the Chicken Tikka pizza, but the Indian subcontinent on its own is still featured the most. 

Their familiar dishes are, by far, what the kitchen pulls off best. The Papri Chaat was a curious mix of crispy friend crackers topped with yoghurt, sweet tamarind, and mint chutneys. It was a lovely sweet-savoury appetizer, but barely satisfying. The Vada Pav was a heftier option from the $5.00 menu, a mustard and caraway-spiced potato patty trying its best to stand out in a thick white-bread slider. I would’ve preferred the patty on its own, maybe a stack of three with a dipping sauce. But you take what you get for $5.00. 

On the $10.00 side, the Butter Paneer was silky and properly buttery, with a soft sweetness and a slight tomato acidity to cut through it. My friend who joined me for this meal proclaimed it to be the best paneer she’d ever had. However, creamy tomato over white rice gets old after a while; this curry could have done with a hint of smoke or chilli for depth. The same goes for Our Special Pasta, another creamy tomato sauce which we chose to have with chicken. Had this been a pasta sauce from a jar, I wouldn’t have noticed the difference. It was just a bit bland, over dry spaghetti that had nothing unique to it. Jugnu’s unfortunately suffers from a case of ‘quantity over quality’ when they branch beyond their family’s recipebook. 

Jugnu’s Duniya is a tricky place to review, especially with a simple star system. I’ve found next to nowhere else like it in Wellington—a place determined to keep their prices low. However, the food and portions do suffer from this. To leave here feeling full, I would still end up paying $20.00. Where I think it could really work is for hosting big groups of students, either at the long central table or by hiring the entire venue for free. Sharing a selection of $5.00 and $10.00 plates with a crowd of friends, with the 5% discount over everything, could work out quite reasonably once the bill is split. However, on my own, I’d still much rather pick the deals out of a better quality menu. 

Am I talking shit or shit-talking your favourite restaurant? Or have I overlooked a place that readers really need to know about? Send me something to chew on at: guy@salient.org.nz. 

(Note: since this writing, Jugnu’s Duniya has ‘temporarily closed’ until an undetermined date.)