Address: 44 Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1LE (View map)
Tel: 0141 553 1249
Email: info@thedhabba.com
Web: www.thedhabba.com
Cuisine: North Indian
Average price*: £25
Opened in 2002 with chef Januna Datt Tewari, one-time personal cook to Indian prime ministers, The Dhabba was Glasgow’s introduction to authentic contemporary Indian cuisine. Tewari is still there, producing consistently fine food with fresh ingredients, winning numerous awards, including the best newcomer award in 2003 and hitlist status in every year since.
The Dhabba, *Average price based on a 2 course meal from the a la carte menu for 2 people
I had only heard great things about this restaurant. So when my friend and I decided to go somewhere entirely new for dinner, I immediately suggested the Dhabba.
Situated in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City, the Dhabba is probably the most contemporary styled Indian restaurant I have been to. The decor is warm and welcoming, and the staff even more so. The service was absolutely brilliant. Staff were attentive, but it didn’t feel like they were interrupting at all the way it can do in some places. The guy I talked to on the phone when booking a table sounded a bit grumpy, but apart from that I really have no complaints about the service at all.
They have a very varied menu, one which is entirely different from many of the other Indian restaurants I have eaten in. They don’t have the old favourites that you traditionally get in British Indian restaurants (i.e. pakora or onion bhajis) so if that’s your reason for going out for Indian food, be aware of this! However the menu doesn’t need pakora; there is still a lot to choose from. We ordered the papad rolls (popadoms stuffed with spiced potatoes and green peas) from the starters menu and a starter portion of the murg achari tikka (boneless chicken marinated in yoghurt and masala and cooked in a clay oven) from the tandoor se menu. I can’t even describe how delicious the papad rolls were – they were simply seasoned and cooked to perfection. The chicken tikka was rather more spicy than I expected, but this did not affect the taste at all, or my enjoyment. They were also delicious.
Since they have such an excellent vegetarian selection, I ordered the subzi kofta curry (vegetable kofta), which is a dish of vegetable and spinach dumplings in a spinach based sauce with a touch of cream. This is one of the most delectable vegetarian dishes I have had in a long time, and when combined with the peshwari naan, I was literally in food heaven. My friend had the lamb korma, and I had to have a taste. This korma dish could not have been nicer. I have never tasted anything so delicious in an Indian restaurant. Seriously.
They have a whole host of dishes and side dishes you won’t find in any other restaurant, including cumin rice and their dum phukt dishes (dishes slowly cooked in their own juices in a chapati-sealed pot, meaning that they retain all of their natural aromas and flavours). The Indian baked breads are also phenomenal, with quite a few to choose from.
To view a menu, you can visit the Dhabba website. They are also doing a pre-theatre deal just now – 2 courses from the A La Carte menu (excluding seafood) for £14.95. It is available from 5-7pm daily, but you must vacate your seat by 8pm.