Find Out What We Thought of the Chef's Surprise at Dabbawal
We turn up the heat and head to Dabbawal in Jesmond for a true taste of India
Our Highlight:
The salmon kebab, perfect for a summer evening in the sunshine.
What We Wish We’d Tried:
Nothing! The surprises kept us guessing and we were more than happy to let the chef guide our night.
Our Takeaway:
An innovative neighbourhood restaurant that blends modern creations with traditional techniques.
Unable to escape the current heatwave, we decided to lean into it and headed to Dabbawal in Jesmond to try out their new Chef’s Surprise – an adventurous and unexpected journey through traditional Indian street food.
Vibrant, eclectic and welcoming, stepping inside the restaurant, we took our welcome drinks and headed to the veranda. As we sipped, we were told the history of the family and the restaurant by founder Jaf Ali. The original street food pioneers of Newcastle, Dabbawal has two locations across the city including a lively spot in the city centre as well as this Jesmond location. Alongside this, they also run Khai Khai and their newest addition Dood on the Quayside. As Jaf speaks, we leaf through books of archival images from the restaurant’s history.
After drinks we all head to a large table in the centre of the restaurant. As a no-menu surprise experience, we weren’t fully sure what to expect but as the dishes began to arrive we knew it was going to be memorable.
The Chef’s Surprise starts with a mixture of popadoms, chutneys and pre-starters to share, followed by individually-plated starters, main dishes and sides to share. The sharing-style approach was ideal as it meant we didn’t miss out on anything that was brought to the table.
The kebabs really stood out – a delicious medley of lamb chops with cous cous chaat, mango murgh tikka, and salmon with dill and cucumber raita – the salmon particularly was perfect for a hot summer evening.
Mains included classic butter chicken, prawn nilgiri, Hyderabadi dum gosht (a mouthwatering mutton curry), dal makhani (a delicious vegetarian option) and freshly made bread. The blend of spices was exquisite – even as someone who has an admittedly low tolerance for heat, I had no problem helping to polish everything off.
I’m a firm believer that there’s always space for something sweet, so I was excited to see what the kitchen had in store for our dessert. Out came a smorgasbord of gulab jamun (deliciously sweet dumplings), gajar halwa (a refreshing and surprising carrot pudding), and a traditional chocolate tart. The carrot pudding was new to me and I’ll definitely be trying this one at home.
