Another part-time cover for the Bundobust/Dishoom gap in the NE 🍛
There has been an array of Indian restaurants opening this year, all a little suspiciously familiar. Dakwala Bombay Canteen (42-44 Grainger St, NE1 5JG) was the one that really got my attention first. Not for its pizzazz or pilau, it’s just literally across the road from work.
I have witnessed little fanfare about it other than the usual influencer bollocks. Oh, it’s a(nother) reel with the exterior, then some neon sign on the wall, and the menu in a video format so I can’t read it. So creative, such content. Oh, there are shots of them eating, yummy. Great. Amazing. Oh is it overlaid with a gaudy sped-up remix of Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso, fuck yeah. Oh, you didn’t mention anything about the food whatsoever? I’ve never been a fan of it, but surely it’s getting more homogenous, more bland, and just more… awful?
The blandification is relevant, because I initially felt like that’s where Dakwala was going. Yet another ‘let’s copy Dishoom’ restaurant. But not be half as good, but that be more than sufficient because tastes in Newcastle haven’t progressed much past chicken vindaloo. Or so I thought. I’m a sucker for a new curry so we went on a lunchtime to see if it was just a business venture that had money to throw at PR, or was worth yknow, actual punters spending their money on.
Like the interior, the menu is quite expansive. Typically a red flag. I don’t really understand the positioning other than literally, a bit of everything, but OK. Is ‘street food’ (sigh) is the focus? Or the curries, or what? We got some starters, some curries, and at lunch they offer thalis. So far, so Dabbawal.
Pani puri, well it was alright, I’ve had much better. Both the filling and the pani water were just passable, I wouldn’t rush back to these, and they should be a staple. Much better is vada pav. Should be the making of any restaurant like this and it ain’t a bad effort. It’s no Bundobust, but it was a better effort than at Dabbawal lately, popping with chutneys, textures, and mushy-crunchy comfort. I’m not gonna tackle ‘authenticity’ here…
There’s tandoori, including broccoli. Here, it would be rude not to mention Khai Khai. And unfortunately, this pales in comparison to their signature dish. It’s virtually raw, and has none of the smoke, spice, char or depth of the Quayside version. Save yourself the pain.
Cocktails are two for £14 which 👀 tends to be better than the usual awful wine in Indian restaurants, though to be fair there’s a Chapel Down, and some better wines than you’d expect. Which is a big plus. I’d love to see this change across the board because there are so many restaurants serving wine which is just absolute garbage.
The thalis come with the above bits, in a chicken, lamb or veggie guise for about £13 which is a good feed for the money. Could do without the side salads that go directly to bin, but the bhajis were nicely fried, and gulab makes it a balanced meal.
Both paneer Malabar and railway lamb are both jammed with flavour, lamb is tender, rich and sumptuous and what you’re here for. You can’t make them as good as this at home. On the salty and spicy side that sets your tongue off a bit, but it’s better than being inspid and relatively flavourless like some older restaurants can be.
Dahl makhani is welcome, but another that doesn’t hold a candle to its Khai Khai counterpart, never mind the exemplary Dishoom version.
Curries on the whole are strong and crucially, that step up from your local curry house. The ‘house’ Kadhai packs a punch. It’s pleasingly smooth and fiery, with a fair amount of tender chicken and a good wallop of flavour. Nothing that I’d remember on my deathbed, but still a decent effort that you end up scraping the dish for.
Breads are a mixed bag, with a kulcha being deeply satisfying, and a naan a bit pita-esque. Like much of Dakwala, a bit of a mixed bag. Our bill was about £80 🥴 though we had a few drinks so it’s probably just ‘anywhere’ pricing in 2024. Service tries really hard. But there’s something off about the space that makes it a little cold. Your mileage may vary there.
Dakwala is apparently derived from the word for postman, so did it deliver? It surpassed my expectations for sure. Is it actually the Dishoom of the north? Not at all. The sentiment is definitely there, right down to the dabba boxes, the Castleton green walls, and the far-and-wide trekking menu. But this one got a ‘lil damaged in the post up from London.
That said, I’d absolutely be keen to try a bit more of the menu (some 47 dishes) which is maybe the greatest praise of all — a restaurant that opened in 2024 that I want to return to and isn’t just a fleeting visit, never to be seen again.
Contact: dakwala.co.uk
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