I have to admit that as much as I love going out to eat, I suffer from that well known condition which can sometimes spoil the occasion: Menu Panic. There have been many times when I have left my companions waiting as I dither over my choice, only to spend the rest of the meal enviously eyeing up their plates and subtly suggesting that it would be nice to share. Tapas restaurants do offer a solution to the problem, but there’s only so many patatas bravas a girl can eat, so news that a restaurant bringing ‘Tapas style dining to Indian food’ had opened in Dublin city centre, was music to my ears.
Situated in an innocuous building on St Anne’s Lane in the centre of Dublin, two floors below ground level, Indie Dhaba is a surprise to all the senses… low lighting in a range of colours matching the brightly coloured crockery (and as we were soon to find out, also the mini pappadums and fryums), lively music creating a very buzzy atmosphere and smells to tempt even the most unyielding of taste buds.
Once seated, and with menus in front of us, we began the epic task of choosing what to have. My hopes of quick decisions were swiftly dashed (in the end, we had to ask a passing waiter for some help with translations), but the structure of the ‘tapas style’ menu meant that I wasn’t going to be stealing from my companion’s plate when she wasn’t looking. After some deliberation, we chose Pappadums and Fryums topped with Indian Vegetable Ratatouille, and some mathari sticks with a selection of four dips to nibble on while we sipped on a Ginger Rogers and a Pineapple and Cardamom Martini. Unfortunately, there was little of our Small Plates left by the time the cocktails arrived – a sign of how moreish they were but also an illustration of the slow service which continued throughout the evening. However, both cocktails were very refreshing and the use of spices was a pleasant change from the often overly sweet syrups used in so many drinks.
It was hard to tell whether the ad hoc arrival of our Large Plates was deliberate or not, but it allowed us to savour the taste of some truly delicious dishes. A simply served whole sea-bass, in a marinade of shrimp, green chilli, coconut, coriander, turmeric and kokum paste was stunning. Without overpowering the delicate fish, the marinade was warming yet fresh, and with a squeeze of lemon juice, the dish was complete; no other accompaniment necessary. We were slightly more conventional with our second Large Plate, picking from the Old Favourites section a Lamb dish cooked with apricot and plum sauce with whole Indian spices. Eaten with Brown Onion Pulao rice and a truly indulgent fig and goat’s cheese naan, this was comfort food with a twist, at its best.
The continued lack of attention from the waiters actually had one advantage as we had plenty of time to digest and make room for desserts. The dessert list didn’t disappoint in its display of authenticity and ingenuity, but with not quite enough room for more rice (this time in the form of a chocolate rice pudding), we opted for Rose-petal and Gulab Jamun Cheesecake, and a selection of Ice creams. The cheesecake was heavy but had a delectably creamy flavour and the rose water sorbet provided a welcome contrast. The ice creams themselves were very tasty – the chocolate in particular was a good balance of richness and sweetness – but what we had assumed to be a chocolate sauce on the side of the plate, turned out to be a caramelized balsamic glaze, which overpowered the ice cream and left an unpleasant aftertaste – a step too far in experimental cooking.
For three courses and two cocktails each, the bill came to just under €100 (£84), more reasonable than many of the restaurants of this level in Dublin. If the benefit of the doubt is given to Indie Dhaba, and the undeniably poor service is put down to teething problems, then it is certainly a place that deserves recommendation (maybe a few weeks down the road). The atmosphere is ideal for dinner with friends, and both the food and cocktail menus step away from the norm and nine times out of ten succeed in delivering interesting and delicious taste sensations.
More information on the restaurant here.
Written by a Thoroughly Modern Miss, Lucy Freedman