Dhaba at Fifteen, Norwich

Indian street food in Norwich? You bet.

If you haven’t had masala fries before, you need to go to Dhaba At Fifteen and try them. As soon as. Or the Gol Guppa. Or the Kashmiri rogan lamb shank.

To be honest, you can come here and any dish would satisfy your taste buds. It’s a Tuesday night and Mr HB and I have popped out for a bite to eat. He’d always said we should try this place out and I’m now very glad we finally have.

The restaurant itself is somewhat unassuming. With booths and banquettes lining the walls which are a bit ‘cafe’ style, and lighting that’s cool but perhaps a bit too bright, you might easily walk past this place assuming it is a little run of the mill. But stop in and you’re in for a foodie experience.

There’s some fabulous photography in the walls depicting authentic Indian street life and it’s food. And there’s a steady stream of people coming in to eat. From couples to small groups, there’s a gentle buzz and chatter, whilst authentic music plays quietly in the background. Perhaps a brief taster of things to come. And you bet it is is.

Dhaba At Fifteen: homemade, authentic Indian street food

This place provides a punch for the tastebuds. As you may already know, Mr HB and I share our dishes. Well, he likes to think of it as sharing whilst I glare at him for stealing the best bits on the plate. So we started our meal with some poppadums and chutneys. Now here’s where the differences from a ‘standard’ Indian are first noticeable.

The chutneys are homemade. And full of flavour. Spiced mango chutney that’s cut through with cumin and fresh chilli. Mint raita that is thick and creamy – and tastes like it’s homemade. And another chutney full of finely, freshly, chopped carrots, onions and spices that made my mouth water and want more.

Poppadums demolished, we had a brief wait for our starters: lemon basil pepper tikka with fresh tomato chutney, and Gol Guppa. Now these were a small revelation! Small puffed crispy balls filled with spiced potato and chickpeas with crunchy vermicelli and pomegranate seeds. Pour in the tamarind water and pop the whole bite in your mouth. Yum. Sweet, bitter, smooth. Anyone might think I was talking about a fine wine! But what a great way to start a meal – something light that doesn’t leave anything overpowering lingering in your mouth. And none of that bloating feeling from plates that are too big. Just right (said Goldilocks).

And on to the mains.

Beef is not something you often see on Indian menus, purely because they are considered a sacred animal (depending on where you’re from of course!). So Mr HB ordered the Tamil beef madras just to see what it was like. We both love a madras so I was anticipating a dish with a slightly tomato-ey red colour. Not this one. It was a deep rich and glossy, and came in a piping hot dish. That’s actually one of the things that impressed me: everything was piping hot, not just the food but the dishes too. So from start to finish we didn’t get that coagulated rim on the dish nor the rushed last mouthfuls that are lukewarm or cold.

I had Kashmiri rogan lamb shank (something I wouldn’t normally order on a menu either) which was a feast for the eyes. Served as a whole shank decorated with a little of the sauce and edible flowers over the top, it was not only delicious but inviting on the eyes. The bowl full of additional sauce and yet more succulent, fall-apart lamb was almost too much combined with everything else we ordered to accompany our mains: masala fries (just because I love them that much!), a tandoori roti (which was beautifully light, thin and crispy), a bowl of dhal makhani (you don’t get these on many menus because they take an age to prepare and cook), and a small bowl of rice that was probably the last straw with what we could manage to eat!

An ambience that truly matches the food.

This is Indian street food at its finest. The chef clearly takes extreme pride and care in the flavours and presentation of every dish served. And with a kitchen with just about enough room to swing a cat, and a menu that’s pretty extensive to suit most palates, I’m impressed.

Perhaps the only downside is that Dhaba doesn’t serve alcohol. Nor does it have a BYO license. This could split the crowd. But I think there’s one thing I should mention that might – if you’re a ‘they MUST serve alcohol in an English restaurant’ kind of person – sway your mind. The owner of this restaurant is simply being true his religious identity and chooses to adhere to that in his restaurant. Whilst it might be challenging to some peoples’ mindsets, I have to say I respect him for that. Identity is something I talk a lot about with with hospitality venues, and I’m pleased to see that Dhaba thinks the same.

So come and delight in the flavours that you’ll experience in every dish here, and then you can drive home (or visit the local nightlife afterwards for a couple of pints or cocktails, whatever your lean). Trust me, it’s worth it.