Of the numerous restaurants in the Upper Thomson area, the one that we’ve been to most frequently is Daawat Tandoori.
Over the years, we must have eaten there more than a dozen times. Which, in itself, is not that surprising. Until you realise the sheer number and variety of restaurants and eateries on both sides of that particular stretch.
It’s so competitive that many different shops have come and gone over the years, but Daawat has somehow managed to stand the test of time.
Thinking back, the only other restaurants that have survived over the past almost two decades are Parker Korean just next door, Nam Kee Chicken Rice a few doors down, as well as The Roti Prata House and Ming Fa Fishball Noodles on the other side of the road.
Strangely enough, we’ve never actually stepped into either Parker or Nam Kee, despite telling ourselves that we should try them at least once. But whenever we walk past Daawat, we end up walking through their glass door, drawn like a moth to a flame.
One of the many things that keeps us going back is their delicious and value-for-money set meal. There are four options to choose from, and all of them come with a variety of dishes served on a large metal thali.
The Wife and I almost always go with the tandoori and seafood set meals and share everything. Portions are really generous and most of the usual North Indian dishes are featured.
Each set comes with a choice of naan, briyani rice, raita and a simple undressed salad, plus dessert and tea/coffee at the end of the meal. I don’t think we’ve ever managed to finish everything, and usually end up bringing home most of the naan.
After we place our order, the stern-looking waiter quickly serves us our welcome drinks and amuse bouche — plain water and a basket of papadums with mint chutney.
The chutney used to come in a small saucer, along with a teaspoon to spoon it onto the papadums. But recently, they’ve opted to go with a squeeze bottle, which is more convenient and results in less wastage.
Eating off a thali is quite fun, and something that I always look forward to when ordering Daawat’s set meal. The plating is not particularly fancy, but there’s just something comforting about a huge metal platter filled with food.
The butter chicken and dahl curry in the tandoori set come in their individual metal bowls, as do the vegetable jelefrezi, raita and gulab jamun. A mound of briyani rice is placed in the centre, with the seekh kebab, chicken tikka and shredded raw vegetables completing the display.
I’ve tried to get used to the taste of raita but haven’t been successful. Even though I can stomach the occasional yoghurt as a light dinner, raita just isn’t palatable to me and it usually gets farmed off to The Wife.
Other than that, I enjoy everything in the set meal, even the copious amounts of cauliflower in the jelefrezi. But among the various items offered, my favourites are the butter chicken and the seekh kebab.
The rich, creamy and spicy sauce of the butter chicken goes so well with rice and naan. Especially when we opt for the “Indian spicy” level of heat, which sometimes gets us a subtle nod of appreciation from the waiter.
The seekh kebab is served hot, smokey and is chock full of various herbs and spices. It’s hard to go wrong with barbequed meat, and the Indian seasoning goes particularly well with minced lamb. The only issue I have is that the set only comes with one piece.
Briyani rice, dahl curry, vegetable jelefrezi and raita are common across both sets, with the tandoori meats and butter chicken replaced with seafood instead. The fish curry has a lighter consistency compared with the butter chicken, and features more acidity.
It’s always tricky to barbeque prawns and more often than not, it gets overcooked. Unfortunately, this generally has been our experience at Daawat as well. While the texture is less than ideal, the flavours are still pleasantly robust.
The fish tikka tends to fare better, perhaps because it’s a bigger piece and can withstand the heat from the tandoor. It comes out flaky and still manages to retain some juiciness.
When we skip the set meals and order off the ala carte menu, there are a few favourites that we keep going back to. Butter chicken makes a regular appearance, as does the refreshingly vegetal palak paneer and tart yet fiery mutton vindaloo.
But regardless of whether we choose the set or opt for individual dishes, our one constant is to end the meal with their masala tea. It’s one of the better ones that we’ve had in Singapore, with a deep and complex flavour from their unique spice blend.
On days that we feel particularly greedy, we’d also order their delicious dum briyani as takeaway. We’ve tried all of their different versions, including chicken, mutton, vegetarian and seafood. The fluffy long-grained basmati rice really soaks up the spices and gives off such an alluring and heady aroma.
When it comes to Indian restaurants in Singapore, Daawat Tandoori is not particularly famous. But we’re glad that it has managed to survive for so long, consistently putting out svaadisht comfort food that we’ve been able to enjoy all these years.
