Press

Elegant take on dining's a winner: By Charis Chang
News Paper: Northern District Times

While enjoying Dawat Indian Restaurant's tasty tandoori chicken, take comfort from the fact that the bird had enjoyed a brief, but good life.

The restaurant's tandoori chicken is made with free-range birds and is well worth trying-it is deliciously tender.

Having free-range produce on the menu also suits the restaurant's contemporary look and feel.

The decore of Dawat is sparse, with elegant place settings, wine glasses and white linen napkins. The food also tastes very fresh and not too oily.

Owner Sandy Thapa said they wanted to provide their diners with a healthy option in providing a dish using free-range produce. Unfortunately the rest of the chicken meals were not free range but the butter chicken still tasted great, though the tomato flavours of the creamy sauce were quite strong.

A standout was palak paneer. This satisfying dish of baby spinach puree and home-made cottage cheese had a nice balance of flavours, tasted healthy and filling.

We also tried the fish malabari, fish fillets cooked in coriander seeds, cumin, turmeric and freshly ground coconut. The bubbly texture of the seeds created a nice sensation in the mouth and offset the creaminess of the sauce.

We also enjoyed the onion and tomato salad, a subtle side dish that was refreshing and healthy. The cheeses naan was generously filled and also satisfying.

Dawat has been operating inside Beecroft's shopping centre for three years now and has proved popular with the locals. The restaurant's elegant take on Indian dining was definitely a winner with me and I thought the prices were very reasonable. Their BYO policy was an added recession buster.