We had been trying a bunch of different Indian Restaurants in Madison when we came across Dhaba. We had just finished moving apartments in the snow and needed something warm and hearty for dinner and were hankering for some good indian food. So far we had not been quite excited of much of the Indian food we came across. This dinner made us big fans of Dhaba and we cherish a few things which matter to us that are surprisingly not found that easily.
The thing that got our attention was the Paneer in the Paneer Masala we ordered was just so good. So many times the paneer we encounter here is either crumbly (mostly from being frozen), over cooked (worse is fried) and quite tasteless. If people try bad paneer without having tried the good stuff than can be made at home or what we have grown up on in India, there is no way they can fall in love with it. There are two things good about paneer here. Its just a really good quality paneer. Its soft, its moist and it tastes fresh! The second is that when you start with a good product, not much needs to be done with it and at Dhaba they take care to be gentle with it and allow it to dazzle on its own. Its never sauteed before adding to the entrees, neither is it allowed to boil away in the sauces as they are finished. Many times restaurants tend to fry the paneer to hide its lack of good qualities, so its natural that here paneer is allowed to shine and be the star of the dishes. We are simple people and get quite excited by these simple things. I was surprised enough to ask Sonu the chef/owner of the restaurant if the paneer was made in-house. He said, they did not do that but he had taken some effort to connect with a cheese maker in Wisconsin to make the paneer for him. He also went on to provide some more information that most times paneer from California is used for its competitive pricing. We were proud and glad to enjoy our local Wisconsin Paneer and have been fans ever since. We have also seen this later featured at Willi street coop.
There is one more thing that unraveled as we started visiting Dhaba. We pleasantly realized that they do not do buffet for lunches. This is impressive for us and wish more people start doing that. A lot has happened because of price and portion wars between indian and asian restaurants most of which has to do with compromising the quality of ingredients which directly affects the results of taste and texture of food served. Plus there is so much wastage and some recipes just do not work in mass produced buffet systems. I hope Dhaba flourishes and is able to stick to its no buffet stance. However they offer an excellent alternative in form of a thali on weekends. This is a phenomenal value where the menu is pre decided in vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The thali allows Dhaba to focus with the number of entrees cooked limited and thus provide good quality yet generously portioned meals. We honestly struggle to complete the thali and always carry leftovers. Finishing the thali does call for a good afternoon nap.
Among the appetizers we love the paneer pakoda which are done simply and on a rainy day are a perfect snack with their tea which is spiced with chai masala with hints of cinnamon. If we are doing entrees we tend to order the papad which comes with an assortment of standard accompaniments.
Dhaba makes really good breads and you can never go wrong with their naan and garlic naan. If you are ordering entrees we highly recommend these or go lighter on the bread with our favorite here – the chapati. You can clearly taste the wholesome wheat flavor and instead of tandoor they are rolled and cooked on a griddle resulting in softer bread.
For the entrees we invariably order at-least one Paneer Masala. We have had this entree about 20 times at Dhaba so far. Many Indian restaurants suffer the problem of consistency. We have many times like an entree at a restaurant to go back and find it taste completely different and not so good. The consistency with which the Paneer Masala turns out at Dhaba is to be appreciated and not taken for granted at most restaurants. To top it off it is perfectly balanced using not too overpowering spices and focuses on the sweetness of tomatoes and nuttiness of cashew paste. We like to order this at medium level of heat.
Our other favorite is the bhindi masala which has stir fried nicely caramelized okra which is never sticky. This entree never works if okra is frozen and i feel most entrees here taste well because the produce is fresh instead of being frozen as some restaurants tend to use to compete on prices. They also turn out a really good Malai Kofta and we recommend it highly. Usually we end up choosing one of the paneer masala/ malai kofta and one of Bhindi / Dal Tadka when the two of us are eating. The dal tadka reminds us of home and we devour it with chapatis or use the side of rice to go with it. For most other entrees we tend to pair them with breads.
Other than our favourites above sometime we order chole masala and baingan bharta as well. We tend to order both of these entrees with mild heat. We feel eggplant in baingan bharta is quite delicate and to enjoy the smoky flavors its better for it to be not overpowered with spice. We feel the same way for the chole masala and whole heartedly enjoy the mild version here especially in winters when i like to eat this sometimes on its own like a warming stew.
Dhaba also offers a soup or salad to go with the entree but i believe that fills us up usually and since our focus is less about portions when we eat out we tend to request a little portion of a simple Indian style salad which we are used to eating growing up. Dhaba has always generously obliged us and we love them for that. It comes with a few slivers of onions, slices of cucumbers and tomatoes and sometimes green chilies grown on premises! A squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of chat masala and its perfect for us. On the dessert menu i love the rice kheer which is not too sweet and perfumed with a hint of cardamom.
The owners as well as staff are very hard working from what we see. Their attention to detail is seen in how they maintain the linen and are always busy setting the plates and silverware properly. The interiors do not suffer the cliches of Indian restaurants that have been carried over from the seventies. They mix a touch of tradition with a touch of modern. The team is energetic, knowledgeable about the menu and are able to communicate nuances behind various dishes quite well. It is spacious too and we havent faced any issues when i have gone there with a group of 14 with a few hours notice! We love being hosted by this team.
Only thing on our wishlist that we keep reminding Sonu about is to start doing off the menu monthly specials. This will allow us to sample a lot more variety and entrees that we miss on typical menus. Indian restaurant menus have become cliched over the years and they are mostly the same no matter where you go. If anyone can bring off the menu rarely featured entrees as seasonal specials to us, we believe its Sonu and his team. We especially yearn for monthly specials from the parts of northern India where Dhaba’s food is inspired from.
