I’m ravenous by the time we arrive at Dahkin, an Indian restaurant in the Merchant City hailing itself as the ‘South Indian Kitchen’.
Up the stairs, through the doors, we enter into a wonderfully airy space with big windows and ample room to move around. The fantastic aroma that welcomes us is nothing short of exquisite. My appetite instantly shifts into overdrive.
Attentive, friendly staff take us to our table where I scour the menu – it seems I’m in for a few surprises.
Different, daring and delicious
I’ve been to plenty of Indian restaurants and I think I know a thing or two about Indian cuisine. But all that’s thrown out the window as I’m faced with a selection of new and interesting sounding South Indian dishes I’d never heard of.
Kohzi Melagu Chettinard, Erachi Thenga Varuval are described in mouth-watering detail, coconut, chillies, coriander, ginger, black pepper. I could eat the whole menu.
And the winner is…
We opt for a combination of chicken, lamb and vegetables dishes – and it’s admittedly hard to pick a winner. But the Mysore Chilli Koli tender chicken cooked in onion, tomato, fresh coconut paste and green chillies is absolutely divine. Perfectly prepared, its tantalising flavour keeps sending me back for more.
The melt-in-your-mouth lamb is pretty special too – Masa Koondhapur with red chillies, garam masala and I could eat by the spoonful.
The food’s magnificent, so much so that I go back for seconds and thirds before finally letting our indulgent waiter take our totally empty dishes away. And the price is equally as tasty – four main dishes, a side dish, rice, bread a round of drinks comes in at a reasonable £20 a head a bargain.
I’ll definitely be back.
– B
About a City 