Growing up in Durban I have eaten a lot of Indian food. From restaurants to friends’ homes (where the food was always infinitely more delicious, I’m talking to you Sandhya and Yashmita) – I was spoilt for choice. The problem is, it has spoilt Indian food for me now, as nothing ever seems to beat Durban.
But at Namaste Chandani, I felt right at home.
On Roodeblom Road, Woodstock, Namaste Chandani is the little sister to Chandani just down the street. It’s bright and colourful and oh so Indian, with the smells I remember so well wafting from the kitchen. One of the owners, Dina, explained to us, that while Chandani has high-end cuisine, Namaste is different. “We don’t use cream and butter. We don’t use nuts and over the top cooking styles. That’s the food of the kings, this is the food of the people.”
On the tables while we waited were the most divine nibbles. Crispy poppadums with a fiery red chilli dip, coriander and yogurt sauce and the most delicious preserved lemon and chilli. Each was outstanding on its own, but the combination was even better. We literally couldn’t stop eating it and the meal was still yet to come.
While they have an a la carte menu, I was so incredibly impressed with the Thali for ONLY R115. A typical style of cuisine where you have many small dishes in front of you, so you can eat and taste a range of things.
Onion Bhaji// Kinda like onion fritters spicy batter, they were light and crunchy and dangerously addictive.
Fish // This dish was ok. The sauce had a very mild spice and was delicious, but the fish itself was a bit watery.
Chicken // Absolutely moreish, it was the perfect balance of spiciness and creaminess. It was full of flavour and cooked to tender perfection. I may have had a second portion.
Spinach Palak // This is a spinach, onion and potato based soup, eaten as a side in the same way as dahl. It was up there with the chicken as one of my favourite dishes of the evening.
Dahl // fragrant and spicy, this think lentil soup was as good or even better than any I have ever had.
Served with traditional sambals like chopped tomato and onion (which, I must add, was seasoned beautifully), yogurt as well as rice and roti.
When they say you get a bit of everything on a Thali, they aren’t kidding. Dessert comes along with your main:
Paneer // A silky smooth milk-based dessert, with vermicelli for texture. This not-so-sweet dessert had a delicate almond flavour, the perfect ending to a phenomenal meal.
With food this delicious, it’s an absolute wonder I hadn’t heard of it before. Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or a meat eater, they cater to your needs with love and passion. Open from Monday to Saturday between 9am to 3pm and again from 6pm, and on Sunday from 9am to 3pm – next time you have a spice craving, you know where to go.
