Elite Event: Dhaba Indian Cuisine & Chote Nawab

Finally getting around to posting my review…
When the event description stated «intimate», I was expecting something along the lines of 15 people… this was a Unilocal party (and one filled with plenty of booze and good food, to boot)! And you know the food (and expected company) is good when I am convinced to show up for Indian food. On a Monday night. At 10 pm. After a season of late work-​nights (cheers to the emancipation of any and all in tax-​related fields!)
I love YEE’s because not only do you get to connect with fellow foodies, but you are also pushed to try new foods. Take, for instance, the fish curry served at Dhaba — this is something I have NEVER ordered before because I’m stuck in the usual Indian rut of korma, tikka masala, tandoori, etc. Don’t get me wrong — all that was served at the buffet-​style meal was delicious, but that fish curry was the showstopper of the night! I had to restrain myself from sopping more and more naan in the fish curry.
Dhaba was trendy and modern without forgoing its emphasis on authentic Punjabi cuisine. Something to keep on my radar when in the mood for some serious Indian dining, for sure. As always, many thanks to Ruggy for coordinating yet another great YEE!

I live in Curry Hill but have been scared to go back to any restaurants after going to Tamba and spending $ 75 for two people on Indian food and we didn’t even order anything crazy.
Ambiance: very modern looking. Has a lounge vibe to it. Music was electronic/​top hits and I felt like getting up and dancing on the tables. All the waiters were super friendly and so was the owner. My water was never less than 50% full. It’s on the darker side and a great spot for a date!
Food: delicious! The owner labeled it as Punjabi food. Had the chicken wings to start and they reminded me of jerk chicken with an Indian spice kick. Naan had a wonderful texture. Loved the chicken tika masala and the goat stew! Both were so flavorful but no overwhelming. I also really loved the galub jaman!!!

Awesome event! We were so nicely welcomed into the restaurant, promptly seated and offered drinks.
Chicken wings were passed, naan was distributed, the buffet opened, the food was solid, outrageously copious and we needed to be wheeled out of Dhaba!
We had an amazing time and I know where to go next time I crave Indian food :)
Thanks Ruggy and Dhaba team for putting this really cool late night event and for introducing us to always new culinary experiences!

This was great.
I got into the Chote restaurant, and really enjoyed my experience. My plus and I got our own booth, plenty of food, bonus naan, and never an empty glass.
I don’t think I’ve seen so much food at a Unilocal event. I sampled a little of each thing and was still belly busting.
Thanks to the Chote crew and Ruggy/​Jando. Werk.

Indian food and heavy lagers around midnight are never a great idea, however with Unilocal in the mix you knew it would be a good time.
I arrived to Dhaba at ten on the dot, but the place was already getting packed. Not many seats left by the middle of the joint. So we grabbed seats all the way in the front by the windows. My plus one and I got some Tiger lager right away. It paired well with the food and the staff kept them coming out the entire night. Eventually I had to say «No Mas», which I think is Hindustani for «No more».
We waited to eat, which was cool with me because the drinks were coming out. When we finally got to go though, several sauces and such were out. Kind of a disappointment, but it was fine. It was better than letting a group of Unilocalers all up at once. I saw that happen once and this girl ripped off a guy’s arm, then proceeded to eat it. It was intense and a bit traumatizing. Stop making me bring it up.
What I did get to eat was good though. Everybody loved the standard chicken tikka masala. I thought the bell of the ball was the fish curry. Overall, I thought the food wasn’t out of this world, but I enjoyed it.
Thank you Dhaba and owner Shiva, I appreciate the wonderful service and fine cuisine. And a big thanks to Ruggy and Jando, setting up an event for the late hours of the night, enabling some new Unilocalers to make the party.

STUFFED! Like fattening a pig for slaughter kind of stuffed. But stuffed with deliciously seasoned delights! I loved all the food that was provided, but for me the stand out was the Curry Fish dish because that was Indian cuisine I had never had before. Also, the brown sauce, yea I know, VERY descriptive, was so good I wish I could take shooters of it. Probably not the best idea.
The service was impeccable, so much so, that the waiter was slinging frosty Tiger beers like he had some weird-​get-​rid-​of-​as-​many-​beers-​as-​possible quota. Yay more beers! Did I mention I was already stuffed?
Thanks a mill to Ruggy and Jando for keeping the two events from bursting into flames, and thanks to Dhaba and Chote Nawab for providing us with awesome food and service.

Another fantastic event, Manhattan (and by Manhattan, I mean Ruggy, Jando and Unilocal)! Probably one of my favorites thus far, actually.
Part of the reason I love Unilocal,especially the YEE’s, is because there’s such a strong emphasis on trying new things. Excluding tonight, I can’t remember the last time I had Indian. For some unknown reason, I thought I didn’t like it? Well, after the Indian feast at Chote Nawab, not only do I love Indian, but I want more! Seriously, so good, so flavorful, so… all adjectives for good-​tasting (tasty, mouthwatering, etc.) My favorites were the mushroom and rice dishes, but the chicken was equally delicious. I also really liked the rice pudding! I should probably admit, I was a rice pudding virgin (once again, for some unknown reason, I thought I didn’t like it.)
The service was stellar. Everyone at Chote Nawab was so friendly, so attentive, and really went above and beyond. I felt like a VIP from the moment I walked through the door. The servers checked to see how we were doing multiple times, encouraged us to go up for seconds and try everything, and they gave us a voucher on the way out! Also, it was cool to sit down at a YEE. Usually it’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ (standing/​sitting); this felt more like a dinner party.
I didn’t pay too much attention to the décor because I was so blinded by the food, but I could tell it was a cute, fairly intimate place.
As always, I love hanging with all the Elites and +1’s! I met so many new, cool people, as well as caught up with some familiar faces.
Once again, thank you Ruggy, Unilocal and Chote Nawab for the Indian feast! I will definitely be back!

Thank you to Ruggy, Dhaba, and Tiger beer for making this great event possible!
From the moment I entered, I felt very welcomed at my first elite event. I was lucky enough to meet many cool Unilocalers, especially Mike, Mitch, and Gigi who I sat near.
The waitstaff did an excellent job of making sure my glass was never low and my beer was full. I’m not generally a huge beer girl, but I did enjoy the Tiger beer lager flavor.
Highlights of the buffet included chicken tikka masala and saag paneer. The naan basket (garlic/​onion/​jalepeño?) was awesome. I don’t think I have ever had spicy naan and I was pleasantly surprised.
The owners made a sincere speech about how hard they work to create the menu and listen to their customer’s wishes.
Overall, I could not have asked for a better first event! Thanks to all who made this possible and looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.

It was a school night, but hey, New Yorkers party around the clock, even on a school night.
I enjoy these late night events, less hustle and bustle and more party popping and as my crew kept saying, «it’s all about the bass…»
Dhaba was a cool venue and located in the heart of Curry Hill, bhangra music blasting overhead made you feel like getting down.
This was a sit down event so no bouncing around like I am normally accustomed to. Food was buffet style and tell me why was everything HOT HOT HOT?
This place is touted as Punjabi food, but last I checked, Goan fish curry is a dish from a bit South? In any case, no worries. Food was EXCELLENT. Fresh, spicy and filling. Gulab jamun was not actually as SWEET as I have known it to be and apparently Jamel just loves this dessert!
Ran into some old troublemakers including Lisa D., Jamel O., Jonathan L, Sheldon. Met Spencer and chatted about TMNT and biracial dating, coolio.
We spilled out onto the streets around midnight, said hello to our fellow Unilocalers across the way at Chote Nawab, got caught in the misty rain, drunk, satiated and happy!
Thanks Ruggy and the team for throwing yet another FABULOUS event.

I loved the event last night! We got there a few minutes past 10 and the place was pretty much packed. The place is pretty tiny and the owners decided to keep the tables and chairs — so everyone were seated down — just as you would when the restaurant is operating during business hours. I went there expecting only beer and appetizers but instead there was also wine and a full buffet. I got the red wine for drinks and it was absolutely amazing! My boyfriend ordered the Tiger beer (they were the sponsors for this event) and he liked his drink as well.
As for food, there weren’t a lot of vegan options so I couldn’t eat much but my plus one for this event as my boyfriend and he tried everything and loved it. They had chicken tikka for appetizers which my boyfriend thought were cooked very well. For the buffet, they had goan fish curry, chicken tikka, saag paneer and rice. My boyfriend’s favorite was the fish curry. But the star of the meal for my boyfriend was the gulab jamun — little milk balls fried and soaked in the sugar syrup. As he described it — «the best he has ever had», which says a lot since he grew up in India.
As always many thanks to Ruggy and the rest of the Unilocal team for organizing this event! Definitely my favorite so far…

Ditto to the Dhaba food coma comments! We came, we ate, we conquered, we stayed dry, and we loved it!
It was a real treat to come down to Curry Hill and try out some cuisine where I’m admittedly not well-​versed. After a round of tasty curried chicken wings, we took a stroll down the buffet line, selecting from 5 – 6 different hot options. My favorites were the chicken tikka masala and the palak paneer. The hot naam served tableside did wonders in soaking up all the delicious sauces left on my plate!
The owner spoke from the heart and you could see his passion in food and his attentiveness to customer satisfaction. We will definitely return, or order delivery since it’s just 10 blocks away from my condo :)
Thanks to Ruggy, Jando, Dhaba & Chote Nawab, and to Tiger beer for an awesome night!

Currently have food coma… will update this once I get out of my food coma.
But before I forget, thanks to Ruggy @ Unilocal and Dhaba for making me have a food coma, epic event!

A big shout out to our Community… wait for it… DIRECTOR, Ruggy for organizing this brilliant event to give us an opportunity to catch up with old Unilocal friends and meet new ones.
I usually do not eat much at Unilocal Elite Events because I am too busy socializing (and heaven knows I’m talkative), but this was a sit-​down event with lots of eating involved. The offerings from the restaurant consisted of all the items that I usually never order at an Indian restaurant because those items are for folks who are unfamiliar with the Indian cuisines (yes, I intended «cuisines» as plural, not a typo), and need to be eased into the experience of eating Indian food. Therefore, this was a good opportunity to sample some of the dishes I do not normally eat.
The tandoori chicken was moist and flavorful; the chicken tikka masala was good; the palak paneer was spicier than that dish typically is, which was great; the fish curry had a good heat index; and the gulab jamuns were piping hot and fresh. The red kidney bean salad had diced jalapenos in it, which (although not very Indian) gave it a nice kick.
Service was very gracious, and Shiva, the owner, gave an impassioned welcoming speech along with his team.
A few of us left Dhaba a little early, and ran across the street to Chote Nawab (the restaurant under common ownership with Dhaba, where the Unilocal Elite Event was being concurrently held) to say hello to more Unilocal friends. We met Shiva and his team again, and were offered more food!
I have bookmarked both restaurants, and note that their menus look very promising (Dhaba focusing more on the Punjabi cuisine, and Chote Nawab more on the Lakhnavi). I will be back for more!

Cheers to Dhaba, Ruggy, and Tiger beer for hosting another awesome Unilocal event. Stomachs where filled to the max with delicious food, beer and wine.
I’ve always been a fan of Dhaba and have frequented the Indian and Pakistani joints in Murray hill over the last few years, but have since moved to the west side and dearly miss my goto comfort foods — palak paneer being one of my favorites. (Sorry hells (Thai) kitchen I still love you)
The owner of Dhaba gave a heart warming short speech while we dined. Dhaba is their take on Punjabi cuisine with influences from the Indian cuisine of London. I felt like he was welcoming us into their home.
Service was awesome, super friendly and beer magically appeared in my hand without even asking.
We were served papadam — a pepper infused crispy crêpe, palak paneer — homemade cheese in a spicy spinach curry, chicken tikka masala, and a fish curry dish which I missed the name of. I appreciated the fish and palak paneer the most but everything was well made, balanced, not overly salty.
I’m going to have to find more excuses to visit this neighborhood more often.

Wow, this was seriously one of my favorite elite events of all-​time. From the moment we walked into the Dhaba restaurant we really felt catered to. As soon as I saw the buffet station in the back, I immediately regretted eating a fairly large salad only a few hours earlier.
I sat with my friend, awesome eliter Juliane L and her husband Aaron L (who was celebrating his 30^th birthday ;)) .The wait staff was nothing short of spectacular as they were consistently checking on us. Three of us opted for the Tiger (Thai) beer while my friend had the red wine, which he said was decent.
We finally got to sample the delicacies at the buffet and I was extremely pleased. I particularly liked the chicken tikka masala, which was not to spicy and had just the right amount of sauce. The Palakk Paneer (vegeterian curry) was tasty as well with just the slightest kick. I also liked the nam papadam’s (crêpe) and the desert balls. As an extra bonus, we were served a couple of chicken wings at the table and eventually some naan which is probably one of my favorite Indian food choices.
The owners were really nice and gave everybody a 15% off coupon for our next visit to any of their restaurants. As somebody who has only tried Indian food a couple of times, I’m very interested in returning for this kind of hospitality. As an added bonus, my friend told me about their lunch buffet special and apparently you can eat like a king and still get the same high level of service.
Thanks Ruggy and Unilocal for hooking us up tonight. I’m glad I walked home from Murray Hill to the Village, I could use it to burn all those delicious calories I just consumed…

Yet another great night! Thanks for having us chote and welcome to the world of Unilocal!
Great atmosphere, cozy and somewhat romantic. Very date appropriate.
Great tasting of Lamb biryani, bal-​makahani, tandoor mushroom, chicken tikka, rice pudding! I was pleasantly surprised with the dessert wine. Out of all the dishes I liked the bal-​makahani the most, very flavorful. The lamb biryani was good except for the rice. There were some leaves in there? The chicken was a little too dry, tandoor mushrooms were okay the mushroom texture was a bit too soggy for me. Rice pudding was delish, very flavorful and had a strong spice taste to it. Cinnamon I believe.
Servers were very attentive all night, they made great eye contact and were very approachable and alert. Our plates were constantly taken away and our drinks constantly filled.
I loved hearing the owner talk about chote and how it came to be. It was wonderful to hear about the history of the restaurant.
Before I arrived at chote I went to check in at dhaba, very rowdy but in a good way. Different kind of scene compared to chote. Great for mingling and friends but I’m glad I ate at chote instead since I was with my boyfriend and we wanted to have cozier setting. Thanks again Unilocal

I don’t know about you but we were all treated to a feast best left to the imagination. It was really something wonderful. What better way to top off a three day weekend?
The venue we attended at Chote Nawab was the counterpart to Dhaba across the street and as i understood had many of the same elements as the venue we attended.
They had food served buffet-​style accompanied by a complement of Tiger beer or wine (red or white)… Very generous, thank you! The usual suspects like chicken tikka, lamb biriyani, naan, etc. were available for all to try… as were tandoori mushrooms, dal-​markhani, and rice pudding afterwards. I saw some new faces which i wanted to meet and greet but because of the seating arrangement, i guess it didn’t make it easy to do so.
Service was swift to clear tables and/​or provide refills. Of course, we also got to see and meet the owners, yes, Shiva Natarajan, restauranteur was on-​hand! As they explained, Chote Nawab literally translates to «Little Prince.» This was the first time they’ve entertained the idea of an Unilocal event after a few years of operation.
Although I was a +1 to tonight’s 10pm event, a big thanks is in order to Ruggy, Jando, Joanna (you’re the best for letting me be your +1), and the staff at Dhaba and Chote for putting together an awesome event for the elites. Nice meeting you Grace P and TJ! Good seeing Melanie and Michael again.
Will definitely be coming back to have dinner or lunch when I’m in the area!

Definitely one of the best elite events I have attended in my ripe five years.
We were greeted warmly and were able to sit at a table of our choosing. The Dhaba staff was immediately attentive and came around offering Tiger beer and red wine.
I loved the little mason jars used for water glasses. The décor was tasteful and modern, the lighting intimate and romantic.
A small chicken appetizer kicked off a night of delicious food that lacked neither quality nor quantity. We all were able to help ourselves at the buffet-​style setup. My favorite was the lamb curry– I was ecstatic that they didn’t hold back on spice level here!
Fresh, warm naan came out in heaping baskets to accompany our curries. There was enough food for a round of seconds! The music made us all feel like clubbing, ha. I received a joking suggestion that I dance on the table– one day I may be kicked out of a Unilocal Elite event, but this one was way too good to take the risk ;)
I admired that the owner spoke about the care that Dhaba takes to represent various regional Indian cuisines authentically.
THANK YOU, Ruggy and Shiva for turning a muggy rainy NYC night into a decadent feast and awesome party. I’ll definitely be back, with a hungry belly and maybe ready to table dance after round 2.

Having just had Dhaba takeout this past weekend and not having been to Chote Nawab in over a year, I was delighted to have been able to join my fellow Unilocalers for yet another great Elite (+1) event! Thank you to Jando, Ruggy, Chote Nawab, and the rest of the Unilocal Gods for making this happen.
Upon entering at 10pm, I was surprised to see a buffet set up on the side of the restaurant, meaning… buffet style! Luckily, the bf and I had only had a small dinner after having a very large lunch. This was different than the usual everyone stands by the kitchen and waits for the waitress/​waiter to come out and hoard little bites type of event… it was actually quite intimate as the description said. I was telling the bf that this would be a perfect date night for a single Unilocaler!
BF and I were very pleased at the set up and the food choices — his favorite being the lamb biryani and my favorite being the tandoori mushrooms. I LOVE mushrooms and I’d never had Indian mushrooms before. YUM. Afterwards, we were presented with Indian rice pudding. The naan was hot out of the oven (to the point where it burned my finger) and to die for. Free Tiger beer and wine for everyone!
Service was on point, too. We always had someone coming over to ask us how we were doing and to refill our waters.
Cheers to a great night! Shoutout to my new Unilocal friend Lisa W. and her boyfriend. :)

10pm YEE on a rainy Monday evening? Bring it! Never mind that I had cleaned off my leftovers from Masala Wala just hours before.
I’d had an amazing meal at Dhaba a few years ago but have never been to Chote Nawab. Lucky for me, I got placed into Chote Nawab — perfect! After a quick check-​in, we settled in before starting an assembly line to dig in – it was buffet style tonight! Four items were featured — Dal-​Makhani, Lamb Biryani, Tandoor Mushroom and Chicken Tikka alongside several accompaniments. Every item that I sampled was excellent and seasoned just right, although my favorite was definitely the Chicken Tikka — ridiculously juicy and flavorful. A basket of piping hot, fluffy naan was also served at each table, mmm. Drinks of the evening were Tiger Beer or some house wine. I stuck with the white; a sweet Chardonnay. To finish off an excellent meal, a wonderful rice pudding was served for dessert. So good.
The service tonight was top notch — we were getting refills with every sip that we took and asked if everything was okay at every other turn. I dined with a few familiar faces — Grace P, Michael W, Ron L, TJ R and Melanie W and had a grand ol time that we ended up closing the place out.
Thanks to the gracious and warm owners including Unilocal Team NYC — it was the best way to top off a three day weekend!