Malaysia : REVIEW - D'Tandoor Northern Indian Cuisine

D’Tandoor, one of the most famous Northern Indian cuisine restaurant in Malaysia with several outlets all over the country with strong online presence in a few others. Mention it to any Malaysians, they’re bound to say they’ve at least tried it once. Though now D’Tandoor is the biggest North Indian food franchiser in the country, it does have an interesting history of how it was started.

Back in 1984, a determined young Penangnite, Abdul Malik Abdullah discovered his true passion after working hard for serveral restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. After a long and fruitful journey into the F&B world, Abdul Malik went to Sydney in search of fresh ideas. After completing his Diploma in Business Management, he returned to Malaysia and with the support from his wife, Mumtaz Begum Mohd Sidek, later lead him to open the very first D’Tandoor Restaurant in Damansara Utama with friend and co-founder, Tan Hun Kim in 1990.

After coming a long way in the food industry in the country and overseas, D’tandoor Group has established multiple companies under its name specialising in catering, take away, delivery orders as well as cooking classes.

During hard times of Covid-19, I decided to try out their delivery menu. And here are my thoughts on them.

Mutton Rogan Josh

If you are a fan of mutton dishes, you must’ve tried one or two Rogan Joshes if you dine at an Indian Restaurants, yes? Well, believe me, this particular Rogan Josh is definitely one not to be missed. Some might argue that there could be too many fats incorporated into the dish but I personally feel that it adds to the depth of flavour of the gravy. The dish is nicely seasoned and is great to be paired with both rice and naan.

Palak Paneer

A dish that needs no introduction to the Indian cuisine cult. The texture of D’tandoor’s Palak Paneer is perfect, velvety smooth and not gritty at all. Tasty and not too creamy. I love how the cottage cheese and spinach flavours complement each other as one does not overpower the taste of the other. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of spinach but this Palak Paneer is —

It was definitely one of the favourites for the night.

Dhall Tarka

Of course, any Indian meal is not complete without a Dhall! You’ll be pleased to know that D’Tandoor does not skimp on the lentils in preparing the Dhall dish. The gravy is thick and not watery — unlike the ones we’re used to at some of the Mamak stalls.

Hydrabhadi Briyani

The hydrabadi briyani was filled with generous portions of succulent lamb pieces. Tasty? Absolutely! Even the rice were cooked to perfection where it wasn’t dry not too soggy. The taste is unique and flavourful. You will not regret ordering this.

Briyani Rice

Ah, these little grains of flavours. The briyani rice was so tasty that you could just eat it on its own. Portions served at D’tandoor are generous and trust me, it will fill you up! Well seasoned and cooked to perfection, the perfect main meal to accompany the other dishes that comes with it.

Butter Chicken Masala

Now, tell me, who doesn’t love butter chicken masala? I no noone of it. The problem with butter chicken masalas usually is that either the spices are too overpowering or it gets too sweet BUT D’Tandoor’s butter chicken is none of that. The flavours were well balanced and the chicken meat was so tender that it just falls apart when you touch it. I could have a whole portion to myself but oh well, you know what they say, sharing is caring, so..

Keema Mattar

One of the most versatile dishes in Indian cuisine, the Keema Mattar. A delicious blend of minced meat with peas in thick gravy of spices. You could eat this with literally anything — rice, naan, bread, crackers, you name it. This particular dish was so flavourful with a hint of heat to give that kick. Even my 3 year old son enjoyed this dish.

Garlic Naan / Cheese Naan

Now, let’s talk about the naan. Oh, the naan, those fluffy cloud of bread goodness. Everyone knows my unhealthy obsession over Indian Cuisine so I have tried many naans in my life and believe me, this is one of THE BEST I’ve ever tried in the world. The texture is so soft and velvety, you could eat it on its own. My favourite was of course the cheese naan where the cheese wasn’t too overpowering that you could enjoy it with other dishes too.

Each set meals comes with papadoms and hello, who doesn’t like papadoms?! Those crunchie goodness with the mint sauce, perfect companion to the rest of the meal.

Overall, I was very satisfied (and overfilled) with my meal. Do I recommend it to try, absolutely. Do I recommend you eating the same portion I did, probably not as much because they have so many other delicious dishes to try! What’s your favourite Northern Indian cuisine dish?

Malaysia : REVIEW – D’Tandoor Northern Indian Cuisine