TasWeekend: Danphe great place to sate a Himalayan hunger
WHILE Hobart has an abundance of Indian eateries, Nepalese fare is a little harder to track down.
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DAL bhat for breakfast, dal bhat for tea, dal bhat for lunchtime, to keep your bowels free … so goes a strange song that became the soundtrack to my mid-1990s mountain trekking adventure in Nepal. Tackling the arduous Langtang Valley and Helambu route with a group of three friends — one of whom devised the dal bhat ditty — we ate nothing but dal bhat and the occasional plate of fried potatoes for several weeks.
For the uninitiated, dal bhat is a soupy lentil dish usually served with rice and sometimes accompanied by a simple vegetable curry. A staple at tiny tea houses located alongside the craggy paths in Nepal, it sustained us on a journey that peaked at an altitude sickness-inducing 5000m over Ganja La pass.
While a badly timed blizzard obscured a promised view of Mt Everest, I emerged with thighs of steel and a fitness level that these days I can only fantasise about. Reminiscing about the adventure on a recent reunion with two of my fellow footsloggers, I feel the need to track down some Nepalese fare.
Named after the tiny Himalayan kingdom’s national bird, Danphe is a no-frills Nepalese and Indian eatery that opened its doors in the old Imperial Hotel building in Hobart’s CBD about a year ago. Casual, compact and wallet-friendly, it offers a range of Nepalese and Indian classics including the ubiquitous dal bhat and delicious dumplings, known as momos, which are served steamed or fried.
When we visit early on a Wednesday evening, about half of the tables are occupied, with a few folk drifting in to pick up takeaway orders. The hungriest of our party inhales a few complimentary pappadums.
I set to work ordering entrees, opting for aaloo chops (plump potato patties spiked with peas and coated in a wafer-thin batter) and samosa chaat (crushed samosas served in a swirling sea of yoghurt, tamarind and mint sauces). My favourite starter by far is the chicken choyla — grilled chunks of chicken thigh flavoured with ginger, garlic and lemon juice that are lip-tinglingly spicy.
Moving on, I can’t resist the tandoori chicken. Slightly charred yet moist, it is still sizzling as it hits the table on a searingly hot plate. The juice from a cheek of lemon adds a delicious tang. In a nod to nostalgia, I also order the kalo dal (a soupy lentil dish) and a Nepalese-style goat curry slow-cooked on the bone in a rich tomato sauce spiced with garam masala.
All this is accompanied by two buttery naan breads and a golden serve of saffron rice, and washed down with a BYO bottle of Milton pinot gris.
A sucker for rice pudding, I try the kheer for dessert — a warm and creamy version with cinnamon and cardamom that’s not overly sweet. My no-longer-ravenous friend snacks on a vivid orange jalebi — a doily-like circle of deep fried sugary batter that tastes much better than it looks.
By the time our short but satisfying Nepalese journey ends, Danphe is almost full. A long table of family and friends has gathered to celebrate a baby girl’s first birthday, adding to the cheerful vibe.
Curiously, the dal was the one dish we didn’t manage to finish. Perhaps you can have too much of a good thing.
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