Chinese Dahba

I found this place in the recently renovated Patel Plaza on Church Street in Decatur.  Chinese-Indian food sounded intriguing, so we gave it a try.  Inside this modest space, you place your order at the counter, choose a table and wait.

Up first, Vegetable Spring Samosas.  Spring roll wrappers, in a triangular shape filled with peas, and spring roll filling.  I was a tad bit disappointed because I was expecting a least the crispy traditional samosa crust.  The only thing I could attribute to a traditional samosa was the addition of the peas to the spring roll mix.  Ah but I then remembered that this is "Chinese food with an Indian twist." After creating my own dipping sauce of ketchup and a pepper condiment mixture on the table, they were actually quite tasty.  Next, Chicken 65 which was a garlicky and spicy hot salute to this Indian street food.  The vegetables (onions and green bell peppers) were crisp and the chicken, chunks of white meat chicken with that wonderful tandoori coloring were very nicely done.  I did though have a yearning for some naan which unfortunately does not appear on the menu in any incarnation.

Perhaps what I really craved that day was straight Indian food, we were after all next door to my absolute favorite Indian restaurant, Mirch Masala.  But Chinese Dahba's epic menu deserves a second, third and fourth chance.  Next time those Crispy Chili Potatoes sound divine.   And what about Chili Garlic Noodles? Or the chef's favorite Chicken Bullet Dry, a name that suggests all kinds of tasty possibilities? Old Chinese standbys such as Pepper Steak and Garlic Chicken round out the menu.

 The owner circulated the room surveying customer satisfaction and was curious to how we had heard about them.  If you have a thing about plastic utensils, drinking out of cans and styrofoam plates, steer clear but if you are looking for a new food adventure, come on in!