#216 Amit Tuteja | Desi Dhaba

When diners walk into Desi Dhaba, owner Amit Tuteja wants them to feel as though they have come home to India. The decor is bright and cheerful, and the food is rustic, filling and delicious. Named after the highway eateries, or Dhaba, in India where truckies and people on road trips call in to eat local treats, Desi Dhaba is all about using local produce with raw spices and recipes direct from India. Amit is a veteran of the hospitality industry, arriving in Melbourne from Delhi when he was 20. He has worked in New Zealand as well as Melbourne and now owns six restaurants across the city, having once said that he would never get into Indian food. Amit started talking as soon as I came into Desi Dhaba and I was delighted with his stories as well as the two cups of delicious masala chai I had. This was an afternoon chat and Amit made me promise that I would come back for dinner with my partner one day. I can't wait.