John Sharma and Sunitika Vashishat found many of their customers crossed the bridge from Vancouver to enjoy fresh, flavorful Indian food at their Portland restaurant, Daawat A Ishq, so they decided to open a second restaurant on this side of the Columbia River.
Sharma saw an ad on Facebook for the former Las Flamas space in Orchards and moved in last summer.
Eating Indian food in a former Mexican restaurant may seem odd to some customers, but Sharma doesn’t agree. He believes Indian culture and Mexican culture share similarities in decor and use of spices. The former Las Flamas building seemed like a logical fit for him.
Sharma and his wife, Vashishat, are from Punjab, a state in northwestern India, and their restaurant features food from that region, including naan, curries, tandoori and samosas. But they plan on adding popular Southern Indian dishes like dosas (savory crepes) and sambar (lentil stew) eventually.
Dining out guide
Daawat A Ishq
Where: 10820 N.E. Coxley Drive, Vancouver.
Hours: Noon to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 4:30-9 p.m. Saturday.
Contact: 360-984-5450; daawataishq.com
Health score: Daawat A Ishq had yet to receive its first scored inspection at press time. For more information, call Clark County Public Health at 360-397-8428.
Daawat means an invitation for food and ishq means love in Hindi.
“The meaning and purpose of getting into this business is to share food and love and your best moments with us,” Vashishat said. “In our culture, we celebrate together with food.”
Even though Daawat A Ishq is a bit off the beaten path, it seems that the word is getting out that a great new Indian restaurant has opened in Vancouver. I got several tips about this place, and it lived up to all the hype. One thing that stood out was the freshness and variety of flavors in the dishes here.
“The thing I love about Indian food is its fresh preparation. There’s nothing you can reheat,” Vashishat said.
On my first visit, it was a rainy weeknight, and I just wanted takeout. I ordered vegetable samosa ($5.99 for two), bhindi masala ($16.99), and butter chicken ($18.99), the assorted bread basket ($14.99) and a mango lassi ($5.99). I requested medium spice for the bhindi masala and mild for the chicken. I sipped on the tangy mango lassi on the ride home. When I got home, a whiff of garlic filled the air as I opened the foil that had been carefully wrapped around the bread.
The samosas came as a flaky pastry wrapped around tender, mildly spiced peas and potatoes. They were served with a mint cilantro chutney and imli chutney, a tamarind-based sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
The butter chicken was a flavorful blend of tandoori chicken with a tomato, yogurt and cream sauce. The bhindi masala — sauteed okra with tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and aromatic spices — also impressed me. The bread assortment was generous. And the tender, fluffy basmati rice spiked with whole cloves was a nice side for the dishes. The spice levels fit their categories of mild and medium.
On my second visit, I showed up for lunch on a Friday. Sadly, that wasn’t one of the days that Daawat A Ishq offers a lunch thali — a platter loaded with various dishes ($18.99 for vegetarian and $20.99 for nonvegetarian). The restaurant serves thali from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Instead, I ordered a couple vegetarian dishes, malai kofta (potato and cheese fried balls in a rich gravy, $18.99) and deewani handi (vegetables cooked in a pot and tossed with ginger, garlic and masala powders, $18.99) as well as chilli garlic naan ($5.99) and lacha paratha (flaky, layered flatbread, $4.99) with a mug of masala chai ($3.99).
This is a great place for vegetarians and vegans because many of the dishes are vegetarian and a long list can be made vegan. In addition, vegetable dishes aren’t an afterthought. They’re carefully prepared and flavorful. The malai kofta was good, but I really enjoyed the deewani handi with potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, carrots and peas in a delicious sauce that I sopped up with the generous portion of chilli garlic naan.
I ordered a lot of food during my two trips. The rice and entrees were good as leftovers. It’s best to eat the samosa and bread while they’re hot.
Daawat A Ishq is a great addition to the food scene in Vancouver, serving-scratch made Indian food for various diet types that can be prepared at various levels of spiciness — from mild to fiery — to please everyone’s palate. It’s the perfect spot for a large group or a solo thali lunch on Monday through Thursday.
