Dabba

01/06/2026

Well it turned out to be quite an emotional day. Twelve and a bit years after picking up the keys to 20 Commonhall Street, we handed them back. Thank you to everyone who joined us in making such beautiful memories😍

23/05/2026

So, I thought it would be fun to let everyone know we are spending a lovely weekend at Chester Folk Festival in Kelsall. I explained my concept to Rekha. "Be the penguins from Madagascar: as I approach the caravan, smile and wave."
Excitedly, camera in hand I put my plan into action. Scanning the joyful scene I approach the Kati Club hatch...........no smile, no wave, Rekha was distracted by.......? Answers on a postcard please🙄

03/05/2026

02/03/2026

Dabba and Hanky Panky have been an incredible part of our lives since 2014. It has been an amazing roller coaster, filled with love, laughter and a few tears. Running a small cafe has been a most intense and rewarding experience, which very quickly became our lives. When  we started we were in our forties, we are now in our sixties. Time does indeed fly whilst you are having fun!

Our trip to Australia has given two mature hamsters a chance to reflect on our wheel. This opportunity to see our lives from afar has led to a few revelations. We are no longer in our forties and still have a world of things we want to do: songs to sing, straw bale houses to build and pictures to paint. Most importantly there are friends and family to spend time with, something which has become increasingly difficult as dabba started to fly.

So after a great deal of thought we have decided not to re-open dabba. Whilst this chapter in our lives is closing, it is not the end of the book. We are still obsessed with dosa, idli and all the south indian recipes we love. Meeting people, sharing food and creating new stories is clearly an addiction. To satisfy this craving we will be taking our brightly coloured 1970s caravan out on the road, festivals and culinary adventures beckon. We will continue to to share our love of food, just not every weekend!

We would like to thank everyone who we have had the pleasure to work with and to all our amazing customers. Whether you came to see us every week or popped in once for a coffee, thank you, you have made 20 Commonhall an amazing place to be.

We look forward to catching up somewhere soon as we write our next chapter ###

19/02/2026

We are missing you all terribly, but keeping our spirits up😎

18/01/2026

Thali time😃

14/12/2025

How many more sleeps?

10/12/2025

Tres leches, dabba style. This classic dessert tweaked with a South indian twist. Saffron infused sponge, basundi cream, topped with crème chantilly and pistachio nuts. It's a tasty celebration of a dessert-quite rightly😋

08/12/2025

How about Dabba on Sunday 21st December?
A Goan inspired Christmas lunch, starting at 1pm. Goan turkey curry/ cashew curry served with festive trimmings & date and nut halwa for pudding. Followed by a Christmassy sing a long!

https://bookings.letsbookfor.com/dabba/s/festive-frolics-christmas-lunch-with-a-goan-twist-followed-by-a-bit-of-a-sing-song