U
p until about a year ago, I could pull into an overflowing parking lot, enter the hallowed doors of Dusmesh and encounter at least one friend. But after years of blissful naan munching at the Cheers of Indian restaurants, something changed. We all started to hear rumblings on Facebook that the beloved owners had sold Dusmesh. The next time I walked into what was the friendliest and tastiest Indian joint I knew, my friends were gone. Where was AJ? Where was Maya? The brother-and-sister duo that used to greet everyone like family and always remembered your name were gone. Dusmesh was and is still there — and it’s still a staple of the local Indian restaurant scene — just under new ownership.
But in recent months, positive and celebratory updates seeped into our Facebook feeds. Not a single exclamation point was spared as we all took to social media to spread the word that the former owners of Dusmesh had opened a new restaurant, and lo, it was to be named Swad.
My boyfriend Brian and I recently made the pilgrimage to Swad in North College Hill; it had been long enough and we were brimming with excitement to try the delicious recipes we’d been missing for months.
Walking in, we were greeted by a familiar hostess who led us to a table at the rear of the restaurant. We passed by a sizable bar and through a larger and more modern space than the restaurant’s previous Northside/Clifton incarnation. As we settled into our booth, we noticed how impeccably clean the dining room was. The décor is a bit reminiscent of a hotel restaurant with its contemporary furnishings and colors, accompanied by traditional Indian art.
Our waiter, AJ, another familiar face and son of the chef and owner Mahabir Dhillon, soon appeared at our table. He chatted with us about our weekend as he filled our water glasses and asked if we would be ordering off the menu or checking out the lunch buffet. Though the buffet was tantalizing and seemed to be the popular choice among the many surrounding patrons, we both really wanted to dig into our old favorites.
As a vegetarian and fan of spicy foods, I ordered the Saag Paneer ($9.99) in a five on the scale of one to six, as well as an order of garlic naan ($2.99). Brian opted for the Lamb Rogan Josh ($12.99) in a respectable three and a tall glass of Aamras ($2.99), a chilled mango juice that looks refreshing but tastes like dessert. It was not long before our food arrived in the same pretty little silver dishes we had come to love. As we spread rice onto our plates and poured out our respective bowls of hot, thick sauce, the anticipation was palpable. We each took a bite and relaxed into our booths, arriving at the realization that our favorites were back — perhaps even better than they had left us. My generous portion of Saag Paneer was as creamy, spicy and buttery as I remembered, with thick chunks of squeaky paneer cheese. Brian nearly finished his dish — tender hunks of lamb bathed in a tomatoey and creamy sauce — in spite of the stretching his poor stomach had to endure.
After lunch, I spoke with Maya about the newest chapter in their restaurant venture. After many successful years in Northside/Clifton, one of the reasons that the family decided to steer away from the immediate area was to find their own niche. They left a location already saturated with plenty of established Indian eateries to move to a place that could use one.
Also, after seven years and seven days a week of work, open to close, Mahabir was ready for a break. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to cook, Maya says, so he decided to sell Dusmesh and take time for himself to work on his health and take some well-deserved rest.
“He couldn’t stay away,” she says, laughing. “He loves cooking. He was like, ‘I’m bored. I wanna work. I need to do something.’ He tried to work at a different restaurant but he [said], ‘No. I want my own [restaurant].’ ”
So the sabbatical was short lived. Not long after selling Dusmesh, they opened Swad, using the same recipes and working with the same staff.
“The first night we opened up, we had so many familiar faces,” Maya says. “Everybody just came in and hugged us because we treated everybody like family.”
While it’s true that the family that owns and operates Swad is one of the friendliest you’ll meet, it wouldn’t mean much without the consistently superior food they still turn out for their loyal and expanding following.
CORRECTION: This original version of this story incorrectly stated that Swad is located in College Hill. The restaurant is actually located in North College Hill.
Go: 1810 W. Galbraith Road, North College Hill
Call: 513-522-5900
Internet: swadtasty.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
