Even before I knew what the word dabbawalla meant, I loved it. Dabbawalla. Bet you can't say it without smiling. Well, "dabba" means lunchbox, and "walla" means man, so dabbawalla means the "lunchbox man."
To make a long, fascinating story short, a network of 5,000 dabbawallas deliver 200,000 homemade meals every day from the suburbs to downtown offices in Mumbai, a city in
India. These mostly illiterate workers paint a few basic symbols on their tin dabbas to keep things straight and, using a relay system from one end of the route to the other, the entire process takes about three hours.
Without one computer or even one piece of paper they've managed to put about 65 million dabbas per year on the right desks for 125 years. In fact, Forbes magazine has awarded Mumbai's dabbawallas a Six Sigma performance rating of 99.999999, or one error in six million transactions.
Pretty wild. In India, The Mars Group, a large food-service company, decided to start a new restaurant chain and name it in honor of these extraordinary men, and the first Dabbawalla in the United States opened in Summit last year. The food, representing all the regions of India, is light, healthy and really terrific. Dabbawalla is also a creative, inspiring space, and the staff and management are very friendly and proud of their product.
But even though I can't stop thinking about the paneer tikka Masala (cubes of Indian cheese cooked in a clay oven and served in a velvety tomato sauce) and it sounds like a rave, this isn't a restaurant review; it's a story about the bakery that's attached to the restaurant — which is also a find.
So after you dabble at Dabbawalla, save room for dessert at Birdy's, an Indian and European pastry shop next door. If you don't have time to sit and eat, you can run in and grab a dabba of savory puffs or stuffed rolls at Birdy's and be on your way.
There are six puffs and six stuffed rolls to choose from. Puffs cost $1 to $1.25 and include chatpata vegetables that change seasonally in a tangy tamarind sauce, beef or shrimp vindaloo (hot red chilies, tamarind, vinegar, garlic and curry spices) and chicken jingli (dry-rubbed chicken, dry and shredded cornichons and black pepper).
Stuffed rolls are $2.50 each, and include vegetable jalfrezis (green peppers, squash, onions and spices in a light tomato sauce) or burgers seasoned with ginger, garlic, onion and chilies.
If you want to make your own dabba at home, Birdy's also makes rolls (50 cents each), garlic bread ($2.25 per loaf) and Masala bread ($2.25 per loaf), with coconut, poppy seeds, coriander and tamarind that's perfect for pan-frying.
Indians love tea time, and Birdy's makes three cakes for the occasion. Madeira cake is the East's version of our fruitcake; milk cake is a moist, lovely pound cake; and date and walnut loaf is surprisingly light and not as sweet as some can be. All are $1.50 per slice or $5 per loaf.
There are many impressive layer cakes in the shop ($3.25-$3.75 per slice, $25-$30 per cake), but try a slice of lovely Bournvita, named after the Indian malt beverage it's flavored with. Even with layers of fresh whipped cream, chocolate cake and chocolate fudge, it tastes like a light malted — much lighter than it sounds.
You'll always find lots of chocolate choices, like chocolate fudge, chocolate truffle and Dutch truffle (as much chocolate as the others plus mousse) and mocha cream cakes, brownies and eclairs.
The lattice-top fruit pies are especially eye-catching, although I have to say the reactions of first-time customers during both of my visits were pretty much the same as they walked in the door and looked around at all the baked goods: "Oh, how beautiful!"
Kairas Mistry manages Birdy's, and Colin Crasto is the executive chef who oversees both the restaurant and the bakery. They plan to open more Dabbawallas and Birdy's in New Jersey and the United States, and they're refining the menu as they go.
On a lazy Saturday afternoon a couple of months ago, I hung around talking to them both while I had dabba with two sets of friends who came and went. Everyone loved the food, and then Crasto suggested bibincas for dessert. Bibincas are pancakes with many layers flavored with cinnamon and cardamom ($7.75). They were wonderful, and of course, the vanilla ice cream didn't hurt.
So having the bakery with the restaurant is a great idea. Naturally, now I want to run into Birdy's and grab a bibinca to go with my dabba.
That probably won't happen. Your lunch isn't going to appear on your desk from a dabbawalla today, either, so if you're anywhere near Summit, do the next best thing and stop by Springfield Avenue for dabba and dessert.
C'mon, say it out loud: dabbawalla. Now you're smiling.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ "Taste of New Jersey"
appears every other week in Savor. Please send news of your favorite finds with your name and telephone numbers to Savor, "Taste of New Jersey," The Star-Ledger, 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J. 07102. All submissions become the property of The Star-Ledger and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium.
NOTES: (Brooke Tarabour appears regularly in The Star-Ledger.)
Birdy's Bakery & Patisserie 427 Springfield Ave., Summit. (908) 918-0330. Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday to Saturday; closed Sunday; www.birdysbakery.com.