Sometimes, a brand comes along that we just LOVE. DabbaDrop is one such brand – allow us to give you the lowdown…
DabbaDrop is a sustainable takeaway service that delivers an ever-changing menu of plant-based, family-style curries direct to your door, either weekly or fortnightly.
Founded by two Hackney neighbourhood friends, Anshu Ahuja and Renee Williams, DabbaDrop’s meals are delivered in Mumbai’s famous reusable stainless-steel tiffin boxes (known as a dabba). The idea is, each time you get a takeaway, you give back your empty dabba and get a fresh one, full to the brim with veggie curry! Hurrah! With added extras packaged in compostable paper bags and pots, all deliveries are single-use plastic free and with the friendly delivery driver arriving on bike, it’s also emission-free too. Who knew you could be such a saint, whilst stuffing your face with curry. Reflecting this sustainable ethos, the online pre-order model means there is a huge reduction in kitchen waste. Freshly made, DabbaDrop meals are all refined sugar and preservative-free and packed with fresh vegetables, protein-rich pulses and super-powered spices.
So, the real question is – is the grub any good? In short – YES. DabbaDrop meals feed two with a delicious dal, two plant-based curries, homemade roti/naan and rice. It felt significantly better quality than our local curry house and used much more interesting plant-based ingredients.
In the first tin we had the sweet and spicy carrot, fennel and apple salad which acts as either a starter or something a bit fresher to balance the hot dishes beneath. Curries included the saucy sweet potato rogan josh and the can’t-believe-it’s-not-meat jackfruit keema muttar which we ate alongside Kashmiri saffron cinnamon pilau. Extras included poppadoms, chutneys and raita, as well as handmade roti and samosas which arrive cold but we’d recommend quickly heating in the oven before serving.
Prices start at £28 for a meal for two and can also be bought as a gift for new parents (what a FANTASTIC idea!!).
Originally only available on Friday nights in lucky Hackney, Walthamstow and Leyton, DabbaDrop extends into neighbouring postcodes E2, E3, E15, E20, N1, N5, N7 with the Ready-to-Heat service from 30th January 2020. Delivery will also be available Thursday and Saturday nights (as well as the usual Fridays).
