Nepalese chef Suresh Sundas and beverage director Dante Datta of Daru started the restaurant in 2021 and made it to New York Times’s coveted top 50 restaurants list in 2022, along with retaining a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation every year.
At the 43rd annual RAMMY Awards, hosted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an Asian chef made it big. Nepal-origin Chef Suresh Sundas of Daru won the Rising Culinary Star of the Year among D.C.’s most exciting new chefs and restaurants.
About Chef Suresh Sundas and his brainchild, Daru
This award marks a milestone in Sundas’s career. Chef Sundas started his early days at the acclaimed Indian restaurant Rasika West End. It was where he met Dante Datta, a seasoned mixologist, in 2012. They worked together with Sundas at the tandoor and Datta preparing drinks.
Their creative partnership eventually gave rise to Daru, the modern Indian restaurant and cocktail bar they co-founded near H Street NE in 2021. “Suresh’s food is so good that we need to highlight it even more,” said Datta, opening up on their original plan to open a bar with small plates, which later became a more food-forward concept due to the pandemic.
“We wanted Daru to feel like a space where anyone could drop in, whether it’s for a casual meeting, a cocktail, or to mark a celebration,” said Chef Sundas, emphasising the importance of comfort and inclusivity in his restaurant’s DNA.
After it got the Bib Gourmand nod from the Michelin Guide, Daru is now recognised not just for its inventive cocktails but for Sundas’s bold, imaginative take on Indian cuisine, or as he calls it, “Indian-ish.”
What is on Chef Suresh Sundas’s menu?
Chef Sundas’s menu marries cultural relevance, global technique, and fresh seasonal produce. Drawing from his Nepali roots and the things his single mother taught him, the dishes are both personal and innovative.
The small plates are inspired from Indian street food, such as the Mango Jhalmuri, a spiced puffed rice snack with seasonal fruit, and the Blue Cheese Chicken Kebabs with Sour Cherry Glaze. There’s also Jackfruit Tacos served in Phulka, a whole-wheat flatbread, or roti, as we know it.
Among the entrées, the Wild Mushroom Biryani and Chicken Tikka Masala are customer favorites. But it’s the Black Garlic Lamb Chops that have become a signature dish.
“We marinate them in a blend of black garlic, yogurt, cashew paste, cumin, and coriander,” Sundas explained. “Then we cook them in the tandoor to get that smoky char, and serve them with mint chutney and pomegranate-roasted potatoes.”
His use of seasonal ingredients is deeply influenced by nature, “I find that nature plays a huge role in how I present my dishes. It helps create plates that are colorful, vibrant, and deeply connected to the seasons,” he added.
When asked what’s the must-try dish at Daru, Sundas recommended, “The Lasooni Lamb Chops , they’re a favourite of mine. The yogurt tenderises the meat while black garlic caramelises beautifully in the tandoor. Finished with mint chutney and our signature roasted potatoes, they’re packed with flavour and technique.”
About Daru
Daru is housed inside a once-dilapidated corner store. It is now completely transformed, of course, with crisp white interiors, large windows, and a Sanskrit message at the entrance that reads “The guest is god.” The restaurant seats 40 inside and another 20 on the patio.
