A South Indian restaurant on Commonhall Street has permanently closed its doors, with its owners choosing to step away after more than a decade in the building.

Rekha and Stephen Fowler have confirmed that Dabba will not reopen following a trip to Australia, citing their ages and a desire to spend more time with family.

Formerly known as Hanky Panky Pancakes, which the couple opened in 2014, Commonhall Street's Dabba has been serving South Indian comfort food with a distinct twist since 2024.

The influence of Rekha's grandmother, Padma, was felt throughout the space - with her image hanging proudly on the wall.

In 1937, Padma moved from India to London and learned to cook the food she knew from home using rations and substitutions. That resourcefulness, adapting flavours across continents and generations, became emblematic of Dabba's ethos.

"Food changes when you travel, or when you resettle and relocate," Rekha previously told Chester Nub News. "Many of our dishes have a real mix of influences within them."

A South Indian restaurant on Commonhall Street has permanently closed its doors (Nub News)

Now, more than a decade after opening their first venture on Commonhall Street, the couple have decided it is time for a different chapter.

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Confirming the news, the Fowlers cited their respective ages and a desire to spend more time with family as major factors behind the decision not to reopen.

"Dabba and Hanky Panky have been an incredible part of our lives since 2014," they said. "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."

Their recent trip to Australia, the couple explained, offered space to reflect, as they said: "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 the chapter on Commonhall Street may be closing, the couple emphasised that it is "not the end of the book".

Still "obsessed with dosa, idli and all the south Indian recipes", they plan to take their brightly coloured 1970s caravan on the road in search of "festivals and new culinary adventures".

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In a post on social media, they said: "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."

Last year, Nub News interviewed Rekha and Stephen to learn more about Dabba's story. You can read the piece here.