25 May,2012 07:40 AM IST | | Aviva Dharmaraj
It has been four weeks since the Bandra outlet of Indigo Deli opened and the place is still buzzing. Surprising? Hardly. Though, in the interests of providing the right context for this information, you should know that it is a Monday night, considered one of the slowest in the restaurant business.
The over-2,000 sq ft property has indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor dining area includes tea cup-shaped seating for diner privacy, an open kitchen and deli
In a city where the life of a restaurant dies out as quickly as the lights in a time-lapse scene, there's something to be said about a brand that manages to replicate the success of the first outlet in Colaba.
So, what is it that sets the Indigo Deli franchise apart from other places? Is it the food? Truth be told, we've had better, and for less. Is it the service? The staff is courteous and knowledgeable, no doubt. Is it the ambience? The vibe is electric, even though we were seated in a rather unfortunate location - right next to the place where orders are fed into the computer.
The dal vada goes posh and emerges as the zucchini and lentil fritter inside a pita pocket with feta cheese and salad, served with potato wedges and kokum extract
The easy answer is that Indigo Deli succeeds because it scores on all three counts, resulting in a synergy that is hard to define and even tougher to replicate. The tough question is, âHow do they do it?' We wish we knew.
Open for breakfast
Like its outlets in Colaba, Lower Parel and Andheri, the 72-seater restaurant opens for breakfast from 9 am onwards. The all-day breakfast menu includes juices, porridge, muesli, pancakes, eggs-to-order and a couscous upma.
The Bandra outlet also does an Eggs on the Beach, a spin on the traditional Eggs Benedict (a halved English muffin topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs and creamy Hollandaise sauce), in which they substitute the muffin with crab cakes. Though, the dish will soon be available at other outlets too, we're told.
The sweetness from the Bombay Chicken Wings is contrasted with the saltiness of the Blue Cheese Dip. Pics/ Satyajit Desai
Here for the food?
The Zucchini and Lentil Fritters in Pita (Rs 425) is an interesting spin on the traditional falafel-in-a-pita-pocket routine. It might be a shade or two âdown-market' for us to compare the fritter to a dal vada, but you get the drift, right? Right.
The Bombay Chicken Wings (Rs 445) carried their trademark sweetness, with the pile of bones on the side-plate to the left of the non-vegetarian diner at our table, serving as testament to his approval.
The hot Dessert Soufflé of the Day, the day we stopped by, was the Maple, Cream Cheese and Fig Soufflé (Rs 345). Keep in mind, especially if you're looking for a quick meal, that the soufflés take 15 to 20 minutes to be served.
The soufflé was fluffy and carried a pleasant hint of sweetness, which was intensified by the chilled sweetened cream served on the side. The chocolate-chip cookie, however, seemed an unnecessary addition to the sweet dish.
Here and there
If the throngs of casually dressed young things, who looked like they had just tumbled out of bed for the first meal of their day are anything to go by, Bandra's Indigo Deli has arrived. Amen to that!
