Rang De Basanti Dhaba

Critic´s Review

• Food: 3 / 5
• Service: 2.5 / 5
• Decor: 3 / 5

-By Deepali Gupta

Spartan interiors and some of the lowest prices in South Delhi

Atmospherics: It's a cross between a bona fide restaurant and a dhaba. There's a tractor by the window of this first floor restaurant (no lift) as if to underline the rural nature of the space. No carpets, furnishings or other frills and fancies adorn the interiors, but the chairs are comfortable and not too closely spaced together. However, the interiors have been done with a restrained hand: Rang de Basanti Dhaba is no Pind Balluchi and all the diners on the day of my visit were young, trendy families.

Table Talk: This is one value for money restaurant. Each and every one of the dishes can be served in half portions and the prices are not high to start with. The starters menu is filled with the best things in the restaurant, so do try them out. Mutton boti din raat (Rs 245/125 full/half) is an innovative presentation of a boti served inside half a boiled egg white. Mutton shammi kebab (Rs 245/125 full/half) is the North Indian variant of a dainty Lucknavi tea-time treat. More robust and full of spices, this one is perfect with a drink. Sukhye dhania aur murgh ki seekh (Rs 245/175 full/half) is tasty enough, but the chilli component does tend to drown out the coarsely pounded coriander seeds. Fish tikka (Rs 325/195) has a certain dhaba quality about it - earthy spicing makes it easy to believe that you are in a mustard field far away from the city.

Murgh malai tikka (Rs 245/165 full/half), tandoori chicken (Rs 315/185 full/half) and mutton chaampen aur burrah (Rs 325/195 full/half) are great choices. The tandoori chicken is flavourful and succulent and is not drowned out by the spices, while the murgh malai tikka really is creamy and subtly spiced just as the chaampen aur burrah is spicy.

Plus and minus: Where I had a spell of bad luck was in the main courses. One onion-tomato gravy differed from the next only marginally. And the masala gurde kapoore (Rs 425/255) was assembled at the last minute, so that the tomato gravy had not enveloped the gurde kapoore even marginally. However, South Extension has far fewer restaurants than most other South Delhi colonies do and this one with its unpretentious air and easy pricing is a real asset.