Indigo Deli

Critic´s Review

• Food: 4 / 5
• Service: 3.5 / 5
• Decor: 3 / 5

-By Rashmi Uday Singh

I dedicate todays column to perfect pairings. And this is not just because I write from the most romantic wedding on a Greek island but also because Bandras Indigo Deli pairs simplicity with sophistication and warmth with elegance, just like my guests. Born and brought up in the sunny Mediteranean they are the perfect diners to give me a palate opinion on the food here.

Both are well travelled and passionate about food, art,music, Mumbai and each other. It was love at first sight when Ceylan Ozen Erişen, Consul General of Turkey met the dashing businessman Ender Erişen and they got married just recently and honeymooned near the Taj Mahal, Agra. Heres our tried, tasted and tested opinion.

Food

It's an Indigo Deli's consistently above average menu here and what was flawed has since been fixed; what was good has remained so or become better. I ate here three times and the wafer thin pizza came out tops ( even Ceylan and Ender who dislike pizzas loved it).For the first time, tried the snow white Pizza Carbonara (Rishad Nathani's favorite) creamy and delicious with carbonara egg-white sauce, bacon, sage and a few onion rings. Eggs on the Beach", (poached eggs, crispy bacon laid on a crab cake) not as divine as "Eggs Divinity" warm, comforting and luscious with scrambled eggs, cheese, spinach and roesti baked and perfumed with truffle. Rahul and Malini Akerkar also ensure there's plenty for veggies, the grilled moist with cheese tomato pepper's Aegean Turkish taste was delightful. Must try, the banana caramel souffle mellow with honey brandy sauce.

Go for the usual above average, Indigo deli dishes... pulled pork burger, crispy chicken burger, awesome beef burgers: Risottos, pasta and more.

Decor

Never mind that the restaurant has an unfinished look (after the BMC has been at it) or that instead of the charming dark wood panelling and yellow lighting of the other Indigo delis this one has space gobbling Blue-Frogesque pods booth-seating With copper accents and doesn't please as much.

Minus Points

The minor hitches in otherwise enjoyable meals were the soggy zucchini fritters, a skimpy Reuben sandwich, lacklustre dark-chocolate pudding, over the top creamy Tiramisu, stodgy cheese souffle and it can get too noisy and the service slow. Average meal per head Rs 1500, a bit steep for a Deli.We need more affordable wines by the glass and more products on sale here.

My Point

Open through the day, by turns cozy and sexy, laid-back and fleet, Indigo Deli is different things at different times to different people. Here unabashedly hearty preparations meet seasonal produce, here comfort and traditionalism welcome innovation without letting it run roughshod. Never mind the cluttered decor and sometimes slow service. As Ceylan says, "Sometimes we crave for the taste of home and Indigo Deli answers that craving to a considerable extent" and concludes “Its one of the best Mumbai restaurants. You can feel the Mediterranean in the air immediately." And fittingly enough I write this from the breathstoppingly beautiful Greek islands as I bask in the Mediteranean sunshine, crisp cool indigo blue waters and agree wholeheartedly."