Indigo Deli

Critic´s Review

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

-By Rashmi Uday Singh

Open through the day, the swooping wooden-ceilinged twin rooms (with buzzing open kitchens, deli counters and shelves of coffees, teas and products) are almost always packed and noisy. By turns cosy and sexy, laid-back and sleek, Indigo Deli is different things at different times to different people, which is just what its owners, Rahul and Malini Akerkar, Rishad Nathani, Bharat Oberoi and Sanjay Sanghvi intended. Indigo Deli at Palladium hits the sweet spot between simplicity and sophistication, both in its look and its food, and does so now much more ably than it did when it opened and I encountered patchy food and slow service. What was flawed has since been fixed; what was good has remained so or become better. Like the Eggs Divinity - warm, comforting and luscious with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, Spinach and Roesti baked and perfumed with Truffle. A dish created here and not available in any other Indigo. Other must tries the Blackened Salmon Burger, made delightful with Cajun spices and the Pulled Pork Burger (takes over 24 hours to marinate, with Pineapple Juice amongst other things) and Wine Poached Pear with Arugula Salad. All four delightful original introductions by Chef Jaideep Mukherjee. And must-tries! Keep a special lookout for the daily specials menu, my Pan-seared Halibut with Caper Crushed Potatoes on another day was just amazing. Even the Baked Yoghurt and the newly introduced Baked Chocolate Pudding are delightful. The thin-crust pizza (still much better in the Colaba Deli) hasn't quite achieved the balance between the super thin crust and the cheese here. Lacklustre Gazpacho, stodgy Cheese Souffle and the desserts disappoint (Chocolate Ganache, Mocha Fudge.) The tables are placed too close together in the main hall, there can be a sharp blast of cold air on some of the sofa seaters. It can get too noisy and the service slow. Average meal per head comes to Rs. 1,500 — a bit steep for a Deli. We need more affordable wines by the glass here. I salute the fact that unabashedly hearty preparations meet seasonal produce. Here comfort and traditionalism welcome innovation without letting it run roughshod. South Mumbai welcomes Indigo Deli. And how!