[Rating:4/5]
There are Chefs and then there are Chefs. We came across one of the latter during one of our forays into Gurgaon’s foodscape – Chef Kunal Kapoor at Diya, the Leela Kempinski. While good Indian food is easily found, it needs a brave soul to experiment the way Kunal does and come out with flying colors.
Diya is a pan Indian restaurant with spacious interiors, comfortable seating and staff who go out of their way to ensure you’re at ease. Featuring an open grill and functional decor you’ll be forgiven for taking a moment off to drink in your surroundings.
Whenever you visit, do spare a thought for the brave souls who ate their way through 17 dishes to bring you this review.
We began our evening with assorted pickles and chutneys with khakra. These made way for the first course – a deliciously meaty Ghost aur Badam ka Shorba, which had a lentil and mutton glace base, flavored with almonds, garnished with fried onions and cilantro. The perfectly cooked mutton chop in the centre was divine! Next to grace our table were slices of skewered duck marinated in Goan vinegar and served with Fig chutney, Dora Kebabs, Dhuari Kadi Pasanda (filleted and charcoal grilled lamb), chicken kebabs, Subz Galauti kebab on an ulte tawe ka parantha and Navratna Kebab.
.jpg "Malpua and Srikhand (2)")
While all the kebabs were delectable, try the Dora kebab, which is cooked with a smoked and flavored oil soaked string running through the centre. Imparting a smoky flavor on the outside and keeping the inside moist it lends a touch of showmanship when the kebab is served! The duck was luscious though a trifle dry. The only discordant notes were the ulte tawe ka parantha and the Navratna kebab. While the Navratna kebab has this lovely, crunchy texture, both had this odour which suggested burnt oil or similar. This was quickly forgotten however with the onset of the main courses.
Main courses included the ubiquitous Dal Makhni, Guchi aur Khumb ka Mela (mushrooms and morels), Masala Murgh, Palak Soya, Dalchi (mutton cooked with lentils – a Hyderabadi dish), Raita, Mutton Biryani and Dum Ka Murgh. We muttered a brief prayer to help us do justice to the repast before us, and dug in. The meal was accompanied by tandoori breads. Do try the Dalchi and Palak Suva, which were excellent. At this point, I did notice the low spice content in all the food. I don’t usually like very spicy food, however I do feel a touch more spice would increase the authenticity of the food and make it more acceptable to Indian diners in general. Perhaps guests could be asked their preference.
Dessert comprised mildly sweet pudas escorted by a light green apple srikhand – quite an unusual combination, definitely a winning one though!
All said and done, served and stuffed, I recommend a visit to Diya. I’m sure you’ll be back for more.
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Hi Sid, Nice review, but could you give indicative prices as well?
@Siddhartha: They’ve kept prices quite low for a 5 star. A meal for two will cost you about 1500. Unfortunately, I didn’t note the prices of individual dishes and almost never do. Think I’ll start doing that going forward. Thank you!
Completely agree. I am yet to come across such bold experimentation on the Indian cuisine. Kudos to Kunal. My favorite was Gosht aur Badam ka Shorba.
Amit, I am not sure if a different take on Indian food is anything new. Hemant Oberoi has made both successful (Varq) and unsuccessful (Masala series) attempts at the Taj group. Chefs in London have done for a long time – likes of Vineet Bhatia have brought things like asparagus into Indian kitchen, and his restaurant Rasoi in Chelsea has won rave reviews (and a Michelin star!) with things like Utappam Lasgna and Banigan Steaks. While, Benaras also has a Michelin star, I find their experimentation lacks any innovation other than playing to expectation of Michelin inspectors (things like plating with a moilee gravy and placing pan-fried or grilled fish on top, same with makhani gravy and chicken).
Still, good to see Leela which seemed committed to traditional Indian through Jamavar, dip its feet in these waters.
@Siddhartha: Thanks for the info. I think I agree with you, based on whatever discussions I have had with chefs and restaurateurs. Various cuisines have evolved on the basis of continuous innovations, and they will goo on. But its not very often that you come across someone who experiments with a cuisine so well. People experiment, and the results are not always as they expect them to be. But then, it goes on. I would admit I’m not too familiar with the Indian restaurants outside of India, so do I get a benefit of doubt?
Surely, I’ll research on your comments. Thanks again, its really informative.
Amit, as I had written to Sid earlier, I am moving back to India at the end of January, with Noida as my base. So will be going through your archives to pick places to eat, maybe get an opportunity to catch up with you guys.
I think it has been easier for chefs in London to experiment with Indian food – people are more familiar with Indian food than in other countries, without the benchmarks we in India would use (‘Tunde ki Galauti iske ek-chauthai daam ki aur kahin acchi hai’; ‘Isse achccha to Connaight place mein Kake ke yahan khaate’) – maybe ingorance of their clients is really bliss for the chefs! With four Michelin starred restaurants (albeit all with one star, and Tamarind losing its star this year), it is good to see Indian food moving beyond ‘beer and curry’ reputation with people paying 100 pounds per head for a meal at these places. And other nice aspect of it is the variety – Rasoi is innovative, Benaras a bit less so; Amaya is restaurant which has dumped the curry completely focussing on kebabs, and Quilon is South Indian coastal – so the world gets to know the Indian food beyond paneer makhani and butter chicken (or Chicken Madras and Vindaloo in UK’s case)
@Siddhartha: right, it feels good to know the way Indian cuisine has spread its wings across the world, and the place it now holds! Will definitely look forward to meeting you in Noida.
Nice blog! I am planning on following you guys regularly. Was this a paid review ie did Leela foot the bill?
@Neil: This wasn’t a ‘paid’ review, though it was announced. We do two types – announced and anonymous. The announced variety happens when we’re invited to review or when our media partners (like SUBURB magazine) arrange reviews. All other reviews are anonymous and the food is paid for. The following review for example, is announced: http://chefatlarge.in/reviews/terroir-galaxy-mall-gurgaon.html
@Neil: I forgot to thank you for your kind words – Thank you!
chef kunal kapoor sir please one chance