Indigo Deli is the latest import from Mumbai to Delhi. Its start was not without hiccups. A bad review about the guest service did put the café in the news for all the wrong reasons.  We are here because the reviews have actually increased the curiosity levels. I suspect the restaurant must have gained from negative publicity, considering the fact that on a Saturday at 3 pm, the restaurant is fully occupied.

The restaurant is at two levels – with the lower level having deli-style booths and the upper level being a kind of an elevated platform with three tables. Since we have booked in advance, we are given one of the elevated tables, which gives us a peek into what everyone is having, and also some interesting sights in their open kitchen, like the serving staff who munches from the bowl holding garnishes to be put on the plates being served, and an interesting near skirmish between the maître d’ and the chef. Further chaos ensued, when the staff who took our order was nowhere in sight when it came to serving the dishes. As a result, many of the instructions were lost in transition.

Service issues like this are common place with any restaurant. What made Indigo Deli was their response to such an issue. When we complained about the inordinate delay in us getting our food, the server involved the restaurant manager who took over, and made sure we were served our correct orders and also my request for a tasting portion of their heavenly buttered corn bread.

We order Indigo Deli Reuben sandwich (Rs 585). The Reuben sandwich is a hot sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is a famous New York landmark, and I have been looking forward to having it. However the Indigo Deli version is a VLCC slimmed down version. The best part of the New York sandwich – whether at Katz Deli or Carnegie Deli, is the layers and layers of herbed, flavourful pastrami, in the sandwich. Here the layers are too few and the pastrami not juicy and flavourful enough. A disappointing sandwich.

The other dish, deli roast chicken with grilled vegetables (Rs 565) makes up for the disappointing sandwich. The chicken is perfectly roasted and the skin is golden. 

The vegetables, especially the roasted garlic add beautifully to the experience. Add to it their spectacularly grainy and punchy mustard, and a warm glow of contentment sneaks in.

Indigo Deli deserves a visit. While the menu is not as varied as their Mumbai outlet, the food can surprise and elate. The interiors are open with a lot of natural light flowing in. And the service tries harder.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 4.0 | Value: 3.5 | Overall: 4.0

Meal for two: Rs.2000 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes