Indigo Deli - Bandra

We have been living at our present home for a little over 2 years. We have often planned to meet with one of our neighbours but have been unable to do so. However, one evening the planets were correctly aligned and we met for drinks at home. Inevitably the question of dinner came up. One option was Moshe’s which I don’t particularly care for and the other was the brand new, day old Indigo Deli which has opened, literally, less than 500 meters from home. In fact it’s closer than Totos, but that is another story. HRH the Queen of Kutch set about getting the phone number so she could snare a table. At first the hostess said she would call back once a table got free, which, surprise surprise, she did, only to say there was a table available open air. This did not seem at all attractive. To add to the surprise, the hostess called once again after a short delay and said there was now a table available inside. That was indeed sweet. Full marks to Indigo Deli. I told you the planets were aligned!

We had our short walk and soon reached the restaurant which was quite full and alive. Well lit and minimalist in design with a large open kitchen. Attractive. The theme of having breads on display along with bottles of Olive Oil and other condiments was carried over from the Colaba outpost. We were soon seated and given our menus. The menu is virtually identical to Colaba. Nothing wrong with that. I must point out that I do like Indigo Deli, but, find it a little pricey and just don’t visit it as often as one should for a restaurant one likes.

I must also point out that unlike many other high profile restaurant launches, Indigo Deli has everything in place including its booze license. Even the highly touted Hakkasan with the very powerful Kishore Bajaj behind it did not have his licenses in place. The other new launch Cafe Zoe [another Indigo Deli `me too’] also had no booze license when it started. Full marks again to Indigo Deli.

To drink I had a pint bottle of Kingfisher at an eye watering Rs 210 ++ and the two ladies had a glass of wine each.

To eat, I asked the waiter if I should have the pulled pork burger or a normal beef burger. He said I should have the Beef Burger. Mr Neighbour ordered a Chicken Sloppy Joe, Mrs. Neighbour ordered a Poached Pear Salad and HRH the Queen of Kutch ordered a Philly Steak Sandwich without Onions. The three sandwiches were served with the very large Chips dusted with Chilli Powder which are a sort of signature garnish that Indigo Deli has. All the sandwiches were good. Juicy, moist, tasty, well seasoned, warm and generously filled. No complaints at all. The salad was well presented, obviously freshly dressed as the leaves were bright and not burnt with the acid in the dressing. For a restaurant that was a day old this was really creditable. Everything was devoured.

Table decoration. Not edible!!

Beef Burger

Beef Burger - deconstructed

Philly Steak Sandwich

Chicken Sloppy Joe

Poached Pear Salad

We did not really have much space for dessert. To my surprise, the waiter brought out 4 small portions of their homemade ice cream for us to taste. If I recall the flavours were Baileys, Praline & Cream, Blueberry and one other. This was yet another gesture that I have not seen in restaurants in India.

The ice creams

Since the stars were in alignment the entire evening was fun. Much laughter and good food. Indigo Deli did perform superbly, it ticked all the boxes.

When writing this, I wondered how expensive food in India can be. A Philly Steak sandwich at Indigo costs Rs 465 ++ which is about Rs 535/- which is 10 USD. You do get a lot lot more for 10 USD in America which is where the Philly Steak Sandwich comes from. A Philly Steak Sandwich at Geno's Steaks which along with Pat’s Steak are pioneers of this sandwich costs just 9 USD and I can guarantee it would have more meat which is the most expensive component anyway. Food in India is certainly not cheap and especially food at upmarket restaurants. The tragedy is that even after going to Indigo Deli and paying top prices, you are forced to order Bisleri as drinking `tap’ water is unsafe.

All in all, Indigo Deli is certainly worth a visit. Now that it’s opened so close to home, I foresee drinks at Totos and dinner at the Deli.