New Launch: Delhi Diablo makes its way to Mumbai with middle-eastern food

Last month, Delhi’s Diablo made its entry into the city of dreams, Mumbai. Positioning itself as a casual dining place, the expansive restaurant spread across 5000 sq ft, exhibits a gothic vibe, as the name suggests, and the dimly lit place can easily transform into a party place once the sun goes down. When it comes to the food, the restaurant offers modern middle-eastern cuisine, curated by corporate chef Sagar Bajaj. 

We visited the 170-seater restaurant on a weekday and soon, our first dish, a colourful salad, Fattoush, made its way to our table. Full of mixed greens, bell peppers, tomato, pomegranate and fresh herbs, it was refreshing, slightly tangy with balsamic vinegar and sumac and a very creamy salad, thanks to burrata cheese. The flatbread added the right amount of crunch and texture, making it a perfect dish. The portion was generous enough to be a meal in itself.

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Next, we reached out for Adana Kebap, a charred mutton kebab served with Shirazi salad, tzatziki dip and saffron pulao. The kebab, which wasn't cut into bite-sized portions and instead served straight off the grill, was juicy and cooked to pink perfection. It's lightly seasoned with paprika and pairs well with the rice. However, the orange dipping sauce, which is Diablo's signature sauce, provided a fiery twist. The sauce by itself will burn your tongue off but when paired with the meat, it is a scintillating tango of a spicy and succulent appetizer. 

While we were appreciating the kebabs, a big tray carrying six dips - tzatziki, muhammara, baba ganoush and three kinds of hummus - and small portions of falafels, spinach fatayer, corn kebab, cheese sambousek, harissa paneer kebab, reached out table. The mezze platter looked very interesting but left us disappointed in no time. The paneer was bland even though harissa is known for its spiciness, the corn kebab was sweet, the falafel was standard and the cheese sambousek had a weird aftertaste. The only saving grace in this platter, apart from the delicious edamame hummus and spicy muhammara, was the creamy spinach fatayer. Although on the surface, it looked like our gujiyas, this middle eastern savoury with a filling of spinach and cheese was a delight. 

For the mains, we called for a prawn rice dish and Spinach Ricotta Ravioli. The tiger prawns served with the rice were extremely fragrant. However, the prawn was overcooked and stringy which threw us off a bit. When it comes to Ravioli, they were nicely coated with a mildly spicy and very flavorful red sauce made from tomato and basil and topped with parmesan cheese. The dish had very balanced flavours. 

To end our meal on the right note, we called for baklava which had an 'assortment of nuts' and chocolate chilli mousse. The pastry was crispy and light and complimented the rich, flavourful goodness of its pistachio-heavy filling perfectly. The chocolate mousse with a spicy drizzle was a surprisingly good pairing of flavours. The light, airy and fluffy mousse had a fine taste, and the addition of the tangy, spicy syrup is also something to write home about. For what sounds like an unconventional mix of ingredients, this dish came together beautifully.

Price for two: Rs 1400 for two
Recommendations: Fattoush, Baklava and Spinach Ricotta Ravioli

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