With its third opening in town, Desi Vibes tries to impress by engaging you with your roots. By Jigyasu Joshi
In the busy market of Defence Colony, it is not very difficult to find Desi Vibes. On a big yellow vertical board, you can’t quite miss it even on foggy nights. When we walked in, we found an old wordly ambience and a reprised version of the ghazal, In Aankhon ki Masti Ke playing in the background. For a moment, it seemed very 80s, when the ghazal revolution was at its peak. Spread across three floors, each has a different decor. The ground floor is done up in whites with mirror work, with lavish, colorful sofas. The first floor has mud walls resembling a village theme, with a well in tow. The second floor is a bit more like a haveli, with a bar at one end. Certainly inviting for all you throwback buffs.
After settling in, we were served a shikanji in a clay vessel, the welcome drink so to speak. The hints of pomegranate were refreshing. For starters, we ordered vegetarian and non-vegetarian kebabs. The Hara Bhara Kebab was prepared with the usual spinach, mashed potatoes and cottage cheese combo. Except it was coated with crushed papad for the crunch. Hariyali Paneer Tikka was again soft cottage cheese coated in coriander, mint leaves and green peppercorn, grilled on charcoal. The smoky flavour was near-perfect and the greens blended subtly.
In the non-vegetarian platter, the Tandoori Murgh kept it simple, tender, creamy and moderately spiced. Next on the list was Zarki Murgh Tikka. Now this kebab was made with boneless chicken steeped in a marinade of green onion, white onion, thyme and a mix of cinnamon, black pepper and soya sauce. Despite the combination of various unusual flavours, the resultant mix was a tickle.
For the main course we were served Dal Punjabi and fish curry. Tadka dal or Dal Punjabi did its state of origin honour, lightly creamy but easy on the stomach and infused with the flavour of ghee and red chilli tadka. Tandoori rotis balanced their softness with dhaba-style crunch. The fish curry was quite a steal. Most places in Delhi over or under-cook fish but the boneless meat in the curry was perfectly done while the julienned ginger elevated the standard red gravy with its vim. We also suggest you order fresh, crunchy cucumber raita to cut the flavours gently.
After filling our tummies with the main course, we looked forward to a sweet end to the day. We ordered a Ras Malai first but since it was not available at that time, we had to settle for gulab jamun. Hot and luscious, not too sweet or cloying. Desi Vibes keeps it simple, working on the basic premise of keeping it hearty, nostalgic and warm.