| On the corner of an inconspicuous strip mall, once Glenmore Trail ceases to be a main thoroughfare in the southeast, is a small Indian restaurant directly across the parking lot from the Glenmore Inn.
The windows advertise the $10.95 lunch buffet, and for that price, I was excited to see what Delhi Darbar had to offer. I’m fiercely loyal to the Clay Oven restaurant in the northeast, so every other Indian restaurant gets the inevitable comparisons. My friend and I stopped by Delhi Darbar on a Sunday afternoon to get our buffet on.
The square, open room was modestly decorated with rich eggplant and ruby-coloured walls, tables covered with crisp white tablecloths, linen napkins and Indian music playing softly over the speakers. Co-owners Zoblu Khan and Sanjay Kumar opened the restaurant in November and Khan was our server, dressed smartly in dress clothes and a bow tie. We were brought a basket of hot, fresh naan bread and Khan offered us the menu in case we wanted to veer from the buffet offerings.
It was an extensive menu, with detailed descriptions of the huge assortment of dishes. Khan told us that the chef could prepare anything desired, and to different heat levels. But we were there to try the buffet that was lined up in one corner with steam rising from the great-smelling choices.
We followed the scents over to the sizable buffet. Each item was steaming hot and filled to the brim, nothing looked picked over – a common buffet disappointment. The meat selections included the usual suspects – butter chicken, beef vindaloo and tandoori chicken. The beef vindaloo was a hit, with tender pieces of beef cooked in a fiery, stew-like sauce. The butter chicken again featured tender chunks of meat, but the sauce was heavy on the tomato side and I prefer a little more cream to even out the flavours. But I did enjoy them both ladled over fluffy saffron rice.
There was a well-rounded selection of sides, including the rich navratan korma, a vegetable medley in a piquant creamy curry sauce with homemade cheese. The mushroom mutar was also nice, featuring peas and mushrooms in a thin tomato-based sauce. Dal mosur, a thick blend of lentils cooked in herbs and spices and chana masala, chickpeas in a tomato garlic sauce, completed the vegetable and side dishes. Light crispy pakoras and mini samosas were available as were a selection of chutneys for dipping, including a sweet mango, a hot mint and a tangy tamarind mix.
A small salad bar was laid out over ice with a bowl of pappadums and two desserts, a rice pudding and fruit in a cream sauce. After a hot and spicy Indian meal, I always enjoy cooling off the palate with a small bowl of the rich, creamy rice pudding. Every restaurant seems to put its own unique touch to the rice pudding recipe and Delhi Darbar’s features a citrus overtone, with small wisps of rind mixed into the pudding. It was a nice end to the meal.
For $23, we’d eaten several helpings from Delhi Darbar’s rich, delicious buffet for a spectacular value. We probably ate a little too much, but for that kind of deal and those flavours, it was too hard to resist.
Delhi Darbar is located at #1-2742 Glenmore Trail S.E.; phone, 720-6669. |
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