It always feels like summer at Delhi Delhi, a new Indian restaurant in Kyiv.
Greeted by loud Indian pop melodies and a subtle smell of curry, guests to the eatery leave gloomy Ukrainian winter behind and step into the eternal summer of the subcontinent.
“Namaste,” says a friendly waiter, who leads a customer through the banks of the Ganges River, across the tropical lush jungle where little monkeys swing on vines – all elements of the restaurant’s elaborate interior design.
The culinary journey starts with the first sip of sweet and spicy Masala tea, followed by a luscious meal, and doesn’t end even after leaving the venue — Delhi Delhi leaves vivid impressions of warm and sunny India for long.
The latest eatery by the Mastergood group, which runs the Mama Manana and China Ma restaurants, Delhi Delhi opened almost a year ago on Velyka Vasylkivska, one of the busiest dining streets in Kyiv.
It has instantly become popular among locals and Indians in the capital: The 107-seat venue is lavishly crowded even on weekdays.
The venue’s favorable location, a great variety of tasty food, friendly service and extraordinary design stand behind its success.
“Delhi Delhi reminds of an Indian wedding — noisy, colorful and fun, where everything is about tasty food, dancing and loud music,” Olga Malakhova, the restaurant’s general manager, told the Kyiv Post.
Opening in pandemic
Delhi Delhi was born in love: It was launched on St. Valentine’s Day a year ago. Malakhova, 36, says her passion for Indian cuisine and culture inspired her to open Delhi Delhi on the most romantic holiday, even though the restaurant was not totally ready.
They did not announce the first day, but as soon as the venue’s doors opened, it drew the attention of passersby of the busy street.
“It was a fantastic day,” Malakhova reminiscences.
After serving three tables on the first day, the restaurant closed for over a week to make improvements. It reopened at the end of February, just about a month before a strict lockdown started in Ukraine amid the spread of COVID-19.
Just like other eateries and non-essential businesses, Delhi Delhi shut down dining for almost two months, partially cutting salaries but keeping the whole 50-member staff. The restaurant used the time to refine all the processes of cooking and serving food.
“Shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, and we survived,” Malakhova says.
Visitors of the new Indian restaurant Delhi Delhi in Kyiv wait for their orders on Jan. 29, 2020. Delhi Delhi is a two-story restaurant divided into halls with different design, each representing various elements of Indian heritage. (Volodymyr Petrov)
With the first rays of summer sun, Delhi Delhi set up an outdoor terrace, which drew even more visitors. The terrace stood out with a snow-white fluffy carpet, plants and host Charanzhit Singh dressed in traditional Indian garments.
Singh is also the star of funny sketch videos on Delhi Delhi’s social media — another hallmark of the restaurant.
Still, it’s the venue’s conceptual interior design that makes it stick out despite a harsh competition of Kyiv’s saturated restaurant scene.
Dusty Indian land
By the time Delhi Delhi emerged, there were several restaurants offering Indian cuisine in the capital. But while most of them serve authentic dishes, Delhi Delhi bills itself as a curry bar that provides a taste of modern India.
When developing the concept, the owners were also inspired by Indian eateries in England and France.
“We respect traditions but at the same time, it’s an Indian restaurant located in a big, modern European city,” Malakhova says.
The two-stories restaurant is divided into halls with different design, each representing various elements of Indian heritage.
The warmth inside the eatery quickly eliminates any swirl of cold air that enters with guests. Walls painted in cinnamon color that reminds of dusty Indian land, along with the dimmed lights, add to the mellow atmosphere.
The hallway is surrounded by round and square-shaped wooden tables, accompanied by soft brown and blue chairs and a stringy pink sofa. It leads to the area of the Ganges River, where tables are set on a stairway resembling the steep banks of India’s main river.
Just like in the deep jungle of the subcontinent, little monkey figures are swinging on thorny vines above the tables. They are painted in the same cinnamon color. And as a reminder of the ongoing pandemic, some monkeys have tiny protective masks on.
The ground floor is divided into two more halls — the pearl one and the hall of kisses, both named in accordance to their design.
With its dark green walls, Delhi Delhi’s restroom represents the Indian Ocean. The ceiling, however, is made of plastic bottles highlighting the pressing issue of marine pollution. In line with the environmentally conscious approach, Delhi Delhi uses only recyclable package for delivery.
One of the core attractions inside the restaurant is an open kitchen on the first floor, where Indian chefs prepare naan flatbread and meat dishes in tandoor, a traditional clay oven usually heated with charcoal to give food a smoky flavor. Watching savory Indian meals being cooked there will leave any mouth watering.
Luckily, there is no chance to starve at Delhi Delhi with a variety of delicious delights. And in case orders take longer to cook than usual, the eatery serves a free appetizer consisting of naan and a selection of chutney, traditional Indian condiments and sauces.
From spicy heat to soothing sweet
There is a dizzying array of knockout dishes, wines and cocktails on the Delhi Delhi menu.
They serve butter chicken, samosas (fried, triangular pockets of flour filled with shrimps or vegetables), pakoras (vegetables or deep-fried in gram-flour coating), lentil dal soup, paneer tikka (Indian cottage cheese marinated with spices and grilled in tandoor) and, of course, curry, the signature Indian course.
Made with a colorful and flavorsome blend of spices, the curries here are the house specialties that come in 14 types, such as Goan fish curry, palak paneer (spinach and cheese curry), vegetable kofta and more.
Aside from the traditional curries, the restaurant serves variations with twists “to reveal the whole spectrum of curry,” such as the Indonesian chicken rendang.
“Curry is more than just a spice and more than just a dish,” Malakhova says. “Almost all gastronomic life in India is built around curry.”
It’s the blend of spices that gives curry a distinct flavor, and Delhi Delhi orders theirs from India nearly twice a month.
The guests can have their curry cooked mild or “as hot as in India,” — a common choice of their Indian regulars.
Waiters at Delhi Delhi speak English and are always ready to provide recommendations. And one of the three Indian chefs, Shamsher Singh, suggests trying butter chicken, his favorite dish on the list.
Another great option for the introduction to the Indian cuisine is Thali, a selection of several dishes served on one platter. It includes rice, two types of curry with beans and lentils, creamy hummus with edamame beans, raita (a condiment made of yogurt, cucumber and mint), mint chutney (spicy condiment made of mint, cilantro, and garlic), mango chutney, freshly-baked naan, along with several pieces of smoky juicy chicken marinated in cilantro and mint sauce and cooked in tandoor.
Just in around 15 minutes after order, a visual masterpiece combined of Indian delights appears on the table. Thali is served on a sophisticated copper tray with each of its components placed in smaller copper bowls.
All the copper dinnerware, including pots, bowls, plates and 300 copper cups with hand-painted ornaments arrived from India, Malakhova says.
Thali costs Hr 350 (nearly $12) and is a perfect choice for two to share. A great choice to wash the spicy meal is Masala tea prepared with the Butterfly-pea leaf tea, or anchan, that gives the tea blue color and makes the taste a little more bitter than the original.
The total bill would be Hr 450 ($16), slightly expensive as for the meal for one, but totally worth the price for the gastronomic experience and the friendliest service.
And as the pandemic keeps delaying traveling, there is no better, cheaper and safer way to journey halfway across the world this winter than dining at Delhi Delhi.
Delhi Delhi. 34 Velyka Vasylkivska St. Mon-Sun. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. +389073 165 7771
Here are other Indian restaurants in Kyiv:
Himalaya. 80 Velyka Vasylkivska St. Mon-Sun — 11 a. m. – 10 p. m. +3073 466 6707
Sutra. 3 Proviantska St. Mon-Sun — 5-10 p.m. +38097 077 9999
Balu. 27 Velyka Zhytomyrska St. Mon-Sun — 11 a. m. — 10 p. m. +38096 052 0755
The Kitchen 21. 21 Sahaidachnoho St. Mon-Sun — 10 a. m. — 10 p. m. +38067 326 8186
New Bombay Palace. 33A Druzhby Narodiv Blvd. 11 a. m. — 11 p. m. +38044 285 9999
Rangoli. 32/34 Shovkoyichna St. Mon-Sun — 10 a. m. — 11 p. m. +38096 993 3999
