Delhi Grill was born to change our perception of Indian food, selling traditional street food in a space with a radically different look. Your meal at Delhi Grill will definitely be a curry to remember!

The Venue
Edgy, fresh and energising, Delhi Grill is the revolutionary face of Indian restaurants. Without losing exuberance and colour, the contemporary and tidy decor ditches gold encrusted ornaments to propose something more akin to the newest Iberic aesthetic seen in cutting-edge Spanish eateries. One wall is painted bright turquoise, on which a script in white, red and black spells out the restaurant’s manifesto. The wall opposite resembles any street in India: a badly painted beige surface covered with different layers of imported advertising posters. The rest of the venue uses wood cleverly for the two bar areas, the floor, the simple tables, wall bench and chairs: different tones add an extra visual dimension. It’s striking and very cool.

The Atmosphere
Started by two brothers, Delhi Grill has a family-run atmosphere as well as the quick efficiency and service you would expect from high profile restaurants. Their outdoor lunch kiosk has already won many fans, while the evening dining is yet to pick up fully: it will as soon as people catch on with the dhaba-style dishes (dhabas are informal eating spots, often just a small vehicle) and the excellent fresh cuisine.

The Food
The Delhi Grill manifesto includes freshly ground spices, slow cooked dishes (often more than two hours), no stir-in sauces and - even more surprisingly - no ghee. Catering to health-conscious Londoners, the fat has been cut down dramatically and ghee has been replaced with oil. All the recipes have been in the family for generations and are faithfully reproduced. A roti master prepares every roti on the spot: try them with the delicious handmade sauces, fashionably presented on a wooden tray. If the beetroot and garlic is a contemporary twist, the chutney and the raita are as traditional as they could ever be.

The menu is simple and it distinguishes only between tandoor and pot dishes. Sheekh kebabs and lamb chops (£2.50 - £3) are their signature dishes: the meat is incredibly tender and it has clearly been marinated for long. The crispy vegetable samosas may be small but for £1.50 for two, you just can’t go wrong and the filling is excellent. The rogan gosht (£7) is a sizeable portion: slow-cooked for over two hours, the lamb melts in your mouth. The channa chickpeas (£4) are excellent: the spice bouquet is particularly aromatic but not fiery hot. If heat is what you’re after, some of the sauces are just pure fire so you can adjust your dish as you please.

The Drink
Delhi Grill is fully licensed and offers a concise but satisfactory selection of wines (three whites, four reds, £2.75 - £3.75 for a glass, £10 - £14 per bottle). They also serve four exotic beers (£1.95 for a small glass, £3.75 for a large one): pick from Cobra, Bangla, Lal Toofan or Kingfisher. A selection of cold and hot drinks, including chai and lassis (£2 - £3) is also available.

The Last Word
Traditionally, customers go to dhabas for the food, not the decor, but Delhi Grill is a cool restaurant that should definitely attract customers for both reasons.

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