Dalma

The Oriya cook is quite good, but the side-effect is that we kept shifting our ‘odyssey’ to Dalma, despite it being only a short walk away from home. Dalma specialises in Eastern India cuisine, and is located on the Intermediate Ring Road, at the junction with 8th Main. Zomato has the map as well as the menu. They have some parking in front of the restaurant, but that’s minimal. You should probably park on one of the side lanes nearby, especially if you have a 4 wheeler.

Though it has a bright setting, comfortable seating and other such necessary ingredients necessary to make it a functional restaurant, there’s something about the place that  makes it a ‘home away from home’. I confess to not having any knowledge of Oriya homes, despite this boy and this girl being among my best buddies, but for those who’re familiar with the erstwhile “Ravi’s Kitchen”, perhaps you’ll get an idea. The smiling and helpful staff only add to this.

We started with a Chicken Pakoda, which didn’t turn out great. It got the pakoda part right, but the bones spoiled the dish. For the main course, we ordered a Chicken Kasha with Luchis. The luchis were thicker and I felt it was better than the Bengali versions I’ve had. It also went very well with the thick chicken gravy. We also ordered a ‘Saguati Khechudi – Chicken’ and a fish fry. The former is a rice dish, reminiscent of the Biriyani, but only in basic form and the latter turned out to be Rohu, cooked very well. And then the real main course – Pahala Rasgulla, and Chhenapoda. I liked the former much more than the familiar sponge rasgullas and the latter, with its burnt crust and made from cottage cheese was also awesome!

All of the above cost us just over Rs.450. A visit is highly recommended, for a simple yet different cuisine experience.

Dalma, #37, 100ft Ring Road, Koramangala Ph: 41660921