Indian Wedding in a restaurant

Indian dining is associated with a million things, but I don't remember fun being among them. Not until now. Sombre, yes. Rich, yes. Opulent, yes. Spicy, oh yes. Fun, hmmmmm. Desi D with a young chef at its helm is out to change it. With in-your-face interiors in a restored railway building, there are splashes of colours everywhere. A little too much you could say if you nitpick, but it blends beautifully. This is like big fat Indian wedding in a restaurant. The menu is fun looking, the chef is naughty looking, but the staff may themselves be overwhelmed with the amount of fun.

But the chef clearly takes his food seriously. From Kulchas to Hyderabadi biriyani, there is something from most parts of India on the menu. I guess, the Indian subcontinent on the menu, since we also had Bao. Minced lamb samosas served in ancient looking Vethala Pottis (betal leaf boxes) and Patiala chicken served in Mini Pressure Cookers are all out to distract your tastebuds and focus on the presentations. Not plated dishes, but presentation in keeping with the theme. Fried yam in a bucket and gorgeous looking Masala Pappad also arrived to our party. 

With the presentation trying to distract, I tried hard to nitpick. I couldn't. Not in my first visit, not on my second. The Pattiala Chicken in a cooker served with naan and some dhal was drenched in Punjabi flavours and characteristics. Heavy, but it is supposed to be that way, isn't it? The Masala Pappads were an instant hit. Taking the humble pappads and loading them sauces and mint looked like it was going to overwhelm the tongue and spoil it, but everyone wanted repeat servings of it and we had to do damage control to stop ourselves. Unless we wanted a dinner of only these pappads. The juicy and cheesy chicken tikka served in a mini grill with cheese on top will remind you of the cheesy kebabs at Punjabi outlets in Chennai. The gulab jamun cheesecake we had to finish our meal was top class. Had it been served in a white plate in a restaurant with dim lights, it might have been called a super star.

Desi D has brought a new ambiance to the Indian cuisine dining. I sure do hope they keep up the quality and the chef keeps reinventing and adding new dishes to the menu at least once a year. I think that would be the best way to sustain this beautiful restaurant.

Desi D is located in the Railway Club in Perambur.