22 June 2013

Delhi 6. A restaurant review

| johnboy
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sizzler plate

Last night Goosepig and I needed somewhere to get dinner close to Theatre 3 and Delhi 6 on Childers Street seemed to fit the bill as the tumbleweeds blew through the supposedly revitalised and vibrant precinct.

I’d had a reasonably good lunch there a couple of years ago so why not do the sit down dinner experience.

The place was mostly empty when we got there, maybe a handful of couples in the big space.

We were greeted promptly and lead to seats by the window.

Drinks were ordered and we settled in with the menu.

Not after a big dinner we decided to split the chicken crackles, thinking it sounded like some decadent spiced treatment of chicken skin (more on that later), and get the tandoori sizzler plate.

Our drinks arrived. The waitress had brought out my Kingfisher with the lid on and didn’t have a waiters’ friend. Eventually my beer came back.

After a lengthy wait in which the (suspiciously like those from a supermarket packet) pappadums were devoured, more ordered, devoured, and the small talk was beginning to verge on painful, the chicken crackles arrived.

One supposes that if one was Indian, nd all food was doused in vast arrays of weird spices something bland might be quite novel. This might explain something less interesting than a Maccas Chicken Nugget appearing before us.

Our fault for misreading the menu we suppose.

Around this point we had come to notice things were going seriously awry with the wait staff.

One dude just walked around the floor doing laps with a bottle of water. But never filling anyone’s glass and avoiding all eye contact.

For a long time the waiters were all huddled behind the bar in a grouping sure to get the back up any halfway competent floor manager.

And then there were the Chinese waitresses, in an Indian restaurant, with English so bad they couldn’t take a very simple drinks order (one Sav Blanc, one kingfisher).

Watching the failings of the numerous waiters at least kept us amused as we waited for the food.

Finally our sizzle plate arrived!

It was theatrical! It was well executed in that all the meats were cooked and yet still tender and juicy.

And yet, at some point, one has to wonder if India, with its teeming multitudes of peoples, creeds and cultures, can really only produce the one marinade in which to coat the meat before sticking it in the tandoor. There are counties in the US with greater culinary diversity.

On asking for the bill, slowly and carefully complete with the universally known scribbly hand gesture that has seen me right from St Petersburg to Singapore, I was asked what kind of bill I wanted.

It came to $84. Which for a light dinner for two with just two drinks each is getting on the steep side.

The food is not bad. The service is diabolical to the point of comic relief, but the prices for mine are too high considering what that kind of money can get you elsewhere.

We did, however, get out well in time for our show.


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canberracath said :

johnboy said :

If they don’t speak english but do speak the language of the bulk of the clientelle that’s one thing.

If I’m unable to communicate with them it’s lousy service any which way.

Speaking English (or not speaking English) is one thing but ‘Chinese waitresses, in an Indian restaurant’ – so what? Should restaurants be limited to hiring only those people from whatever country’s cuisine they are serving? How do you know that the ‘bulk of the clientelle’ are necessarily Indian?

ok if no one else will, I will…..
Get off your high horse. We are talking about lousy service, not racism.
Seriously….

Mr Intercourse10:49 am 24 Jun 13

Madam Cholet said :

I can beat your diabolical service. At a very full cafe today in Erindale, can’t remember the name but its the new one over the gym side, a young wait person declined to take my order for two milk shakes because he was without a notepad. – as in, not one to be seen, not that he just didn’t have one to hand. It took at least 35 minutes to get the milkshakes. A table next to us had been waiting 15 minutes for service prior to our arrival.

That sounds like La Piazza, the less said about that place the better.

Perhaps they were confused re the kingfisher? Ah sorry but it’s a protected bird we can’t possibly serve you that,would you prefer a wild turkey?

canberracath2:50 pm 23 Jun 13

johnboy said :

If they don’t speak english but do speak the language of the bulk of the clientelle that’s one thing.

If I’m unable to communicate with them it’s lousy service any which way.

Speaking English (or not speaking English) is one thing but ‘Chinese waitresses, in an Indian restaurant’ – so what? Should restaurants be limited to hiring only those people from whatever country’s cuisine they are serving? How do you know that the ‘bulk of the clientelle’ are necessarily Indian?

They do a reasonable $10 takeaway lunch though.

canberracath12:43 pm 23 Jun 13

How is the nationality of the wait staff relevant in any way?

If they don’t speak english but do speak the language of the bulk of the clientelle that’s one thing.

If I’m unable to communicate with them it’s lousy service any which way.

As this site is written in English it’s our yardstick.

I can only call it as I get it mate.

troll-sniffer5:51 pm 22 Jun 13

Maybe you went in there on the wrong foot and came out on the same peg leg. I have been to Delhi 6 maybe a dozen times since it opened and have been more than happy with the food and the service each time. The food has always been a cut above just about every other Indian restaurant in town especially if you go for the options that are a bit less mainstream, and while the service hasn’t been impeccable, it has always been adequate or better. It along with a place in Kingston and a couple of others further afield are my favourite Indian places in Canberra.

Every time I go there the bill ends up in the mid-fifties but I can see with two drinks each and a few raids on the pappadum item it could get up to $84.00. Since the menu prices are in line with every other Indian restaurant in town I think your assertion that the $84.00 was a bit on the steep side doesn’t really stack up.

My experience with Delhi 6 doesn’t agree with your review, Johnboy.

dpm said :

I still think you need to come up with a nicer name for your GF/partner. I’m kinda amazed she lets you call her that! 🙂

She may have invented it herself, of course.

I love being asked what sort of bill you wanted. Perhaps you should have said ‘small’. That would have fixed things.

Are you reviewing Autolyse soon?

I still think you need to come up with a nicer name for your GF/partner. I’m kinda amazed she lets you call her that! 🙂

Madam Cholet3:37 pm 22 Jun 13

I can beat your diabolical service. At a very full cafe today in Erindale, can’t remember the name but its the new one over the gym side, a young wait person declined to take my order for two milk shakes because he was without a notepad. – as in, not one to be seen, not that he just didn’t have one to hand. It took at least 35 minutes to get the milkshakes. A table next to us had been waiting 15 minutes for service prior to our arrival.

Have been to Delhi 6 – had a glass of water spilt on me by the waitress. Food ok. The Chinese restaurants around that area are way better.

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