Ruth Dsouza Prabhu

Dalma, Bangalore`s only Oriya restaurant (named after a dal and vegetable staple dish from the region) is on the 100 feet road in Koramangala. There are two sections of the restaurant - a small glass partitioned one for families and another for the more boisterous crowd. Both of them are air-conditioned. The music is East Indian and the decor an attempt at East Indian culture. The menu is pretty extensive and the prices unbelievably low.

We decided to skip starters since the descriptions showed they were more of the chaat and fried aloo variations. Husband decided to have the Chicken thali, which was Sada Arnna (plain rice) with chicken kasha (chicken gravy), dalma (a heavenly channa and tur dal mix along with vegetables like pumpkin and some variety of gourd) and a green salad. The portions are really good as you can see and the meal felt like it was cooked at home -- nothing extravagant, but very filling and nice.

I had the Sagauti Khechudi - a mutton pulao of sorts. It had a range of interesting ingredients, from the customary bay leaf, ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes to dried fruits like cashews and raisins. It was neither spicy nor sweet. Again, the portion was good and the number of meat pieces sufficient. I had to ask for a raita to go with it.

Our cousin decided to have Sada Arnna, Dalma and Chingudi Kasha, a dry prawn dish. I wouldn`t really say the number of prawns were plenty, but good enough for one person. The base was of fried onions and tomato and there was a generous sprinkling of cinnamon as well. All put together, this made for a sumptuous meal. Oh yes! And the prawns came with the tails still on.

For junior, we ordered lemon rice. Made in ghee with slices of lemon all over, this version of lemon rice seemed to have the juice squeezed on as a dressing. The lemon rice we see down south has the lemon juice cooked with onions and garlic. Here, it was just squeezed on the rice. Don`t really know what made it taste good though, perhaps the ghee?

We were full, but wanted to try at least one dessert. The waiter suggested Kheeri. This was a kheer, made of rice, milk, jaggery and cinnamon and with a huge bay leaf in it! The bowl, if it was meant for one was extremely generous. It was quite a bit of struggle for the three of us to finish it. The kheer was thick enough to coat the spoon real well, and heavenly.

The ambience is a simple one. More like an air-conditioned dhaba. Wouldn`t say extremely clean. But it does the job for a good family meal. The staff are courteous and the service quick enough. And yes! The bill for all of this came to Rs 423

Address: #37, 6th block, 100ft road, Koramangala, Bangalore 34
Cuisine: Oriya
Cards Accepted: No
Wallet factor: Rs 300 for two
Parking: A really small parking lot

Courtesy: http://onruthprabhusplate.blogspot.com/

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