Delhi Palace has been known as one of Harare’s leading Indian-style restaurants for many years, first in its location in the Greystone Park area, then at the Pick n Pay side of the Borrowdale commercial area and now in the newer section of Sam Levy’s Village, adjacent to the Food Lover’s Market.
Restaurant Review with Epicurean
It was established and run by the extremely popular Bob and Nicky Savania, but after Bob passed away Nicky eventually closed up, re-opening and then selling. The owner now is Peter Marchussen and he is keen on making the venue one of the busiest in the Borrowdale commercial area… no mean feat when one considers just how many restaurants, coffee shops and other eateries there are in the area.
I went recently to sample a new lunchtime menu, one that extends the offering beyond an Indian-style cuisine into other food styles, especially those that will be popular with diners after a quick meal during the lunch break. I had a similar introduction to a “fusion” style when dining in January at The Fuzion Palace in Highlands, where Indian food mingles with various other styles (including Chinese and western). So if anyone says he or she doesn’t like Indian food, or finds it too hot for summer, Delhi Palace probably has something to offer him or her.
The menu is bright and colourful and offers photographic evidence of what the meals should look like, something I find that we in Zimbabwe don’t always achieve. I remember going over the years to certain fast food diners who shall remain nameless, and seeing lovely photos of meals taken in South Africa and then finding that the reality on the ground was somewhat different, both in look and quality. Happily, that’s not the case at Delhi Palace, where what was offered was what was given, certainly in visual and taste respects.
There are four soups from which to choose — spicy peach, butternut, spicy pea and spicy carrot. Each can be selected in a $3 cup portion or $4 bowl. Light snacks for starters or light meals include bhajiyas, samoosas or chicken pakora (all $3,50). Chicken mains include a chicken burger tandoor style, chicken wings and chips, chicken basket with chips, chicken tikka wraps and quarter chicken and chips. These run from $4 to $6,95 and additional chips and salads can be purchased on request. A seafood section offers prawn fingers at $12,95 or fish and chips at $6,95, again with additional inputs available for a higher price. Desserts include ice-cream (with or without chocolate sauce), waffles and ice-cream, apple pie and cream and pancakes with banana slices and maple syrup (prices $4 to $5).
Hot beverages include teas, hot chocolate, milk and coffees, while cold beverages include milkshakes, Indian lassi (a yoghurt-based sweet drink) with various flavours, sodas and shandies.There is a bar on site, too.
On the day we went, my guest went for a cup-size spicy peach soup and found it delightful and amazingly large in size. I had the bhajiyas — very tasty and not too hot. For mains I had a very tasty prawn fingers dish (though I found the batter a little harder than I would have liked) while my guest enjoyed a really good chicken basket with chips and salad. Desserts could not be refused: apple pie (with ice-cream, not cream) for me and pancakes for my guest. What a superb meal, we each agreed.
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I like the idea of a smaller menu for lunch (and the very competitive prices), and the addition of non-Indian dishes must widen the base of support; a surprising number of people don’t like Indian food and I often wonder if they realise that not everything is spiced and “heat” can be as required. A lot of people eating there are folk who are also going to shop, or popping into a movie. I know Peter is hoping to add entertainment, and I certainly think a singer at Sunday lunchtime is a pleasant addition to the meal. I have often made the choice of lunchtime venue one where there is a singer to add value. Delhi Palace retains its extensive Indian menu at night, and takeaways are very much available from the dinner menu selection. I like the venue and prefer sitting on the terrace looking out into the car park to sitting indoors.
Delhi Palace for a very reasonably-priced and varied lunchtime menu, with attentive service and presentation from team members Sydney Mandizha and Stanley Mashanyare, one in the front of house and the other from the kitchen. It’s easy for anyone in the northern suburbs to get there. The new lunch is served from 12 to 2pm every day except Sunday. On Sunday the dinner menu is available.
Call 0779 548436, 0718 791635, 0783 909775, 0783 909776, or e-mail [email protected]
