Diwan

[Suvir Saran]

I only wish all restaurants would take a page out of Hemant's book regarding service.  I am frequently dazzled by the posts about this restaurant and cannot wait to get to NY to visit Diwan.  Simply amazing.

I only wish his restaurants owner would do him more justice by providing a team for him that is more competent.

He would dazzle all of us with far greater heights of achievement.

He does a great deal with amazingly little.

In fact that is what is dazzling to those that enjoy his food and also understand what an environment he creates it in. No fuss, no drama and no hype. All about being creative and doing the best with humble and meager tools.

Varmint, when you do come to NYC, let me know... It would be my pleasure to have you be my guest to enjoy a meal cooked by Hemant Mathur.

I have great pride and joy in introducing people to his food and the man behind it.

And as you can see, I am shamelessly his biggest PR agent. I do not hide that.. and have no reason to. True talent ought to be accepted and appreciated.

[Stone]

If he had better help and a stronger team, Hemant could very well be the best of the best anywhere in the world.

I think his biggest problem is location. Our service was terrific. Certainly not French Laundry style, but who needs that? Since his offerings on Indian food differ so much from what most New Yorkers expect and he focuses on low-fat (lower fat?) tandoori dishes, I think he would clean up if he could open a place in Soho and exploit the rich and wannabies. I can't remember the name of that Thai place -- Kin Khao? -- that was certainly very good Thai, but not much better than most others. It got well positioned in Soho, threw in some trendy ingredients (for most of my friends, it was the first place they saw sticky rice) and became the place to see and be seen eating SE Asian cuisine.

Edited February 24, 2003 by Stone (log)

[tommy]

the team at diwan seems right on to me. the service is no-fuss, and spot on. they are friendly, cordial, they joke around, and they're very efficient. overall, the service seems to match the overall approach, for me at least. in fact, i've probably not mentioned the service enough in my posts about diwan.

[Suvir Saran]

the team at diwan seems right on to me.  the service is no-fuss, and spot on.  they are friendly, cordial, they joke around, and they're very efficient.  overall, the service seems to match the overall approach, for me at least.  in fact, i've probably not mentioned the service enough in my posts about diwan.

They are very good. IN fact they all would shine if someone were managing them better.

But through the chaotic management, it is amazing that they give the level of service one finds there.

Tommy, you are right, one cannot and should not ignore the spot on, no fuss service.

You are a smart and a kind man.

[Suzanne F]

That leads me to something of a moot question: I wonder if "nobodies" get the same service that we, the "in-crowd," get. On other threads there has been discussion of how one gets better service than the average diner. At Diwan, we say the magic words eGullet and Suvir, and presto! Of course, we have to keep up our end of the bargain and continue to demonstrate that we are worthy of such treatment. Our joy at being there, and our appreciation of the food, is definitely mirrored by the staff, who seem to enjoy having us as customers.

For those who are unsure: yes, this is supposed to be a joke. Mostly.

[La Niña]

Ah, so you're asking for VIP treatment.

Edited February 25, 2003 by La Niña (log)

[tommy]

it's not really a joke. just as many egullet members get preferential treatment at say, Blue Hill, i get special treatment at Diwan. of course, i'm clever enough to know that my dining experience there isn't representative of what the average person off the street might get, and i'm respectful enough of other posters/readers to not suggest otherwise.

Edited February 25, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Suzanne F]

Ah, so you're asking for VIP treatment. 

So I'm a hypocrite. So sue me. Actually, I think by now they recognize eGulleteers, and all we have to do is waggle an eyebrow.

[Varmint]

Ah, so you're asking for VIP treatment.

So I'm a hypocrite. So sue me. Actually, I think by now they recognize eGulleteers, and all we have to do is waggle an eyebrow.

I thought it was the scarlet "e" on our chests.

[Suzanne F]

Ah, so you're asking for VIP treatment.  

So I'm a hypocrite. So sue me. Actually, I think by now they recognize eGulleteers, and all we have to do is waggle an eyebrow.

I thought it was the scarlet "e" on our chests.

That's just a drip of Suvir's Tomato Chutney.

[rstarobi]

Just a quickie post - had another really amazing meal at Diwan last night. This time in the back room. Hemant came over and said 'hi' again, as did our waiter from last week. We had an absolutely stunning sea bass dish brought to us as a gift from Hemant. Really another amazing meal (four in a row there, now).

[Food in Mouth]

As dinner partner of RStarobi (doubling as father) I can only concur. For the second meal at Diwan in the past two weeks, I went away amazed at Hemant's virtuosity. Terrific service added to the occasion.

[Suvir Saran]

Whose Indian Food Really Stands Out?

[Rachel Perlow]

Do all at the table have to order the tasting menu or may one order it independantly of your dining companions?

[Wilfrid]

I looked back over some (not all) of the pages of this thread. I honestly don't know whether the diversity of opinions reflects different levels of experience and anticipation in Indian dining, or whether the kitchen has very variable standards. I had dinner there for the first time (not on a Sunday), and I found a comment by Simon elsewhere which perfectly sums up my experience: "As for Diwan. I found it fine, no more. Certainly no more than a mid level London Indian restaurant."

That doesn't mean it's bad; it just means that the level of excitement bewilders me. The crabmeat beggar's purses were slightly dry and over salty; the quail was okay; the tandoori venison chops showed none of the dampness discussed earlier in this thread - they were good meat, and tasted like meat cooked in that style should (no sauce, just a few potatoes). The saffron chicken was very poor - thick, sweet-ish sauce over chunks of dry chicken breast. The lemon rice didn't excite me - too many different spices. Aloo ghobi was excellent, freshly made with crunchy cauliflower. To my surprise, I was knocked out by the desserts - the kulfi was as good as any I've had, and the Sheer Kurgh was good too. Other than the desserts, food of this kind can be eaten at maybe a dozen restaurants in most British provincial cities.

Maybe special banquets or tasting menus are something else.

This doesn't mean it isn't the best in New York, but I didn't think it was much better than Haveli, and can see no reason it would be awarded three stars. Sorry.

[Fat Guy]

The tasting menus I've had at Diwan were an order of magnitude superior to anything else being served in New York, and fully on par with the best I've had anywhere: subtle, complex, elegantly prepared, cooked to an appealing level of doneness, etc., like the best Indian cuisine I've sampled in Singapore, Vancouver, and London. Too many hyper-experienced and well-traveled gourmets have offered enthusiastic testimony in favor of Diwan for this to be a fluke. The raves aren't coming from people who have never been to London or the East. Gael Greene, for example, has as far as I know dined extensively in both places -- she is not speaking from a lack of perspective. The inexorable conclusion to be drawn is that, if the food you tried there was ordinary, you didn't have the same food I did. The contingency theory is that one of us is simply tone-deaf to Indian cuisine -- and I don't think that's true. So yes, inconsistency is the only explanation short of one of us being delusional. Ultimately, if the chef can't put out a consistently great meal, he's not a chef -- he's just a good cook. That certainly seems to be the picture that's emerging here.

[g.johnson]

I looked back over some (not all) of the pages of this thread.  I honestly don't know whether the diversity of opinions reflects different levels of experience and anticipation in Indian dining, or whether the kitchen has very variable standards.

The latter. Loved the banquet. Found it average on a repeat.

[Wilfrid]

And, from memory, Simon's comment was prompted by eating from the regular menu. Which is consistent with the non-delusional theory.

[Fat Guy]

What he said was, "I read the menu, looked closely at the buffet and tried a couple of dishes and it was underwhelming." And I have no reason to doubt that report. However, if anybody ate the food I ate and said the same thing, I'd call that person crazy.

[g.johnson]

I don't think it's the tasting menu vs. carte that's the problem. Even things that I'd liked at the banquet -- the beggars purse in particular -- were poor on the second visit.

[Wilfrid]

I was thinking there might be a difference between specially arranged banquets and tasting menus and dinners ordered from the carte. Is the tasting menu something which needs to be arranged in advance? We weren't offered it.

[Fat Guy]

The New York Magazine piece indicates that it's available to anyone.

I think the most logical conclusion from all the data points is that if Hemant isn't actively involved in your meal it's not going to live up to what all these rave reviews seem to be based on.

[Orik]

Is the tasting menu something which needs to be arranged in advance?  We weren't offered it.

We've tried the tasting menu once (out of over a dozen visits) and found it to be a relatively poor way of sampling the cuisine.

Generally speaking, I've found Diwan to be very consistent and while we have made no mention of eGullet (or any other secret organization), we get the same 'vip' treatment described on this thread.

I can see how someone would be underwhelmed given the nealy comical hype in some parts of this thread, but I do think their tandoori dishes are by far the best in New York. I still prefer Bukhara Grill for Aloo Korma, Methi Machi and the such (but don't tell Hemant).

[Wilfrid]

Orik, I think the phrase "by far the best in New York" is key. I wouldn't argue with that. Unfortunately, it's not saying much.

[Orik]

Orik, I think the phrase "by far the best in New York" is key.  I wouldn't argue with that.  Unfortunately, it's not saying much.

Well, for what it's worth, the lamb chops are also better than anything you could get in Tel Aviv