Diwan

[ngatti]

Macrosan,

Just noticed your new tag-line...Excellent!!

Nick

Edited November 25, 2002 by ngatti (log)

[Suvir Saran]

The two dishes that disappointed me were the Spinach and Lentil Cake (great flavor, but too dry for my liking) and the Basil Chicken (again, I loved the taste, but my portion was very dry).

Given the laws of probability, I guess that with 40+ people each eating several courses we were bound to find at least one cooking error. I'm so sorry it was in your basil chicken though! Mine was about the juiciest piece of chicken I've EVER eaten and certainly one of my favorite dishes from the evening. Did you happen to ask the others at your table if their chicken was also dry?

Now why don't I think of those things myself ? I have now asked two of my dining companions, and half a dozen others who were there, and I seem to be the only one who had the problem At least now I know what I have to order when I go back there --- chicken !!!!

As you said, producing that quality of food for a party of 40 was indeed a remarkable achievement, and to get one individual plate wrong was inevitable.

And sad that you did not tell me.... I would have made sure y ou got a fresh plate.... But when in NYC next... do let me know.. and I will make sure you get Hemants chicken recipes... a sampling of his Tandoori fare.. and you shall be pleasantly surprised and will forget this one time error....

But again, I think thanks go to you for taking time out from your limited schedule and joining us.... It was nice having you amongst us Yankees. I am sure you have gone back with many stories to share.

[Suzanne F]

Call the restaurant.. ask to speak with Hemant.. or go there.. ask for him.. and tell him you were there for the eGullet dinner..a nd tell him we are fellow eGulleteers... I am sure you indeed will be treated as a Maharaanee.

i for one look foward to returning and being teated like a Maharanee.

hehehehehehehe. You're incorrigible!

[macrosan]

Macrosan,

Just noticed your new tag-line...Excellent!!

Thank you Nick My resolution now is never again to post there, although I may occasionally be tempted to peek in to determine the next candidate for destruction

[Fat Guy]

Having missed, unfortunately, the food at the big eGullet Diwan dinner, Bride-of-Fat-Guy and I went by Diwan the other night in search of a scaled-down reenactment of the culinary portion of the evening only.

This was not my first visit to Diwan, so I'm starting to get the picture: Diwan is the first upmarket Indian restaurant in New York City that I'm actually proud to have here. I wouldn't hesitate to show it off to real Indians, Brits, Vancouverites, or anybody else with serious Indian food knowledge and a great local Indian food scene. Now if only somebody would airlift in a couple of good Mexican and barbecue restaurants, we'd be all set.

We were in the company of friends of the restaurant, but got the impression that quantity was the only adjustment made on their behalf.

We didn't actually follow the eGullet banquet menu but there were several overlapping items, all of them quite good. I won't go into much detail, since most everything we ate has been discussed elsewhere, but here are a few of the things we enjoyed:

Here we have, clockwise from top, Venison with cranberry, a pairing of a lamb chop and a wild boar chop, Karahi lobster tail, and crispy okra . . .

This was a really superior item: Jhali potato with grilled shrimp and a Makhanee masala. The restaurant should really specify that it is using these excellent Sri Lankan tiger prawns (they are just shrimp on the menu) . . .

I can't think of a better samosa I've had anywhere . . .

And here's the man who makes it all happen, Hemant Mathur . . .

I should add that Diwan has, I think since the banquet, greatly expanded its beverage program. They brought in a good wine consultant and now have a nice two-page Indian-appropriate list. We very much enjoyed Argyle's 1997 brut and a Daniel Rion Vosne Romanee (I forget which), served in good stemware at proper temperatures. There's also an expanded beer list.

(Photos by Madame FG)

[CathyL]

Thanks, FG & Missus FG. Great report, fab pics.

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks, FG & Missus FG.  Great report, fab pics.

Ditto!

[Miguel Gierbolini]

Thanks Mr. & Mrs Shaw. Looks really good. Are the items in the first picture on the menu? What is the price range here?

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks Mr. & Mrs Shaw.  Looks really good.  Are the items in the first picture on the menu?  What is the price range here?

All items are on the menu.

The prices range from approximately $6.00 to $30 maybe.

And if you ever do think of going there... do PM me.. and I can call and ask the chef to come out and say hello.. or even make something special for you. He is always willing to accomodate special requests. For that matter, you can always call Diwan, ask for Hemant Mathur and speak with him directly and plan a special meal. He loves spoiling people.

[Miguel Gierbolini]

Thanks Suvir. I have just added Diwan to my "Places to visit" on my next trip to NYC. Indian restaurants in Puerto Rico are non existent.

[MichaelZ]

Thanks! To date, my exposure to Diwan has been limited to the lunch buffet which, by the way, is well above average. I'm looking forward to going for dinner, since I've found Tamarind to be a little bit pretentious and uneven lately. Even at the buffet, the quality of the ingredients is apparent.

[Fat Guy]

There are obvious similarities between the Tamarind and Diwan concepts. The thing is, Diwan is kind of like what Tamarind could have been had they gotten it right.

To clarify the on menu/off menu thing, I think we had some dishes plated up specially. In other words, you normally wouldn't get two different chops on a plate; you'd get two of the same thing. But if you were two people and you ordered one order of each, you could ask them to plate it the way we had it. In other words, there's nothing we ate that you couldn't ask for as a stranger to the restaurant.

[Aaron T]

I took some friends who love Indian food to lunch there on the day after Thanksgiving and we all enjoyed it. We ended up just getting the lunch buffet because there were so many good dishes on it and that way we could try more stuff. I hadn't realized they had a lunch buffet and it was a bargain whatever they charged for it - it was less than $15 per person before tax & tip for the buffet.

They brought naan to the table to begin. I can't recall most of what we ate, but it included tandoori chicken, a spicy chicken, rice, several veggie dishes and the rice pudding to finish. I was suprised that they were serving chicken wings on a seperate table, I think I saw this at the Jackson diner too and have wondered about it since as I hadn't realized that chicken wings were a part of Indian cooking.

Anyway, I was glad to have another yummy meal at Diwan and it sounds like they are continuing to fire on all cylinders.

[Fat Guy]

I'm sure the lunch buffet is good, and I'm sure it's an essential moneymaker for Diwan, but I also wish it would disappear. It demeans such a serious restaurant.

[Suvir Saran]

I'm sure the lunch buffet is good, and I'm sure it's an essential moneymaker for Diwan, but I also wish it would disappear. It demeans such a serious restaurant.

I agree with you entirely.

It is a sad reality for me to embrace.

The owner cannot seem to fathom a restaurant without it.

They do anywhere from 150 - 250 lunches all week long.

Who would want to give up such business.

I am also told since the review many are now ordering off the menu and also drinking wines at lunch.

But still, I wish they did not have a buffet lunch.

It is entirely demeaning of a find restaurant.

At least the buffet as they serve it now.

[tommy]

i've been there several times (for lunch), and always for the buffet. it's just the midtown indian food ordering default. it's a good way to get cheap friends to come out as well.

however, i will no doubt be ordering from the menu the next time, and i'm looking foward to seeing some of those appropriate wines on the list!

[Suvir Saran]

i've been there several times (for lunch), and always for the buffet.  it's just the midtown indian food ordering default.  it's a good way to get cheap friends to come out as well. 

however, i will no doubt be ordering from the menu the next time, and i'm looking foward to seeing some of those appropriate wines on the list!

Maybe you can ask for the chef... he would be happy sending you something special. And in time for you to make it back to work without too much delay.

He loves taking care of guests that expect more. Not too often the case with many people.. but this man(Hemant Mathur) loves to spoil people.

[tommy]

Maybe you can ask for the chef... he would be happy sending you something special.  And in time for you to make it back to work without too much delay.

He loves taking care of guests that expect more.  Not too often the case with many people.. but this man(Hemant Mathur) loves to spoil people.

i've already got Hemant's name tatooed on the back of my hand. of this i can assure you.

[Suvir Saran]

I've already got Hemant's name tatooed on the back of my hand.  of this i can assure you.

TMI.

[macrosan]

The lunchtime buffet has become pretty much de rigeur in the UK too. In fact some restaurants just don't offer any other menu at lunchtime. I have always assumed that this is because there is an image of Indian food as being heavy and very spicy, and therefore not the sort of meal people want to have at lunchtime and then return to work. It has to be said that this would indeed be true of some Indian restaurants but absolutely not of a class act like Diwan.

If Diwan is offering an optional buffet, I think they would be well advised to confine it to just one section of the restaurant. They have the ideal layout for doing this too

I'm absolutely definitely going there on my next visit to NYC, and I might even pluck up the courage to ask Chef Mathur to select a menu for me

[Suvir Saran]

I'm absolutely definitely going there on my next visit to NYC, and I might even pluck up the courage to ask Chef Mathur to select a menu for me 

You should absolutely definitely and certainly do that Macrosan.

I am sure Chef Mathur would be delighted to plan a very special tasting menu for you using stuff in season.

Maybe you can plan ahead and let him surprise you even more.

He is certainly a class act when it comes to cooking and in his person. If anyone can deliver, he can.

Awbrig is to Charlie Trotter what I am to Hemant Mathur. I agree we are both biased in our respect for these chefs. But even after you remove the bias factor, there is still a lot of bones to work with.

And yes Diwan does have the perfect layout to have a restricted area for the buffet and an area where the specialties of the house can be showcased. What a great suggestion/idea. I hope the owner has some vision and can take this and run.

I shall pass on your suggestion and share this link with the owner.

[tommy]

macrosan, is it somehow offensive to people ordering off the menu to see a buffet?

[macrosan]

macrosan, is it somehow offensive to people ordering off the menu to see a buffet? 

Now now, Tommy Of course not, but a buffet creates a bustling "eat and run" atmosphere, with diners walking to and from the buffet table, and entering and leaving the restaurant at a higher-than-usual frequency. Waiter service also tends to be a little frenetic as staff try to clear tables quickly in preparation for new diners. That doesn't lend itself to creating the more leisurely and relaxed air that an a la carte diner prefers.

[rstarobi]

I went to Diwan again on Friday night, avoiding the issue of the buffet. My girlfriend Alexis and I arrived at around 5:45, beating the majority of the dinner rush. The restaurant was empty except for a couple of people at the bar and the staff. We were promptly seated at a table looking out at the window on 48th St.

Alexis enjoyed the paintings that were to my right and her left, saying that she liked their use of color (she's an artist and picks up on these things - they're pretty much background noise to me).

We were provided with menus and asked if we were interested in the wine list - as neither of us are wine drinkers, we declined, but I'll take Fat Guy's word that the wine list is now viable for a restaurant of Diwan's caliber. I asked the waiter what types of lassi were available and was told mango, sweet and salty. Not being adventurous enough to try the salty, and having already tried the mango, I ordered the sweet lassi. We then ordered: Alexis had a Tandoori mixed grill as an entree, I had the Tandoori Halibut, and we split a bread basket.

The drinks arrived, and were quickly followed by two pappadams with tamarind sauce and the green mint sauce. Alexis quickly regretted not ordering a lassi herself after trying mine, and I was only willing to give her so much of it. The lassi was served in a tall glass, slightly iced, with a mild yogurty aftertaste, and a lightly sugared initial flavor. The papadums were excellent - crunchy and spiced, as they should be.

Question

Suvir, or anyone else who knows, are the papadums at Diwan made freshly there, or pre-packaged? They were really nice, and if pre-packaged, I'd like to buy some more for myself somewhere.

The waiter then came out with our main meals. The halibut was plated with a broccoli, turmeric and salt dish, as well as a bell pepper salad and tandoored peppers. The mixed grill contained large prawns, chicken, seekh kebabs and lamb over a bed of lettuce. The breadbasket contained three varieties that I could discern - plain naan, paratha and an onion naan.

A quick note on service: it was transparent - glasses were filled, empty plates taken and check provided and processed with no need for flagging or even turning. In addition, we were left alone while eating - no one came up to us with our mouths full at any point to ask if we were enjoying the meal - an annoying experience that I've suffered many times in the past.

The halibut was in three pieces - soft, succulent fish meat with a wonderful paste on it. I was curious to try the fish as I hadn't had any at the egullet feast at Diwan. It lived up to almost all the other dishes I'd had, though it still paled before the lamb chops for leg-numbing goodness. The broccoli dish was sensational - I'd tried to make this once from Julie Sahnie's recipe and absolutely butchered it, so it was great to see it in front of me and taste how it was meant to be. I also ravenously partook of the bell peppers, despite my normal distaste for them - a testament to the preparation.

The mixed grill was universally excellent - I only know this from a seekh kebab and one of the prawns, as Alexis fiercely defended her plate from my invading fork. The bread basket was good, but not exceptional - the breads were flavorful and tender, but didn't star in their own right (which wasn't the intention, so maybe I'm not judging them fairly).

After the main course was complete, we looked at the dessert menu and decided on the chai pot de creme, which is attributed to Suvir in its description. This dessert was exceptional. The flavors of the spices contrasting with the smooth cream blew both of us away. Suvir - thank you, this dish was sensational.

Diwan repeated its quality - this time with no forewarning (not that I'm a restaurant critic who needs to hide his identity - we decided to go there after the rain began to fall, and Beyoglu (our first choice, as I haven't been there yet) seemed too far away)).

[SFJoe]

Does anyone know the history--what happened to Patang?