Hi All

Delhi Grill will be two years old on May 5th and we're delighted to have such a loyal and discerning customer base!

It was always our intention to bring real home Indian cooking from the Delhi region, inspired by the sense of an Indian Dhaba or street canteen. We cook our dishes to authentic recipes many of which are time consuming and require patience and skill to create. The wonderful reviews from critics and the tremendous support from our customers fills us with joy. It has been an enjoyable journey but also one that is challenging as we strive to get better and better at what we do. Though located somewhat off the beaten track and lacking the resources to get noticed through advertising and other marketing, thankfully word of mouth has brought those who appreciate real Indian cooking to our doorstep.

We aim to continue along this path and the Delhi Grill lunchtime stall is a step in this direction. Delicious wraps - already voted best 10 sandwich's in London by Evening Standard now adds freshly cooked pakora's to the offering.

Inside the Dhaba at lunchtime we have Thalis which are a light way to enjoy Indian food so that you get lots of flavour but still go back to work and not upset your colleagues! And it's easy on the pocket.

Always exceptional value but not skimping on good quality ingredients we hope to remain at your service and celebrate another great year this time next year!!

Join us on Saturday night for a free glass of something 'refreshing'!

Cheers

Ashik Ali P.S. We will now be open Mondays as of 16th May 2012

So we've all been enjoying a wonderful start to Spring since the sun is out and had a good rummage for sunglasses!

At Delhi Grill we're particularly excited by the prospect of our new Street Stall coming into play. Take a trip up to Chapel Market to see this unique stall and sample some of the wraps and snacks we'll be offering. Great value and delicious and, as always, utterly real! We expect the stall to be on the street by Friday 20th April.

The evening Specials bring in some lovely light recipes full of flavour and perfect for these mild but sunny days. Haandi Chicken is a slow cooked dish with robust spices yet not too oily. The lamb samosas are a favourite of mine and great starter to kick of an evening of bold tastes. Aloo Mattar (potato and peas in a light tomato curry) provides a super vegetarian option.

Please come and try out our Thalis at lunchtime. A completely new concept but one which really draws on communal eating with a light but flavoursome way to eat at lunch. As a new launch we're seeing a steady build up of customers and thanks to all our customers for their support.

Thanks

Ashik

Hi All

First and foremost we're delighted to announce the launch of our lunchtime Thalis. A plated meal in a wholly traditional format. We have a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option which comprises a rice or roti option coupled with either a meat main dish or a vegetarian one; there is a snack such as a delicious bhaji or papri chaat and a small salad with yoghurt as well as two chutneys. This is a fabulous flavoursome lunch cooked as always to our slow-cooked family recipes. At £6.90 or £6.40 (vegetarian) the lunch represents excellent value for money and deep flavours that we're really proud of. Please join us at lunchtime to try it out - we’d love to hear your feedback too.

The 'tandoor' and 'pot' menu remains available for evenings and we have some exciting specials that include Keema Aloo (whole spice fried minced lamb with potato - we drain off the lamb fat to reduce the saturated fat content yet retain flavour), Dhal Makhani - the ubiquitous lentil dish from Punjab and finally bhajia.

Away from the menu changes, we're proud to announce that one of the team (Harry) has recently graduated with an MBA and a few of us were lucky enough to go and celebrate with him on his big day at the ceremony.

Oh and please follow us on twitter and facebook!

Thanks again for all your support.

Best wishes

Ashik

Dear All

Chaldi Chaldi! Means Hurry Hurry! and is how we've all been working frantically hard to launch out our lunchtime 'Thali' menu. We're really excited as it's a completely new arena for us. The idea is to provide a select group of dishes that complement each other in a manner that would be eaten by most Punjabi's. There is a non-vegetarian and a vegetarian option on the main dish with various condiments and a 'Shnehx' aka 'Snacks' - all excellent value at £7.50 and true to Delhi Grill!

This lunch menu kicks off on Tuesday 7th February and offers a delicious flavoursome yet light and speedy 'office friendly' lunch. Please come and try it out. The current menu will therefore only be available in the evenings.

As Specials we have Fish pakora - an old time favourite, along with the original Punjabi staple of Mattar Paneer. The popularity of Chicken Kofta Karahi sees the return of this time consuming to make yet delicious dish.

Hope to see you soon

Ashik

Happy New Year 2012!!

Dear All

First of all may I wish you all a wonderful year ahead and hope the opportunity to see some Olympics, watch some Euro football or celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee presents some upbeat news in a year expected to be testing.

At Delhi Grill we've had a lovely Festive break and return with some exciting developments for 2012. We've refurbished and freshened the restaurant as last year had left some areas looking 'tired'. This is all expected to be completed this month and we hope you will come along and enjoy the slight modifications. Please let us have your opinions too as we value you comments.

We also aim to launch our new Thali lunch menu before the end of the month and we'd welcome your comments on this too once we're up and running with it.

We're pleased with a lovely review in Time Out eating and drinking guide 2012 and aim to always try to improve on what we do. If we're ever less than satisfactory please speak to me or Kabir and we'll always do our best to accommodate your wishes.

So once again have a great year and we hope to see you soon.

Cheers!

Ashik

Hi All

So the Festive Season is upon us. Christmas lights have appeared on Chapel Market and the sights, smells and sounds of winter are all around.

We’re having a few 'home improvements' inside Delhi Grill and the New Year should beckon in an even more exciting place to visit. We will be launching our lunchtime Thalis which we are really excited about and hope will get an enthusiastic response.

We have a number of Christmas party bookings and we're very thrilled to be able to host those celebrations so thanks to those who chose us to dine with.

The specials for Christmas start with a wonderful spicy Chicken Kofta Karahi - minced chicken pakoras simmered in a finely diced onion masala. Then there is the Dingri Dolma - a real winter warmer this one; a hearty stew of butter beans that will drive away the fiercest chill of winter. The Shammi Kebab is an alternative cutlet of lamb mince that is fried and served with sliced lemon and side dressing.

Finally, just to let everyone know that we will be closed on the following days over Christmas - 25th, 26th, 27th and 31st December and also 1st and 2nd January, but we're open all other days as usual and look forward to welcoming you all.

Merry Christmas!!

Ashik Ali

Hi All

The cold chill Autumn has cut through us all after an unusually warm few weeks - but the bright blue skies are an uplifting feature of this wonderfully colourful period.

Happy Diwali to all and hope some of you managed to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

Our specials this month are aimed at trying out some ideas we have for our upcoming revised lunch menu. The Harra Barra Tikkis are a potato, peas and greens cutlet fried for a flavoursome spicy and herb taste. The keema roti is a popular street food which is a bread pancake stuffed with egg and minced lamb served with a tamarind sauce - delicious! And finally as so many people love it - the Goat is staying on with us for another month!

Wishing you all the best and please note we are taking Christmas bookings so please call to discuss how we might tailor things for you.

Ashik

Dear All

Just when we thought it was all over the hot weather came round and summer finally arrived! What a scorcher to see out September. Just waiting for the onslaught of the northerly winds...

Back by popular demand on the Specials we have Goat Curry - On the bone richness! An absolute delight. To join this is another old favourite of Dahl Makhani where we slow cook the lentils for hours to create that creamy texture rather than using ladles of cream or butter - deliciousness without the calories. Likewise Fish Pakora always goes down well and is also brought back thanks to customer feedback.

With Christmas coming up we are taking party bookings and aim to make you feel at home and well looked after for any work or private party - just give me a call and we can tailor the menu and trimmings to suit.

All the best and see you soon

Ashik

Hello All

Summer has come to an end before it ever really got started. Oh well, just another 10 months to wait for next summer to arrive - fingers crossed!

Those youngsters who have received their GCSE exam results this year, we hope that despite all the unpleasantness surrounding the riots and the unfortunate press that young people seem to acquire that you've got the grades you had hoped for and the future looks bright.

To warm things up a bit here at Delhi Grill we've put on a few warming specials. Methi Chicken is chicken on the bone cooked in a delicious masala with fresh fenugreek leaves.

Shahi Saag Paneer is traditional saag - so expect the thick 'pea soup' texture of spinach leaves cooked down to pulp with lightly pan fried soft paneer.

Chicken Kebabs are tender minced chicken kebabs cooked in the Tandoor.

So please visit us soon

Ashik

Hi Everyone

The holiday season is upon us and many of our regular customers are off on their summer holidays so I'd like to wish those of you who are going away a wonderful and relaxing break.

It's great to hear the lively sounds of youngsters on Chapel Market now that the schools have broken up and sometimes it creates a great playground feel. Reminds me of my youth...alas back to work.

Ramadan has started and I'll be fasting for 18 hours from the 1st of August - it's difficult when you're around the sights and aromas of delicious food at Delhi Grill but then makes the joy of eating all the more pleasurable when the fast is broken.

Our specials this month are a reference to Ramadan with Dhal Gosht - a popular dish amongst the Indian Muslim community as channa dhal is cooked slowly with succulent lamb. One of my favourites! Aloo Puri is a purists delight - a classic Punjabi dish of potatoes in a light sauce that is accompanied with a puri (a fluffy fried bread) and is irresistible. Methi pakora is our ubiquitous pakora using fenugreek.

Hope to welcome you soon,

Ashik

A big start to the month as our resident Mr Muscles - Kabir - came home with a medal in the East Anglian Body Building Competition. So a huge congratulations to him and relief for us all as he is much friendlier since ending his pre-competition 'body fat cutting' diet; however, this has now been replaced by an appetite that embarrasses most of us! Joking aside, we’re really proud of him.

While on the subject of sporting achievements our chef, Shomshu, reached the Caromboard All England doubles semi-final this week! He is practising for the Singles European competition which will take place in 2012. More of that in future blogs.

This month we have some really exciting specials. Chicken Lauki is an on-the-bone dish that combines poultry with a vegetable from the gourd family. The Asian vegetable used is called Lauki and is quite tricky to source and is full of nutritional goodness. Many Indians say that it has beneficial cleansing properties and often blend it into a juice for daily consumption.

For fans of our vegetarian dishes we have an item called Paneer Bhurji. Bhurji basically means scrambled. So the textures is one of scrambled eggs but using paneer scrambled with added onions, tomatoes and chillis. It is a dry dish and delicious with a hot roti.

Wishing you all a lovely summer and a warm greeting from Delhi Grill,

Ashik

Rapidly heading towards the middle of the year. Is it just me or is the year passing really quickly?

By popular demand we've brought Haandi Goat back onto the specials menu so a chance for those who missed this wonderful dish to come and try it in June.

With summer firmly on the agenda and the lovely weather we've enjoyed in May we will continue to add some wonderful refresher drinks and lassis to keep everyone cool!

Hope to see you all soon.

All the best

Ashik

Welcome to a lovely start to May! First off, congratulations to the Royal couple - William and Kate. What a superb wedding - various Delhi Grill family members were out at Buckingham Palace waving their flags, some even got a close up wave from the Princess!

Secondly, a big Happy Birthday to Delhi Grill - 1 year old on 4th May! We've had a wonderful year - lot's of hard work, lots of learning and trying our very best on all fronts. On the whole I think we've pleased nearly everyone and our deepest apologies to anyone if we've not. Many times we've sunk to our knees at the end of a busy night exhausted yet elated. We're a small team but we really pull together to try to make each customer's experience a good one. Our promise is to serve slow cooked and homely Punjabi dishes and many which you simply won't get in other Indian restaurants because of the effort that goes into making them. So what a delight to make it into the May bank holiday edition of Time Out in the Dining Hot Tables 'North' section.

Finally, as a gesture of our gratitude we'll be serving every customer dining in the restaurant from 4th May up to and including 11th May 2011, a free glass of champagne with their meal.

We've added some lovely drinks - both alcohol free and with alcohol for this summery weather we're having so please come along and try those and our terrific May specials.

Hope to see you all soon!

Ashik

On 14th April 2011 we celebrate the Sikh New Year and the founding of the Sikh Community, the Khalsa, in 1699. Baisakhi also comes at the time of the harvest in Punjab and is often seen as a Harvest Festival.

At this time mustard seeds are grown abundantly in the Punjab and the leaves from these plants are used to slow cook a dish called Saag. A signature dish of the area this delicious stew of greens including spinach would have Popeye's biceps bulging! Punjabis add a dollop of butter or ghee to the top of the dish and eat with roti or naan - simple and nutritious. Our Saag is to Grandma Jandu's recipe who spent 7 hours slow-cooking the Saag this week!

In the Sikh temples across the world Sikhs gather to celebrate Baisakhi and share time together as a community. A free kitchen is a fundamental part of the faith and all gathered will enjoy this meal called 'Langar'. At Delhi Grill we've put together a typical Baisakhi menu including some classic Punjabi dishes. Predominantly vegetarian these slow cooked dishes are no less for it - but the carnivores can always try our April Special of Keema Aloo (mince lamb with potato).

You'll not find these time consuming recipes in many (if any!) Indian restaurants to please come along and try them out!

Ashik

P.S. Don't forget we are closed Easter Sunday!

We've had a few rays of sunshine on Chapel Market creeping through the cloud suggesting that spring is in the air! A few exciting specials this month - harra barra fish tikka was selling out fast so we've pressed our fish supplier to bring us more fresh fish on each delivery and hopefully the 'sold out' sign will be less evident.

Jeera, or cumin as it is known in the West, is a key spice in Punjab. It is fragrant with a touch of mustiness and packed with flavour - we temper whole jeera seeds until crackling before adding to our chicken and serve on sizzling plates.

And then there's the Rajmah - a popular North Indian dish made from red kidney beans. A robust dish that is wonderful with rice with the bonus of being low in fat yet plenty of protein.

We've kept Haandi Goat as our customers can't seem to get enough of it!

Hope to see you soon Ashik

It's been a good start to the year and we're delighted to mention that OIive magazine rated us in their 'What's Cool for 2011' list as one of only five Indian restaurants in the UK. In fact only two in London - us and Dishoom; that’s great company to be in!

We've put Haandi Goat 'curry' on the menu - this on-the-bone dish is a massive flavour hit and very popular. It's a traditional north Indian recipe and unlikely to be found on many restaurant menus due to the time and effort it takes to cook this wonderful item.

We've also added Harra Barra Fish Tikka which is a fragrant and light starter so please do drop by and try these new Specials.

Ashik

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

All of us at Delhi Grill would like to wish everyone a terrific year in 2011. We've had a lovely break over the Christmas season and despite the snow managed to get some R&R.

And what a great start to the year we've had - voted number 8 in the Evening Standard Best Sandwiches in London for our Keema Aloo wrap - available at lunchtimes for a paltry £3.50! This was a wonderful accolade for a simple but delicious lunchtime meal - nutritious and tasty.

We also had a terrific Blog by Belaphon (Belaphon blog) which completely 'gets' what we're about and our philosophy (sorry about the table mishap though...) - unashamedly rustic Indian cooking without the fanfare but hitting the spot in terms of taste and authenticity.

We are starting the year with a real treat of a Special - Handi Gosht OTB - succulent lamb On-The-Bone that simmers for hours in a deep masala that turns into curry magic.

Looking forward to seeing all our regulars and hopefully some new converts in the coming year.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Please note: We'll be closed as of Friday 24th December and re-open on Thursday 6th January 2011.

Harry - our Nepalese sous chef - can't quite understand why everyone is moaning about the cold weather; he’s still wearing his T-shirt and sandals, many a Geordie would be impressed! So to keep him cool he'll be looking after our Market Stall for the Christmas run-up and serving delicious piping hot slow cooked curries to really warm the soul.

We've had to stop Take-Away deliveries I'm afraid. We still offer Collection but it was proving too difficult to provide the level of service we aspire to due to the demand in the restaurant. Sorry to all our valued delivery customers but hope you'll come and visit us instead.

The December Specials truly are special:

Samosa Chaat - our lovely handmade samosas are topped with a terrific Imli Chutney - sweet, sour, savoury, spicy - this has it all going on.

Andaa Aloo - one of the boss's favourites from when he was young. Boiled eggs and potatoes in a tomato masala is shockingly more-ish.

Dhil Masala Machli - This is a superb dish using Tilapia fish or King fish, very difficult to get the balance of flavours just right.

So I wish you all a great festive month and really hope to see you at Delhi Grill over the coming weeks.

Cheers

Ashik

Hi guys,

We have a fantastic Christmas Lunch 'Dhaba' Canteen Style for only £15.00 per person. It contains some great cuisine from the tandoor as well as some of our highly regarded dishes from the pot. View the menu below and then come along and celebrate with us.

The Christmas menu

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Diwali on behalf of Delhi Grill.

Diwali is known as the festival of lights and it marks the Hindu celebration of Lord Rama returning to Ayodha after defeating the evil demon King Ravana who had kidnapped Lord Rama's wife, Sita. Candles and lights were lit for his arrival in the town. The festival represents a victory of good over evil. In Sikhism Diwali is celebrated to commemorate the return of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, to Amritsar after his imprisonment at the hands of the Mughal rulers, in which Guru Hargobind also freed 52 other prisoners.

At Delhi Grill, we’re delighted to launch our November specials - two classic Indian dishes. The first is Dhal Makhani - ours is a slow cooked urid dhal with a delicious creamy texture but without the excess butter and cream infusion that is normally associated with this dish. As the cooking takes upto 6 hours and sometimes more, the dhal is naturally broken down and the result is a smooth flavoursome broth. Great with fresh rotis and aloo gobi or chicken karahi.

We've also added Haandi Murgh OTB. The OTB stands for 'On the Bone' which is the traditionally preferred manner of cooking meat in Punjabi households. The bones add an extra dimension of richness to the flavour of the dish. It is not normally seen in Indian restaurants as it is absolutely essential that this meat is slow cooked in the masala which most Indian restaurants do not do. We hope you enjoy this very special dish but mind the bones!

Thanks Ashik.