This evening turned out to be one of those ‘ don’t plan and just go for it days’. The discussion in office these days eventually veers towards Salman Khan‘s latest blockbuster Dabangg. With all the hype and the cracking open of enough piggy banks to fill up the RBI mint, this movie was a must see for me and the need turned into action as three of us colleagues went ahead and booked the tickets for the 9.55 evening show.
Binod - the Oriya food guide
Now with a lull in the project work, we had all the time in the world to kill till 9.55 PM. So, Binod Pradhan, my Oriya friend suggests that we go to ‘Dalma‘ – an authentic Oriya restaurant located in Koramangala. We set out for the 100 feet ring road in Koramangala and easily found the place on the main road (of course with Binod’s help).
Dalma is a tastefully decorated Oriya restaurant that at the same time makes no pretensions of its small town origins. I was told that the word Dalma signifies a type of dal that is a part of the Oriya cuisine. We started off with the Prawn and Chicken Pakodas.
The prawn pakodas were up to the mark with the freshness still intact, but I felt that the chicken pakodas could have done with better pieces. What followed was the main course for which we had (or rather Binod, our Oriya guide had) a full Oriya thali with a chicken gravy dish authentic to that region again.
Oriya Thali
The Oriya thali was simply wonderful, with a mix of light spice topped with a sweetish tinge of a tomato mix that went well with the overall taste. The meal consisted of white rice with a huge bowl of dalma (dal with potatoes), another dal like dish that was slightly different from the dalma, a fried vegetable mix, a sweetish tomato dish, a dry spinach dish seasoned with spices and roasted dal, and a bowl of a kheer like sweet. The chicken dish we ordered was lightly spicy with soothing flavours that were easy on the tongue. Unlike the starter, the chicken pieces here were pretty good.
That's dalma 'the dish' for you
For those fond of extremely spicy stuff (meaning Andhra food) and for those whose gastric juices can withstand any fire fighter, this food would be pretty timid, but those with a balanced world-view of cuisine would surely love the difference that Dalma offers. Idid.
Dalma is located at:
#37, 6th block, 100ft road, Bangalore , Koramangala, Bangalore
P.S. I am definitely going for more servings and the next time its going to be the fish that is covered in mustard. Sounds good.
Posted by Ojas, VP Oriya Names on December 28, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Papabear, Do you know any sources where I can get Dabangg here in the US? We’re having a New Years party this weekend whose theme is “fearless”.
Posted by papabears on December 29, 2011 at 3:26 am
Walmart, Blockbuster Videos… is not, there’s always Torrentz
Posted by vikram on February 25, 2011 at 5:30 pm
dalma is the best resturant for oriya cuisne.
Posted by papabears on February 25, 2011 at 11:55 pm
The food is pretty good I agree, considering my limited exposure to Oriya cuisine in Bangalore.
Posted by Subhashish on October 11, 2010 at 5:56 pm
It is really nice. Great taste. You can check other Odia/Oriya restaurants of Bangalore and other cities here-
http://www.eodissa.com/recipe/112
And more Odia recipe at http://www.eodissa.com/recipe/
Posted by papabears on October 11, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Thanks Subhashish. Your list of other Odiya restaurants will surely help, especially after I have developed a taste for the food from this beautiful region.
Posted by Priya on September 17, 2010 at 7:04 am
Hi,
As an Oriya i always loved our food but inspite of it’s great distintive taste it could never be famous outside Orissa.
It’s really nice to know that fellow oriyas getting taste of home there in Bangalore, thanks to Dalma.
Posted by papabears on September 17, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Only an Oriya could tell the difference between authentic home food and the food served at Dalma, but as a native of coastal Karnataka I definitely found the food at Dalma delicious and with its own unique flavour.