Dining at Diwan

This is my second trip to Diwan, an Indian restaurant on the east side of Midtown. It usually takes a bit of convincing to get me to do Indian since I am not a huge fan, but since it was going to be one of my last meals for some time with RRR & Contessa before they head off to a long assignment in Virginia I was up for one last culinary adventure.

The decor at Diwan is a bit nondescript but on both occasions, the dining room was quite full, mostly with business people and young professionals. Our waiter was quite attentive and helpful in interpreting the menu for us, even with a large party of twenty next to us.

Since I know Contessa would never steer me wrong, I joined her in getting a Biryani, a dish of
long grain Basmati rice steamed with onions and various spices. I chose the chicken biryani and Contessa had the lamb. She suggested getting a side of cucumber raita to mix in with the rice and meat and the yogurty sauce was a nice addition. The biryani was aromatic and as a lover of spices I was quite pleased with this dish. The portions were quite generous and we realized after that sharing one order would have been sufficient.

RRR chose the Chicken Achari Kebab which was a wonderfully seasoned chicken breast fillet and elevated to a new level of taste with some of the cucumber raita. She also ordered the Biangan Bharta; a spicy mix of grilled eggplant, onions, and tomatoes. We also ordered an onion kulcha for the table which was just perfect with RRR's Biangan Bharta.

So while you would not go to Diwan for the scene, you should definitely go there for what I believe to be an authentic Indian fare. And hey, if Diwan could convert me, it's certainly worth a try.