De Thali: A healthier 'thali' featuring cuisine from all over India

On the very crowded Sheikh Memon street, once stood Rajdhani, where you got a colourful thali full of Gujarati and Rajasthani delicacies, served with unmatched hospitality.

Recently, the outlet has been revamped to make way for Revival Indian Thali - a healthier, variety-filled thali. With foodcooked in trans-fat-free oil and using organic and healthy ingredients, Revival aims to please the new wave of foodies. In my head, a thali can never be healthy and always stands for the occasional over-indulgence.

We are welcomed by the traditionally dressed servers, who seat us by a table laden with a heavy Kansa (gun-metal) plate and half-a-dozen katoris. We see a snazzy little digital photo-frame telling us all about the tradition of the thali, the day's menu (they go through 24,700 dishes in a month!) and about the food combinations we may want to indulge in.
 
Our tummy rumbles as the sheer silk cloth is pulled off the thali, and a tulsi-rose welcome drink is served in a kulhad. Mini sabudana vadas from Maharashtra and dhoklas from Gujarat along with three different chutneys and a raita arrive on our plate. The Dal Bati Choorma arrives shortly, and looks delightful even if the heavy glisten of ghee makes me feel a wee bit guilty. This is promptly followed by a Matki Ussal, Alu Sabzi (the Patna way we are told), Beans Sabzi and a cucumber preparation.

Then comes the Dal (we had a choice between meethi or khatti dal) and Gujarati and Punjabi Kadhis. And then come rotis. We go for the Biscuit Bhakri, which is a miniature but a thicker version of the Bhakri, roasted and served with a dollop of ghee, Phulkas (again, ghee is crucial) and a poori.

We are given a choice of dessert. Choice is useless here since we are to choose between Aamras and Fruit Custard. Aamras always trumps!
 
We make our way through the farsaan, enjoying the dhokla and the Dal Bati Choorma as mild notes of Santoor float in the air and a fountain somewhere recreates the sound of a gentle flowing river. The Phulkas are colder than we expect them to be, the pooris are just about lukewarm as opposed to being piping hot. While everything is pleasantly delicious, nothing stands out as exceptional. The staff still serves with much love and one of them insists that we top our Khichdi up with ghee and that we sample the Pulao. We pass. For even though the food is designed to be satvik and cooked with organic ingredients, the sheer quantity can make you sluggish and yours truly has an afternoon full of work to do.
 
Though the place has been revamped to add a wider variety of dishes on offer, Revival Indian Thali keeps the tradition of Rajdhani alive. While comparing the two is unfair, Revival does have big shoes to fill in. While talking to us, Kamlesh Barot, director of the company that runs Revival Indian Thali, said that the idea was to offer healthy, pure-vegetarian food served with a touch of Indian culture. The eatery will also be serving obscure Indian cuisines like Sindhi, Parsi, Marathi etc. While he does succeed in creating that experience, a word of caution; the food may be cooked in a healthy manner but consuming the wide range of delicacies is just a spot 'healthier' than a regular thali and not 'healthy'. The servings, though small, add up to a lot many more calories than a nutritionist would prescribe.

However, with a kitchen open to inspection (they have their food randomly tested in labs to ensure quality and hygiene control) they ensure that the best quality offood gets onto your thali. Priced at Rs249 on weekdays and Rs270 on weekends (taxes not included) Revival offers great value for money.
 
Revival Indian Thali is open for lunch from noon until 4pm and for dinner from 8pm to 11pm.

Revival Indian Thali, Sheikh Memon Street, Near Crawford Market, Mumbai 400002 Tel: 23426919, 23449014
www.revivalindianthali.com
 
 Food reviews at DNAIndia.com are conducted anonymously and the reviewer pays for her food.