Ditas, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Restaurant Name: Ditas, Lower Parel, Mumbai
Phone: +919540021414
Address: 7 – 9 Calicut Street, Ballard Estate, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013 India
Time: 12:00 PM – 03:30 PM to 07:00 – 1:00 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 2500
Cuisines: Salad, Sandwich, Cafe
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Full Bar Available, Family Friendly, Luxury Dining, Indoor Seating, Desserts and Bakes

Ditas Global Restobar:

Bollywood superstar, Ranveer Singh inaugurates Ditas the restobar from Delhi which opens in Mumbai (Aug 2022). ” I was out of Mumbai when I read that, I made a mental note to check out this Lower Parel entrant. I also simultaneously invited a brilliant young food critic, whose work I’ve been admiring in several of the national and international magazines that she writes for. Roshni Bajaj Sanghvi, a graduate of the erstwhile French Culinary Institute in NYC, has been writing about food, travel and design since the past 18 years. Her dapper husband, Indiana University graduate, Dhruman Sanghvi, is a businessman and enjoys swimming.

Vivacious and lovely, Roshni says, “I cook, eat and write. ” She forgets to add “travels”. The lively couple love travelling with their kids, and take trips as often (recently back from Sicily and heading off to Singapore soon) as they can.

They’re the perfect couple to check out this restaurant whose menu travels all over the globe too. It’s a fun and revelatory evening to dine with a fellow food critic and swap notes.

Decor: Ditas Global Restobar

Ditas sprawls into two areas. A patio with wicker and cane chairs. Patterned tiles leads up to the main space, with a high mirrored arch display bar, onyx stone counter, kitchen setup and luxurious high-end lounge.

Food:

It’s the two vibrant, welldressed, well-balanced salads that come up tops. Beet, orange and goat cheese enlivened with crackers and the Thai Pomelo salad, crunchy with crisp lotus stem and sparkled with spiced jaggery citrus dressing.
As for the Three Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Roshni has not only enjoyed the Kentucky and the New York City versions, but she loves how Ditas has amplified it and made it satisfying with three types of cheese.
The simple and tasty spiced lamb over hummus is worth asking for as are the garlic and chilli infused aptly named Bubbling Burnt Butter Prawns.
Two Japanese dishes: Hot Oil Hamachi, yuzu to cut the richness, and garlic to add aroma and crunch is a modern playful dish, while the pure vegetarian Japanese light bowl with plenty of miso and mushroom oomph is a healthy option. Pistachio encrusted John Dory paired with a delicate baby spinach risotto has an astonishing and entirely pleasant element of tartness from bright citrusy butter.

Minus Points:

Ditas occupies what used to be Rahul Akerkar’s Qualia. Both Roshni and I agree that Qualia had more personality, while Ditas is, “opulent, but more generic. ” The music too loud. The servers were confused and needed to be better informed about the dishes. Avoidable, cold, lackluster truffle mushroom pate. The classic flaming Baked Alaska has too many ingredients, all overpowered by the overriding syrupy-ness.

Our Point:

This is my second time reviewing a restaurant with a fellow food critic. The first was in NYC with Mimi Sheraton, we reviewed Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market. It’s very exciting when our opinions are the same, as they’ve been both times. Due to space constraint, it’s a pity that I cannot include all of Roshni’s detailed and brilliant notes on each dish. On the whole, I agree fully and conclude in Roshni’s words, “Ditas’ menu travels all over the globe, and offers its own competent riffs on many dishes. Much of it is satisfying, but very little of it made us go ‘Oh wow!’” It’s a pleasant enough restaurant. For the prices it offers, it needs more distinction, a personna that identifies it and distinguishes it. ” I’d like to add that Ditas is barely two months old in Mumbai and could possibly be facing teething troubles. With some tweaking and fine tuning of the menu, pricing and service, we’re sure this Dilliwalla will win over Mumbaikar’s hearts.