Imagine a quiet escape from the scorching summer heat in a place that captures the warmth of tropical weather like a breeze. Diggin's, across all its café outlets, offers a specially curated summer menu in a European-café ambience. TMS visited its Connaught Place outlet where dim, warm lights, soft music and a healthy palette of the special summer menu is being served up.
Avocado and mango make an appearance in almost every category of the menu — be it appetiser or dessert. A perfect start of the experience was avocado and English cucumber chilled soup blended in yoghurt with a tinge of mint. It prioritises cooling flavours and clean textures over richness. The cafe’s attempt to keep things minimal works in its favour here.
The avocado makes its second appearance in the feta crostini. Here, smashed avocado paired with feta and pomegranate on toasted sourdough promises a balance of creaminess, saltiness and crunch. More than the taste, the plate looked like the colours of spring served on a white canvas. Use of flowers in the presentation seemed to be the chef's speciality.
Ajay, the manager of the CP outlet, highlighted the rigorous process of choosing the right blend of fulfilling yet light bites. He said that before the menu was decided, an elaborate food trial was conducted with special preference given to keeping things simple yet refreshing.
The avocado and mango salad might be the most indulgent option for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. It combines lettuce, red cabbage, almonds and French vinaigrette for a fruity-savoury combination that is both vibrant and summery. Digvijay Singh Bedi, founder-owner of the cafe, said, "Mango is the king of fruits, and the summer menu ought to have that. We did have avocado dishes earlier, but blending it with mango is a very summery thing." Seafood lovers may gravitate toward the Coconut Prawns or Smoked Salmon Crostini.
The Mediterranean-style mains, gourmet pizzas and dessert-heavy comfort food balance the crowd-pleasing familiarity, as a large part of the menu doesn't cater much to the Indian foodies who love their spices. We tried the Chicken Cacciatore that introduces a stronger Mediterranean influence with tomato concasse, bell peppers, pine nuts, raisins and dates alongside saffron rice. The summer-special drinks which aren't yet on the list are supposed to feature another seasonal fruit — jamun — and the very Indian jaljeera.
Fewer experiments, visually appealing and refreshing flavours tailored for relaxed social dining suited Diggin's ambience. But the real hero was the dessert section. Summer Delight Mousse, layering mango and raspberry, and Banana Caramel Sundae, bringing back childhood nostalgia, weren't just aesthetically pleasing, they fit seamlessly into the statement the cafe wanted to create.