Life has come a full circle for celebrated Indian chef, television host and cookbook author, Ritu Dalmia. It was in 1993 that she opened her first restaurant called MezzaLuna at Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi, offering Mediterranean cuisine with an ‘Italian twist’. Unfortunately it was a ‘wonderful disaster’ according to her. Back then she was just 21. Today at 45, she is back where it all began with the launch of her newest baby—Diva Piccola, in Hauz Khas Village. “This is a place where you can retire after a long days work and bite into some simple Italian comfort food,” she says.
Designed in the style of an Italian Trattoria and Pizzeria, it features a small and eclectic menu featuring a selection of starters, pizzas, paninis, pastas and regular specials. It is an unpretentious space with no frills attached. Overlooking the quaint lanes of Hauz Khas Village, Diva provides a menu that boast of 100 per cent home-style food. From the wood roasted bruschettas to the classic spaghetti, from the Neapolitan style pizza to grilled chicken breast, you will get everything you hoped to find within the comforts of an Italian home.
Remembering the time when she opened her first Diva restaurant, every day, guest would return the pastas saying it was under cooked. “I would have to explain that it was supposed to be that way,” she says. Fortunately for her, today, palates have evolved multi-fold in the past few years. Till some time back, she wouldn’t have dared to serve ravioli with roasted pumkin. A complete desi at heart, Ritu loves to gorge on home-made kadi chawal, chola bhatura, kulfi and hot dogs.
According to Ritu, the journey in this male-dominated industry has been easy. Unlike her peers, she never faced any opposition and feels strangely deprived. “I felt bad and cheated as to why I never faced any hardships. I saw absolutely no discrimination and got all my licences easily.” But in the beginning she had to deal with some tough egos. Her first sous chef, felt it below his dignity to take instructions from a women. Today she has a staff of umpteen chefs, mostly men who have learnt to cook impeccably under her careful tutelage.
A namesake of her restaurant, Ritu herself feels no less than a diva. But even after 17 years of being in the business she hasn’t managed to take criticism well. “Even if one guest goes unhappy, I cannot sleep. The next morning, the entire kitchen staff is summoned to understand what went wrong,” says the self-confessed attention seeker who mostly enjoys positive attention.