Ambience: What’s there not to like about the ambience at Roseate? Comfortable seating and a buzzing open kitchen had a very warm appeal. Though, we did see a staffer with an electric fly swatter at one of the tables. An eyesore, that.
Food and beverage: The best meals are often the simplest. The fare at DEL had all the staple Afghan dishes—from the soupy ash and yakhni to the fragrant Kabuli pallaw and the simple yet flavourful lamb dopeyaza that has only onions and lemons as condiments.
Lamb mantoo was a must-try dish of steamed dough filled with mince and served atop a bed of lentils, topped with the staple chaka—an aged version of hung yoghurt. Chaka is definitely an acquired taste, but in Afghan cuisine it is a must as it is considered beneficial for bone health.
In desserts, like many of their neighbouring nations, the Afghans have the trademark phirni. But unlike most Mughal-influenced creations, the Afghan version has whole rice grains.
Service: While the meal at DEL ticked all the right boxes for its authenticity, one only wished the service had been half up to the mark. Even in an almost empty dining room, there was a delay of at least 20 minutes between two courses, and in some cases this delay resulted in the dishes being served cold.
Also, for some strange reason, the servers seemed to be stingy with supplying cutlery, crockery and even water from time to time.
In his book, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain writes of how he would make his servers taste the dishes before opening service so that they would know what they are serving and guiding the patrons accordingly. If only Roseate could have done something similar.