Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

The food belonging to the state of Odisha i.e. Odia cuisine is very nutritious and delicious.
Though we have it everyday at home, this weekend we tried out a popular restaurant named Dalma.
This hotel is named after a famous dish of Odisha- Dalma dish is prepared using Dal (Pulses- Arhar or Moong) along with vegetables and coconut.

Dalma restaurant has three branches in Bhubaneswar and also has branches in other cities like Delhi, Kolkata & Bengaluru. We visited the Unit-4, Madhusudan Nagar branch in Bhubaneswar.

Here is my post about Dalma Restaurant for www.askme.com

Dalma Hotel, Unit-4, Bhubaneswar

I was excited to find Saura Art on the walls leading to the restaurant. Saura Art is a beautiful tribal art of Odisha that depicts humans, animals and nature.

Saura Art, Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

Saura Art, Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

Saura Art, Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

Saura Art, Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

The popularity of Dalma restuarant can be gauged from the fact that there are other me-too restaurants in the vicinity. Further, most of the tables were already occupied when we reached. We didn't have to stand in a queue though as we got to occupy a table that had just been vacated. 

We ordered different 'Thalis' - Mutton, Prawn, Vegetarian and Fish. The last two Thalis were priced at about half the price of the first two with Mutton & Prawn Thalis costing Rs 230 each, while Veg and Fish costing Rs 115 and Rs 120 respectively.

The Thali constituted of dishes like - Dalma, Alu Chakuta (Mashed Potatoes), Salad and Rice.

The service was prompt.

Prawn Thali, Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

Mutton Thali, Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

We also ordered additional dishes like Mohurali Rai/Thukthu. Mohurali is a type of small fish. Rai (pronounced as Ra-eee) is a dish made out of mustard paste.

Mohurali Rai / Thukthu (Mohurali Fish Mustard Curry), Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

The Chhena Tarkari was tasty too. Chhena means cottage cheese or home-made paneer. Tarkari is an Odia word for curry.

Chhena Tarkari (Cottage Cheese Curry), Dalma Hotel, Bhubaneswar

We ordered Papad and extra helpings of Dalma and Rice, which tasted better than what was served in the Thali.

We made a mental note- Go for a-la-carte dishes, rather than Thali in the next visit to Dalma Hotel. 

There were many Odia desserts. Odisha, the birthplace of the Rasagola, has many yummy sweets.

As they had run out of Rasabali, we settled for Chhena Poda. Chhena Poda is a traditional and yummy cheese-cake that is prepared from cottage cheese and jaggery/sugar. It is the favorite sweet-dish of Lord Jagannath of Puri.

Dalma hotel is reasonably priced and has a wide variety of Odia cuisine. It's like home-cooked food but for extra oil in some dishes.

As I love Odia food, I liked my visit to Dalma Hotel.

Planning to try another outlet and different dishes soon!