Many avatars of the diva of flavours

Ritu Dalmia is the grand dame of Italian haute cuisine in India. DIVA, opened at the tun of the 21st century. It was the first serious standalone Italian restaurant in Delhi and the place to be seen with a forkful of risotto and a sip of Negroni.

It made Dalmia, its gregarious short-haired chef, a household name in the right circles of urban India. She is rarely seen not smiling, or laughing. This time, she laughs, admitting “I am the biggest liar.” A Delhi girl, she had claimed she would never open a Mumbai version. The truth is, since then she has three.

The third, DIVA, recently opened its doors at The Atrium by the Plaza at Jio World Drive in BKC, Mumbai. The first one was the Tasting Room at Good Earth, a Delhi-based home decor store in Lower Parel, in 2021. The second was Motodo, her flagship pizzeria at Jio World Drive, in 2022.

Dalmia admits to a penchant for dissimulation—such as vowing never to write a book (she has written four) or do a TV show (Italian Khana). “What can I do but hang my head in shame,” she jokes. “But with time, your thoughts, prospects, and processes change. Don’t hold me to what I say today, as it might be different tomorrow,” she adds.

The menu at DIVA is designed with shoppers in mind. It offers nutritious bowls and plates that can be enjoyed solo or shared with friends after or in between serious shopping. “I am serving all the food I would like to eat, regardless of its origin,” says Dalmia.

These include Asian bowls, Mac and Cheese, Rogan Josh, ghar ki (home-style) chicken curry, chola palak chawal, and more. “Times are changing. People are no longer concerned with a specific cuisine; they just want good food,” she elaborates.

Dalmia doesn’t plan or strategise her life or business. She operates on impulse. Growing up, she often travelled to Italy and fell in love with the cuisine and cooking. At 21, she gave up her family’s marble business to become a chef, opening her first restaurant, Mezza Luna, in Delhi in 1993. She recalls a family offering her a job as a cook at a salary of `25,000 and a room to live in.