[MBK]

Has anyone else tried Delhi Club yet? I went there with my cousin last night, and it was really nice! We had the Bhindi Masala, which is okra sauteed with onion, tomato and spices, and the Dal Makhani, which is black lentils simmered in butter, tomato, and spices. They were both delicious, but I especially enjoyed the okra, which I have rarely but always love. We also had the Pudina Paratha, which was a layered wheat bread with fresh mint, which was excellent.

Service was good, if a little hurried, and the place was packed. We got out of there for just about $22 total, but neither of us chose to have anything to drink.

All in all, a tasty and inexpensive Indian restaurant worth stopping into when shopping in Clarendon!

[Demvtr]

MBK, on Jan 17 2006, 06:36 PM, said:

Has anyone else tried Delhi Club yet?

I've tried it, though it was over a year ago. I distinctly remember loving the "Delhi Pista Korma," which is curry chicken in green pistachio cream sauce. It was outstanding. I, too, remember it being packed, and I suspect it is always like that in light of its proximity to the Clarendon Metro stop and the small seating capacity.

[Sthitch]

I thought that it was OK, but since Bombay Curry Club is much closer to my house it is not good enough for the detour.

[Meaghan]

I'm a big fan of the place. I've done Delhi Club maybe three times carryout and one time in for a happy hour deal, and I've yet to have a bad bite...

This post has been edited by Meaghan: 17 January 2006 - 07:23 PM

[joncephine]

I have been to the Delhi Club a few times, and almost always left happy. The last time I went, I had the lamb biryani, which wasn't bad. The Pista Korma is very good, as is the (chicken) Malbar curry. The only time I have been unimpressed was a lunch buffet with a friend of mine, but who isn't disappointed at a lunch buffet?

Also, service wise, I accidentally hit the waiter as he was reaching in to replace my water glass - it went FLYING and smashed on the table. They politely moved us to a dry table, but my boyfriend made me feel pretty awkward. Generally, the space is nice but VERY small and with many tables crammed in - I hope they open their strip of outdoor seating soon!

[Barbara]

joncephine, on May 17 2006, 06:41 PM, said:

I have been to the Delhi Club a few times, and almost always left happy. The last time I went, I had the lamb biryani, which wasn't bad. The Pista Korma is very good, as is the (chicken) Malbar curry. The only time I have been unimpressed was a lunch buffet with a friend of mine, but who isn't disappointed at a lunch buffet?

Also, service wise, I accidentally hit the waiter as he was reaching in to replace my water glass - it went FLYING and smashed on the table. They politely moved us to a dry table, but my boyfriend made me feel pretty awkward. Generally, the space is nice but VERY small and with many tables crammed in - I hope they open their strip of outdoor seating soon!

Welcome! Nice first post, especially the part when you tell on yourself.

[joncephine]

Yeah, I've been lurking off and on, but I've decided to come out in the open

[lggl]

After passing by almost daily, we finally gave it a shot. The butter chicken was amazingly tasty. We also had the chicken biryani. The chicken was a bit on the dry side. But thumbs up to the customer service. Since we devoured all of the butter chicken, there was quite a bit of rice left with a few pieces of chicken in the biryani. The waiter had the kitchen to add more chicken to our left-overs and it was enough for two meals!

Any recommendations on other dishes there?

[bbhasin]

lggl, on Aug 14 2006, 02:06 PM, said:

After passing by almost daily, we finally gave it a shot. The butter chicken was amazingly tasty. We also had the chicken biryani. The chicken was a bit on the dry side. But thumbs up to the customer service. Since we devoured all of the butter chicken, there was quite a bit of rice left with a few pieces of chicken in the biryani. The waiter had the kitchen to add more chicken to our left-overs and it was enough for two meals!

Any recommendations on other dishes there?

The Delhi Pista Korma, as someone recomended above.
The Mixed Tandoori Platter is a great grilled value and enough for two.
My favorite is the lamb curry ' Rogan Josh ' with a whole wheat roti.

[ftranfa]

lggl, on Aug 14 2006, 02:06 PM, said:

After passing by almost daily, we finally gave it a shot. The butter chicken was amazingly tasty. We also had the chicken biryani. The chicken was a bit on the dry side. But thumbs up to the customer service. Since we devoured all of the butter chicken, there was quite a bit of rice left with a few pieces of chicken in the biryani. The waiter had the kitchen to add more chicken to our left-overs and it was enough for two meals!

Any recommendations on other dishes there?

I have been lurking here and eG for a few years, but decided I would add some insight to a great local place.
Mrs. ft and I eat here quite regularly. The prices are just right and the food is better than the other local Indian places. I would recommend the following dishes:
Keema Samosa- What's better than seasoned lamb turnovers? Fried seasoned lamb turnovers. These little gems are good to the last bite. Plump to the point of too much ground lamb, seasoned with a variety of traditional Indian spices and delicately sprinkled with mango powder to offer a contrasting sweet to the savory fillings inside.

Vindaloo- This dish is deadly. It is so good that even though you are literally burning your GI tract from the heat, you can not put your fork down to take a break. The description on the menu describes it as "Hot & vinegary lamb or chicken, with potato from Goa on the western coast" I would suggest the lamb and be prepared to, as the Great John Cougar Mellencamp said, "hurt so good."

Onion Kulcha-Indian bread as it should be. Fluffy, freshly made, stuffed full of softened, spicy onions. It serves as a great foundation for the basmati rice and lamb vindaloo. Stack it all up and wash it down with some ice cold Stella Artois. You will be in a fiery heaven.

Finally, the popadums are deliciously spicy and crunchy and are a great snack the day after.

[lggl]

bbhasin, on Aug 14 2006, 11:24 PM, said:

The Delhi Pista Korma, as someone recomended above.
The Mixed Tandoori Platter is a great grilled value and enough for two.
My favorite is the lamb curry ' Rogan Josh ' with a whole wheat roti.

Thanks for the tips! We are definitely adding Dehli Club into the rotation.

[Sundae in the Park]

Try the smoked eggplant dish!!! Admittedly, I'm an eggplant fiend, but sometimes I daydream about this...

[ftranfa]

Sundae in the Park, on Aug 15 2006, 05:02 PM, said:

Try the smoked eggplant dish!!! Admittedly, I'm an eggplant fiend, but sometimes I daydream about this...

Is it the charcoal grilled dish? If so it is really good.

[Sundae in the Park]

ftranfa, on Aug 15 2006, 09:16 PM, said:

Is it the charcoal grilled dish? If so it is really good.

Yes, I believe so. It's fantastic, yes? I eat a lot of Indian-style eggplant, and this is my favorite version of the dish in the metro area. The only reason I don't get it all the time is that I don't live in Arlington anymore and I haven't yet reached the point of fighting traffic for food.

[Monica Bhide]

I would eat here weekly if I had time. We took some family and friends there a few weeks ago for their weekend buffet. The food was good and great value for the money too. My favorite dishes are the rogan josh and the pista korma. They also make really good breads.

(I am getting hungry just typing this )

[Antonio Burrell]

in an effort to eat something different and get off this taco, spicy chinese kick i've been on i went to Dehli club today for some take out. in abit of irony, dehli club was the previous inhabitant of the space that is currently eleventh. i got butter chicken, lamb naan, paneer naan, prikoras and tandorri wings. i loved everything.the breads were light and fluffy, the wings had a little char, which i like; i had never had butter chicken before, and am usually loathe to anything resembling prego and cream but, it was delicious.i founf the samosas bland, i would have liked some chutney as opposed to the dipping sauces i got, but i forgot to ask so it's my fault.
great place...:-)

[Sundae in the Park]

It's still good! The eggplant bharta is not quite as smoky as I remember, but it's still smooth and tasty. That pistachio sauce is special and the butter chicken is fine. Samosas and naan have a pleasing crunch and delicacy. Even with all the excellent Indian food in Fairfax, I miss this little place!

[bbhasin]

Antonio Burrell, on Apr 25 2007, 02:16 PM, said:

dehli club was the previous inhabitant of the space that is currently eleventh.
great place...:-)

That was Cafe New Delhi, different operation.

[DonRocks]

I posted about a recent Rogan Josh at Delhi Club here. In that exchange with Balraj, I specifically asked him who was running his kitchen, and he enthusiastically told me about Chef Bora, who hails from Assam, one of the "Seven Sister" states in extreme Eastern India. Balraj, other than Assam's hearty teas, are there any of his hometown specialties he's currently offering? (Note also a few of the owner's recommendations here.)

[This also reminds me to ask readers here to PM me (or email me) the names of any chefs, GMs, and/or owners I'm potentially leaving out of thread titles - I think it's important to associate restaurants with individuals, rather than just referring to them as "that Indian restaurant in Clarendon," or "Cantonese in Springfield," etc.]

Cheers,
Rocks

[shaggy]

They also have a weekend $9.95 all you care to eat buffet that is fantastic...and it's never really busy. I'd love to see them get busier.

[catharine]

shaggy, on Jun 26 2009, 02:26 PM, said:

They also have a weekend $9.95 all you care to eat buffet that is fantastic...and it's never really busy. I'd love to see them get busier.

I can help with that Thanks for the info.

[DannyNoonan]

Delhi Club is great. My wife and I have been getting carryout from here almost every Thursday for probably the last 5 years. We don't eat meat but don't miss it at all when ordering the samosas, aloo gobhi, chana masala, and dal makhani with naan. All delicious. We have been there for the weekend lunch buffets as well where we tried the spinach pakoda too. The staff here is very friendly and accomodating. This is a nice neighborhood place that serves very good Indian food in an unpretentious, friendly setting. I'd love to see it more crowded.

[ziv]

I just ate at Delhi Club for the first time and I am definitely going back! I started off with the samosas, and they were very tasty, but the show was stolen by the two sauces they were served with. One was tamarind based and slightly sweet but packing a little heat, and the other was minty, but the flavor was layered and very good. Then the waiter brought my entree, Bengali Curry with a decent amount of fish that might have been tilapia, tho it had a bit more body. The curry was delicious, a rich red curry that wasn't tomato based but was outstanding, and the naan was served still warm from the oven. I also got some pickled achar, and it was very good. The mango lassi was thoroughly ok, but all in all, I was very happy with the meal. I have worked my way through the previous comments and I am definitely going back to taste a few more dishes there.

[yfunk3]

Does anyone know if Delhi Club is recently under new management?

I only ask because I used to go to their weekend buffet on and off (between 2006 and 2008). As far as I could tell, it was an all-year thing. But I just stopped by again to try the buffet over Memorial Day weekend and there was a sign stating that it would start May 31st, so we missed out on it by one day.

Was just curious. I think the price was also $11.95 or $12.95 (can't remember). I just hope the quality of the buffet food hasn't changed. I always thought it was the best metro-accessible Indian buffet in the DC/NoVa area (I guess I'll throw in Bombay Curry Co. in there, too).

[bbhasin]

yfunk3, on 08 July 2010 - 11:40 AM, said:

Does anyone know if Delhi Club is recently under new management?

I only ask because I used to go to their weekend buffet on and off (between 2006 and 2008). As far as I could tell, it was an all-year thing. But I just stopped by again to try the buffet over Memorial Day weekend and there was a sign stating that it would start May 31st, so we missed out on it by one day.

Was just curious. I think the price was also $11.95 or $12.95 (can't remember). I just hope the quality of the buffet food hasn't changed. I always thought it was the best metro-accessible Indian buffet in the DC/NoVa area (I guess I'll throw in Bombay Curry Co. in there, too).

No, 'the management' is the same. The weekend buffet had been stopped for a short period because it was not cost effective for the price but people want it so its back and now available everyday.

Weekdays is currently an unbelievable 8.95. Recent selections included Tandoori Chicken, Butter Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Sweet sour Fish, Vegetables, Lentils, fresh bread, dessert etc.

Weekends the selection is expanded and the price goes up to 11.95

[DonRocks]

bbhasin, on 09 July 2010 - 05:30 AM, said:

Weekdays is currently an unbelievable 8.95. Recent selections included Tandoori Chicken, Butter Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Sweet sour Fish, Vegetables, Lentils, fresh bread, dessert etc.

"Unbelievable" is the one word that best describes the lunch buffet I had today at Delhi Club. I got there right at 11:30, and had the entire restaurant to myself for thirty minutes (a second customer was coming in just as I was leaving).

On the buffet today: Rice, Spinach Pakara, Chana Masala, Bindi Masala, Alu Gobi, Spinach with Corn, Chicken Vindaloo, Butter Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Tandoori Chicken, Salad, Raita, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, a basket of fresh-made Naan delivered to your table, and Gulab Jamun for dessert.

EIGHT-NINETY-FIVE? The best dining value I've had in a long, long time. How are they making any money? Go here at 11:30, and write me to thank me when you get home. Wow!

Cheers,
Rocks

[yfunk3]

Ah, thanks for the current buffet info! Will definitely have to trudge up to Clarendon on one of my weekdays off!

I am drooling thinking about the gulab jamun...

[DonRocks]

yfunk3, on 13 July 2010 - 08:54 PM, said:

I am drooling thinking about the gulab jamun...

I've had more vibrant gulab jamun (this wasn't freshly cooked, and I adore it when it is; though when you drench it in syrup, all concerns fade away). Mercifully, it's not served with ice cream (yes, I know they sometimes eat it with ice cream in India too, but that's a culinary error regardless of locale).

[yfunk3]

DonRocks, on 13 July 2010 - 08:00 PM, said:

I've had more vibrant gulab jamun (this wasn't freshly cooked, and I adore it when it is; though when you drench it in syrup, all concerns fade away). Mercifully, it's not served with ice cream (yes, I know they sometimes eat it with ice cream in India too, but that's a culinary error regardless of locale).

Yeah, I've had it at Delhi Club before and I've definitely had far better in North Jersey, but I haven't had it in ages...and you know how you always crave what you haven't had in ages. I'm just excited about the entire buffet, really, ::patting belly::

[yfunk3]

I hate to double-post, but I just have to rave about the lunch buffet. I went today at around noon, and the selection was great (so much more than Bombay Club's Sunday brunch, though less inventive). All the standards they had before were there: butter chicken, saag paneer, chicken curry, lamb vindaloo, tandoori chicken, chickpeas, lentils...I think they only vary a couple of items in their buffets. It's about the size of their weekend buffet when I last went (about two years ago), so I can only imagine what they add to the weekend buffet (must...find...out!).

Everything was as delicious as I remembered, too. I wish I had a bigger stomach. I could live off their butter chicken.

Sure, it's not "authentic" or innovative Indian food, but they do the classics (well, that westerners are used to) wonderfully, and they don't make things bland at all (fans of spiciness won't be blown away, though you can feel a bit of tingle on your tongue on some of the curries).

I can't wait to go back. The service was as friendly and great as I remembered, too.