Chili’s cafe in Saket’s DLF mall is a rare example of an American diner/grill chain doing a brisk business in the face of the rough and indiscerning palate of the capital’s yuppies always on the lookout for a meal suited to their conservative tastes. Despite the longstanding presence of TGIF, we haven’t had many Yankee cosy dining places doing well staying honest to their raison d’etre, with the latter places often Indianizing their menus.
Ruby’s promises to be an exception in this regard, as observed by the presence of the mostly expatriate clientele along with their families. That was the prime indication to us that this place would promise a true American suburban dining experience, as it was the go-to places for Westerners and they were comfortable enough to take their families there.
The dim yet warm lighting and the comfortable sofas welcomed us as we were handed the menus, a replica of Chili’s American menu, with the exception that the tenderloin and other beef steaks made of Buffalo due to legal issues with beef in Delhi. Six of us were seated comfortably in a table with ample stretching space and handed our cutlery and napkins boisterously as they would do in Yankee suburbia.
Sifting through the menu, we settled on a Non-Veg Triple Dipper(Rs.425) as a shared starter along with a Five Cheese(Rs.395) as well as a Southwestern Chicken Pizza(Rs.500); although We wanted to try the Baby Back Ribs(Rs.500) too, a traditional comfort food of Chili’s America.
The dipper contained chicken crispers, chicken wings and southwestern egg rolls. The chicken wings were typical spicy and tangy chicken that was deep fried and pleasing to taste. The crispers were bread fried chicken pieces that were fresh as well as crunchy, the crunch acting as a perfect compliment to the juicy meat inside. The southwestern egg rolls were perhaps the greatest revelation to those who hadn’t tried it before, the corn, carrots and spices swimming in cheese being a delight to the palate.
Pizzas were okay but nothing memorable, having a typical flatbread like base that made it easy to consume. The cheeses were fine to taste but nothing show-stopping. Thus ended our sojourn to an American suburban legend in the midst of a smoky Delhi day. We wistfully left the building keeping in mind the pork ribs left for some other day.