Delhi Belhi is a delightful little Indian restaurant on a small street behind the popular Cours Saleya in the old town of Nice. But don't go by the size and location of Delhi Belhi - it has consistently ranked as one of the best Indian restaurants on the French Riviera (having the honour of being listed in the prestigious Gault Millau guides for the last three years running).
Delhi Belhi is owned and operated by a nice Indian Punjabi couple who will greet you with a warm smile. One thing that made us very comfortable straightaway was that English is also spoken at Delhi Belhi and we did not have to struggle with trying to converse in French (they speak French, German, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi as well if you would rather talk in another language).
We settled on one of their fixed price Menus for two persons (although you can always order a la carte). It started off with Samosas and sabzi pakoras as appetizers, followed by main course of a Tandoori platter of various different kinds of kebabs and tandoori specialties (the menu called it "Tandoori Mila Jula"), along with aromatic rice pillau and naan bread, and raita, popadums, and a variety of chutneys and pickles - we also ordered a bottle of Indian red wine (not bad, surprisingly!) to help us down all that food.
All that was followed by a very refreshing kulfi (Indian ice cream) and hot suji halwa for dessert, topped off with a cognac each for a nightcap.
As you can tell by the amount of food, we spent almost the entire evening there - but it was worth every minute of the time spent there. The atmosphere is very warm and informal, but not "loud". It looks like this is a regular haunt for some of the locals going by how they were talking to and joking with the owners and staff as if they were old friends.
The background music was not your regular tired Indian elevator music, but was more lively and contemporary "bollywood" numbers which contrasted with a lot of the old world decorations and knick-knacks from another era that you can find in the restaurant (including the furniture). The combined effect, however, was very eclectic instead of coming across as gaudy.
Unfortunately, Delhi Belhi is only open in the evenings (seven days a week). They now also have a website (in French and in English) at:
www.delhibelhi.com.
Oh, and by the way, if you would rather spend more time enjoying the city of Nice, Delhi Belhi also has a take away/carry out option - just call in your order and pick it up later.
The prices, though on the higher side by American standards, are very average for the French Riviera, and for the quality of food and service, may be considered a steal!
Food, service, ambience, everything is just right for spending a relaxing evening out with friends and family.
Delhi Belhi will definitely not disappoint!