“It Is A Café Where The Food Has One Aim: To Be Delicious,” Says Ritu Dalmia On Diva At The Atrium

The rise of Ritu Dalmia as a chef and entrepreneur fuels the dreams of many young foodpreneurs in India. To be fair Chef Dalmia’s meteoric rise came after her fair share of hardship and failures—the story of Mezze Luna in Delhi, way back in 1993, is a lesson that every Indian restaurateur keeps in their mind. But it is her generosity, affable personality and success that will always steal the limelight. Her success with Vama in London (1996) and then Diva in Delhi and other outlets. So much so, she now has 10 restaurants—two in Milan, one in Dubai, three in Mumbai and four in Delhi-NCR.

She was adamant that she would never open a restaurant in Mumbai. If you remind her of this, she laughs it off saying, “Never believe anything I say.” She did eventually change her mind and helmed The Tasting Room By Diva at the Good Earth store in 2021, in the bustling business area of Lower Parel. In 2022, she opened doors to Motodo at Jio World Drive; she describes the restaurant as her iteration of the iconic Diva brand, for Mumbai. And now she is back with Diva At The Atrium, at Jio World Plaza in BKC.

Unlike any of Chef Dalmia’s other ventures, Diva At The Atrium is a casual dining set-up and not even Italian. Her idea is comforting quick meals that do not intimidate and are meant to be more grab-and-go. Chef Dalmia brings together her two fortes of Italian and Indian together along with some international favourites thrown in. Some of the popular dishes include Diva’s signature slow-cooked tomato sauce spaghetti with stracciatella, gnocchi with mushrooms of the forest as well as Indian hot sellers such as chole kulche and subz pulao. There are also satiating modern Asian meal bowls and dim sums. One cannot miss Diva’s classic tiramisu, a recipe that hasn’t changed for 25 years and the gluten-free almond rosemary torta.

The decor of the open floor, with picturesque benches and lampposts to soft green hues and a grand aquarium, is modern Mediterranean. The citrus motifs take you to Sicilian orchards and towering French windows add a very Parisian café touch to the space. Diva At The Atrium aims at elevating the run-of-the-mill ‘food court’ experience that most malls have—that will also be in step with the uber luxury positioning of Jio World Plaza.

 

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On the day of the launch, we had a quick chat with Dalmia about her culinary and entrepreneurial aspirations and the highlights at Diva At The Atrium.

Edited excerpts:

1. How did you decide to bring Diva in this casual format within Jio World Plaza?

My association with Jio is an old one. We opened Motodo in 2022, just after COVID, with the idea to run a classic Italian restaurant, that is what Diva is known for. We’ve been here for two years successfully doing just that. We also did a lot of consultancy work for Jio World Plaza, so when they said, let’s do a little cafe here, I said, why not?

2. What is the idea behind Diva At The Atrium?

The idea for this space was not to do an Italian restaurant. It is a café, where, for me, there is just one aim and focus, it is that the food has to be delicious. I am not bothered about what cuisine it is. So, there’s Italian, there’s Asian, there’s desi ghar ka khana. All of this is in a one-bowl-meals. As I said, there was no strategy or something behind this. It’s an old association, which is just continuing.

3. Would you say your iconic brand Diva is finally in Mumbai?

For me, Diva is reflected in Motodo, which is our Italian brand. Diva At The Atrium is our Diva Cafe brand, per se. We’ve been in Bombay for some time now and our food has already been there and accepted in Motodo. But we’re finally using the name Diva. That’s the only difference.

4. How do you decide which restaurant project is worth the investment and future?

I used to always say I’ll never open in Bombay. But I’m a liar, so, don’t believe anything I say. Over the years, I’ve realised that whatever I say, may change by next year. It has never been about opportunities, business plans or strategies for me. It has to be instinct. Many opportunities had  come earlier but I think something instinctive this time told me it was the right time.

5. Why did you choose this café-style menu that is cuisine-agnostic at Diva At The Atrium?

Honestly, I am fed up with this very stereotyped cuisine definition. I think people today are a little bit more mature, and more educated than that. Today, it’s about good quality and about good ingredients, and most importantly, good taste. This is not a place where you’re going to have big family parties or birthday lunches. It’s a place which is passing by, okay, let me grab a coffee. Let’s grab a quick bite or friends who are in the area, who don’t want to have a long elaborate lunch. You know you’re going to get decent food, good food, at reasonable prices. I don’t want the guests to come here once a year and not come back again.

6. What is new in the pipeline? What has been keeping you excited?

Everything is exciting. Every day I wake up and I say, okay, what shall we take on? When I’m in Bombay, my focus is only on this place. This is what’s thrilling and exciting me. When I’m in Milan, I forget about everything. What’s fun for me is to sit with my team, brainstorm and plan a new menu. This is the most amazing part about having restaurants in different parts of the world. Because, not only for me but also for our team, the exposure levels that come with the taste, and the different flavours. I always say, that till you go and taste it at the source, you will never know what the real thing is. I count my blessings we have restaurants in Milan. Atrangi in Dubai opened this year. And there are a few interesting things in the pipeline. But too early to say. Also, as I said, I’m a liar; I made something today, but tomorrow it may change completely. It’s all impulsive.