Strict vegetarians bite into meat at Indigo Deli, say they’ll go to court.A Jain family, strict adherents of a vegetarian diet, were inadvertently served, and unknowingly consumed a dish of lamb at the reputable Indigo Delicatessen at Palladium on Thursday. The Shahs, who live in Breach Candy and are engaged in the garment trade, were so incensed at their faith being sullied that they attempted to lodge a complaint with the local police, who directed them to take their grievance to consumer court.The staff and management of Indigo, meanwhile, have issued a written apology to the family. Unconvinced, the Shahs have said they will pursue the matter in consumer court.“Five of us were at the deli on Thursday to celebrate my daughter’s birthday,” said Ekta. “We ordered five vegetarian falafel rolls and when we bit into them we realised instantly that something was amiss. The taste was completely different to anything we’d experienced earlier.” When it dawned on them that they’d chewed mouthfuls of lamb rather than chickpea patties, they were aghast. “We instantly summoned the waiter, who admitted to the mistake,” Ekta said. “It came as a shock that we’d eaten non vegetarian food. We rushed to the washroom to clean our tongues.”The Shahs observe a diet that is prescribed by their faith – they abjure meat, fish, eggs, garlic and onions. “And to think that we ate lamb; that too on Dussehra, just after we’d performed Devi pooja,” Ekta exclaimed. “We feel cheated and this incident has hurt our religious sentiments.”The Shahs railed against the slight furiously, upon which Indigo’s assistant manager Shabir Shaik and the chef Sanyo offered a written apology.“We inquired into what happened and it turns out that an order of lamb falafel meant for another family landed up at the Shahs’ table,” said Indigo’s manager, Abhiraj Shekhar. “We are really sorry for what happened. It was not intentional.”Sameer Bhatia from Degustibus Hospitality Private Limited, which handles brand marketing and communications for Indigo Deli, added: “This is the first time such a thing has happened at Indigo. In fact just after this incident occurred, we held a meeting and decided that the chef would use a different coloured garnish in the lamb falafel to set it apart from the vegetarian version so the mistake isn’t repeated.”“Just an apology will not suffice,” Ekta said. “The restaurant should be punished for what we went through and for hurting our sentiments.” The Shahs have consulted with a lawyer and said they will file a suit against Indigo Deli in consumer court.