Diwali, the auspicious Indian ‘Festival of Lights’ celebrated by Hindus the world over, is scheduled for the 30th of this month. This festival signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair (Wikipedia). It is by far, one of the grandest celebrations on India’s social calendar.

However, you don’t have to book a ticket to India to celebrate… From 29th through to 31st October, Antique Bazaar (at Four Points by Sheraton – Bur Dubai) has created a tantalizing lineup of traditional Diwali treats, complete with live Bollywood entertainment to boot!

Antique Bazaar has always been one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Dubai. Apart from their delicious dishes which are updated and revamped ever so often, the menu pricing here is very reasonable at around AED 200 for two (use my special code TZF001 for bookings made on 29th, 30th and 31st Oct and get a further 20% off your bill!).

And then there’s the live entertainment… I raved about it in my last post (click here if you missed it), and it never fails to impress me. At Antique Bazaar, they have a live band and a singing duo who take up all kinds of Bollywood song requests from the diners. And the act is complete with a pair of bedazzled young ladies, enthusiastically twirling in all their finery to every tune.

 

Antique Bazaar has come up with a Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian menu for Diwali, and I was rather chuffed seeing the personalized greeting on our table.

 

We went for the Non-Veg option, and here is a lineup of all the dishes we had the pleasure of trying:

Welcome Drink: A thick, sweet Lime & Mango Lassi. A tad bit too rich for my liking, especially given we had a whole list of treats to try right after. However, this would probably be a real treat on a hot, sweltering afternoon.

 

Starters:

We were served this very clear,yet wholesomely delicious Murgh Kaali Mirch Ka Sorba. This translates to ‘Chicken Black Pepper Soup’, and this soulfully filling starter reminded me of my mother’s kitchen. It tastes so deliciously homely, and even my little one managed to finish her bowl in record time.

 

We also had the Chatpatta Lachha Salad. Sweet yet sour with a tad hint of fiery chili heat, this salad teases the taste-buds and whets the appetite for more to come. Further down into our meal, I rather regretted having this as a starter. I think this salad would go even better with the grills we had for the main-course.

 

We were also served a very spicy, delicious Aloo Bonda, an Indian street food consisting of tempered mashed potato, battered and deep-fried into dumplings.

 

To counteract on the spiciness, we had Dahi Wada, yet another popular North Indian treat featuring deep-fried lentil dumplings served in salted, spiced yogurt.

 

And here is a look at our main-course…

Mutton Dum Kofta: Deliciously tender spiced meat-balls in a thick tomato-based gravy.

 

Kaju Matter Malai: A very creamy vegetarian peas curry with the added crunch of cashews.

 

Murgh Tikka Lababdar: Absolutely ‘melt in the mouth’ portions of boneless chicken, marinated in a mildly spiced ‘tikka’ concoction.

 

Lamb Sheekh Kebab: Very meaty skewers of minced lamb accentuated with a bouquet of aromatic Indian spices.

 

We ended our meal with large servings of Gajar Ka Halwa (shredded carrot halwa). The halwa was warm, and brimming with the goodness of ‘desi ghee’, and what we liked best was the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet.

 

If you are still on the fence about where to celebrate Diwali this year, take your friends and family to Antique Bazaar! They will really appreciate the traditional lineup of Diwali treats, and you can all hum along to Bollywood numbers all night long.

Get 20% off! 

The lovely people at Antique Bazaar are giving a whooping 20% off your Diwali booking (valid for 29th, 30th and 31st Oct). Simply quote the special code TZF001

And here’s an even better deal… Win a Diwali Dinner for 2 at Antique Bazaar! Click here for details.