Grayton Hotel, a 4-star boutique hotel for business and leisure, has opened its hospitable doors in the heart of the hustle bustle of Bur Dubai, and with it comes a culinary gem we’ve all been waiting for.

Award-wining Indian fine-dining restaurant Bukhara hailing from Delhi, the capital of India has a repute for its authentic North Indian fare inspired by the Silk Road of trade and culture that brought the Moghuls to India. I love the Bukhara branch in Ajman Hotel, and we’ve driven down for their delicious grub many a time.

Bukhara has finally opened in Dubai. Located on the first floor of Grayton Hotel, the interiors are a contemporary take on the rustic brass-infused look and feel of the branch in Ajman. With filigree walls, holistic Buddha décor and an open-plan kitchen facing the dining area, Bukhara Dubai is all at once cosy, classy and welcoming.

Don’t let the new-age décor deceive you. The flavors of the fare at Bukhara Dubai stay true to the gastronomic flavors that we have come to expect from this brand. Everything is made fresh and is most likely to have come out of the traditional tandoor oven.

This even applies to the complimentary platter of papads and chutney. The papads are so different from the regular ones served at Indian restaurants. They’ve been smoked with clove and doused in chili powder. My daughter had a few nibbles and declared they tasted like the chips she has in India. And that chutney… absolutely love the plum chutney here. Chef Sanjay Kumar tells me they cook a fresh batch of plums in the tandoor oven every evening. These are then chopped, stir-fried and tempered with ‘panch puran’, a traditional five-spice of Eastern India.

We were then served chilled bottles of Masala Thandai. This is a traditional Indian milk infused with saffron and nuts. My daughter loved it so much, she helped herself to mine as well.

To start off our dinner, we were served an amuse bouche. This pretty cube of paneer is coated in a heady mix of spices, and skewered in the tandoor with capsicum and onion. And how gorgeous is the cutlery here! Makes food photography all the more attractive.

A few more tandoor treats hit the table. First came the Tandoor Broccoli, a platter of grilled broccoli heads doused in a heavy cream. I found this appetizer to be a little to heavy for my liking. The cream made the broccoli soggy, and given its been grilled, I would have preferred to have it with more of a bite.

The Murgh Malai Kebab on the other hand was an absolute delight. The chicken was beautifully marinated in flavors and each bite was so succulently tender and juicy.

For our main course, we had a fiery, densely spiced Chicken Tikka Masala. The aromatic gravy is thick and deliciously hot yet sweet with a tomato base.

We were served Butter Naan, Pudina Paratha, and my favorite was the unleveled Pudina Laccha bread topped with dried mint.

However, my all-time favorite dish at Bukhara will always be the Dal Bukhara. No one does the famous North Indian daal makhana quite like them, and I could easily eat an entire bowlful all by myself in one sitting.

We also tried Bukhara’s Parda Biryani, a rather spicy chicken pilaf cooked in a traditional earthen pot. The chicken was deliciously juicy, the long grains of rice deliciously spiced. It was a tad bit too spicy for my little one, but she managed a decent serving with the aid of the creamy raita on the side.

Ending the night on a sweet note, we were served hot sweet Gulab Jamuns with scoops of Rose ice-cream.

Overall, we had a wonderful time at Bukhara Dubai. So glad this authentically delicious fare is now available in centrally located Dubai. Everything here is freshly made, and you can really taste the difference. The service is exemplary, and the beautiful interiors make it the perfect spot for a special night out with loved ones.