Craving a hearty Indian lunch, and not quite sure what to order? The quintessential Indian thali is always a good idea. A ‘thali’ comprises of a number of sampler curries, rice and flat-breads, and if you’re lucky, you get sweet treat at the end as well.
Bargain alert! Fine-dining Indian restaurant Antique Bazaar (located on the Mezzanine floor of the ever-popular 4 Points by Sheraton in the heart of bustling Bur Dubai), is offering a thali lunch for as low as AED 31 per person.
The last leg of the year brings with it the cooler weather we’ve all been craving in the UAE, and with it comes the harvest season for some of the finest the Arabian seas have to offer.
Taking full advantage of seafood season, award-winning Indian restaurant India Palace has launched a limited edition menu entitled ‘Samundari Khazana’ (which aptly translates to ‘Treasures of the Sea’).
We were invited back to Medley Restaurant at Pullman Hotel (adjacent to Deira City Centre mall, Dubai) for a scrumptious Diwali dinner by celebrity Indian Chef Sweety Singh.
We’ve had his buffet before, but this time round we actually got to meet the man himself! He greeted us at the door with the warmth of a long lost friend, and ushered us to his authentically Punjabi buffet.
Diwali, the Indian festival of light, is fast approaching this Thursday 19th October.
” One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.” – Wikipedia.
With twinkling diyas (Indian clay lamps), an array of festive treats and clothing as colorful as Bollywood dance sequences, Diwali is a great time of year to let out the inner Desi in all of us.
Last weekend we were invited for a Diwali brunch at Bombay Bungalow (at JBR, Dubai). This was my very first visit here, and I was absolutely awestruck with the interiors. The turquoise walls, the intricate vintage-style Indian decor is so picturesque and Instagram-worthy!
We had a wonderful stay at Danat Al Ain Resort, and one of the culinary highlights of our weekend away was dining at Tanjore. Although we have an endless set of options when it comes to Indian restaurants in the UAE, what sets Tanjore apart is its very history.
The restaurant has been on the premises for nearly 3 decades, even before InterContinental became Danat Al Ain. It is, infact, Al Ain’s very first Indian fine-dining establishment and has an interesting little story behind it.
I envy the people working in Bay Square, they are so spoilt for choice with foodie options. I’ve found myself revisiting this urban hub a number of times in the past few months, each visit for a totally different cuisine. Recently, we were invited to Masala Pot, a familial name that screams of fiery curries, biryanis and other subcontinental delights. They have a few branches scattered around the UAE, but I have never been and wasn’t sure on what to expect.
The restaurant has quirky-cool interiors, taking inspiration from newspaper cuttings. The walls are marked with tongue in cheek Hindi-English quotes relating to food, and everything here has a pale orange halo, so in tune with curries and the saffron hue of Indian patriotism. The restaurant looks more like a chic café, and the pricing here is definitely in line with this. A meal for two at Masala Pot will suffice under AED 150 easily.
Carnival by Tresind, the younger, spunkier sister of Tresind, Dubai’s leading Indian fine-dining restaurant, is always full of surprises. True to its name, the interiors depict a crazy-cool wonderland where trees branch out in illusive shades of rose-gold, quirky Indian artifacts dot every corner, and guests are welcomed on their table with a shower of bubbles.
Carnival by Tresind has recently introduced a set brunch menu, which is valid every Friday from 12 to 4 pm. We were there a week ago, and the place was absolutely packed! Living in Dubai, we are spoilt for choice with brunching options, but here’s 10 very good reasons why you should consider booking a table at Carnival by Tresind this coming weekend:
Asha Bhosle, Bollywood’s very own nightingale who has captured the imagination of generations, needs no introduction. Asha’s, her self-named culinary debut, celebrates the kitchen experiments of this Bollywood legend. The beauty of Asha’s has always been its simplicity. The true essence of Indian fine-dining is never lost here to overly suave modernist ways, and this month, the restaurant pays tribute to the royal cuisines of the North.
The limited edition menu entitled ‘Live Like a Maharaja’ is brimming with a whole array of royal treats that has something for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Here is a look at some of my favorites:
14th Feb is just 4 days away! Where are you heading this Valentine’s? If its variety you seek, Nassima Royal Hotel is an ideal dining destination to consider. We were invited for the Valentine’s Day preview at their all-day buffet dining restaurant Celsius, yet the wonderful team had more in store for us than a lavish spread.
In true V-Day spirit, we were teamed together with our better halves to have a go at cake icing. Heart-shaped Red Velvet cakes were placed on every work station, and the Chef helped us slice it horizontally, and pipe in the icing. We tried our hand at rosette swirls, and I think our cake had more cream than cake!
A young boy, on a visit to his mother’s ancestral home in Meerut (North Western India), is left fascinated by a bright yellow find. So contrastingly different from the usual fiery reds and deep greens, this prized yellow chili happened to fall in the hands of a boy destined to be arguably India’s most celebrated chefs, Sanjeev Kapoor himself.
So cherished was this find that many decades later, Sanjeev Kapoor opened up a whole chain of restaurants called Yellow Chili. Where Signature and Options are the chef’s ode to Indian fine-dining, Yellow Chili aims to be your cushy neighbourhood retreat for some seriously good, home-style Indian dishes.
The Tezzy Files 