Tinu Menachery: Indian cuisine

Showing posts with label Indian cuisine. Show all posts

Bombay Bungalow, located at the Beach in JBR was formerly known as ‘House of curry’ and is now re-branded with a new name and menu for an elevated Indian cuisine experience. The menu offers some classic popular dishes, both veg n non-veg by retaining the unique Indian flavors.

The ambiance is mesmerizing. Let’s start with the fact that there is an actual real tree and a small fountain inside. The design is so cozy you just might want to stay there all day (we almost did).It has an old world charm and the intricate details, coupled with colored furniture, props, chandeliers, Mughal paintings etc. The Indian Mona lisa and the turban head dog caught my attention. There’s even a comfy swinging couch outside and it’s just perfect for lounging.

The staff is very warm and welcoming. As soon as we sat, we were offered water and the menu. The menu is pure nostalgia – certain dishes will transport you to the streets of Bombay, while others will open your eyes and taste buds to something new yet familiar.

From the coolers we opted for Weight of Gold and Under Fire.

Weight of Gold is a refreshing and flavorful drink made from coconut water, Indian spices & passion fruit puree topped with passion fruit and shredded coconut. I loved the flavors in the drink and went in for a second.

Underfire is a blend of sweet, sour and spicy topped with homemade ginger beer. It’s a thick mango puree based drink enhanced with saffron and a few strands of saffron.

We then moved on to the Raita tray, Guacamole Pani Puri, Corn and sprouted Moong dal and Kebab platter for starters.

The Raita tray was prepared in front of us customized with some choice ingredients and served with some crispy roasted papadum. It was the perfect start to our Indian feast.

We were then served Guacamole Pani Puri (Highlight of the evening). The popular chaat was given a Mexican twist. Pocket pastries are stuffed with avocado salsa and served with spiced herbed water. The puri’s were crispy and tasted oh so good. I loved the combination of avocado along with the crunchy puri and spiced water (Ahmazing).

We then moved on to Corn and sprouted moong chat (LOVED it). I personally love corn and sprouted moong dal, so a combination of the two was amazing. It’s a healthy mix of roasted corn kernels & sprouted moong served with sweet yoghurt, tamarind & mint chutney, served with Beetroot chips. It was delectable.

The Kebab platter was a feast to one’s eyes. It had Chef’s selection of four different kebabs and tikkas served with a variety of dips. We had Shrimp, fish, chicken, and mutton. I don’t have an extensive palate for mutton, however, the fish was so well marinated and cooked it just melted in your mouth. Shrimp was delectable and I could just keep eating it. Chicken was succulent and juicy and was just perfect. (Totally recommended).

We moved onto the mains and were spoilt for choice here as well. We settled for Burratta butter chicken, Poha crusted fish and gruyere pav bhaaji.

The Burrata Butter Chicken, prepared with fenugreek tomato gravy is a cheesy feast. A generous dollop of Italian burrata cheese is served semi-melted in this much-loved creamy sweet curry. It is one of their signature dishes, and rightly so.

Gruyere Paav Bhaji is an amazing twist to ‘pav bhaji’. It’s a cheesy, gluttonous mess that needs to be dipped into with chunks of pav and roasted baby potatoes (Yumm)

The Poha crusted Fish which is Sea Bass served with Lemon rice and Kerala curry. I was intrigued as to how lemon rice would taste with fish curry, and especially Kerala fish curry. I dipped into the gravy and was transported to my mum’s kitchen in Kerala. The tamarind and spicy coconut gravy was a treat to one’s palate. Combined with lemon rice and sea bass the combination was irresistible. It was perfectly spiced and delectable.

We were full, but couldn’t resist dessert. We had not one but two desserts. We had the Aam panna Gola or chuski if you are from Bombay. It was served in a bowl and was topped with dry mango cubes. Apart from brain freeze, the flavors exploded in one’s mouth, the tangy aam panna combined with frozen mango cubes and shaved ice is perfect for the summer. I LOVED it.

The second dessert was a chocolate cheese cake that hid the popular Gulab Jamun. I loved the presentation. Gulab jamun was tucked away in the chocolate cheesecake and was served with chocolate soil. It just melted away in your mouth and was the perfect way to end our long evening.

This has been the longest I have spent in a restaurant, almost 3-4 hours. The food was amazing, the ambiance was mesmerizing and the service impeccable. I’m positive this homegrown brand will fulfill all your cravings for quality Indian food.

The management and staff are very attentive to the needs of their customers. We were served by Sunil, and Sanjeev. They both ensured that we were comfortable throughout our time.

Bombay Bungalow

Location: The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Dubai
Cost: AED 300 for two

Reserve your table at: 045260981

I was invited to Bombay Bungalow and all views and images are © Urbanmodish, unless stated otherwise.

Pepper mill is Dubai Mall’s first Indian restaurant. Located on the second floor,

Pepper mill presents a delicious array of colonial-inspired Indian cuisine in a spacious and elegant setting.

The ambiance is classy and has a royal charm. From the wall decor to the seating arrangement everything is a treat to the eye. Green tiled walls and wooden shelves decked with vintage telephone, table fan, still camera, miniature pepper-mill adds to the colonial regal charm.

The cuisine is equally colonial-inspired and present an array of inventive recipes and alluring flavors influenced by the bygone colonial era. This era has given rise to one of the most interesting cuisines we know – the Anglo-Indian gastronomy – which is nothing but a robust amalgamation of eastern spices and herbs into western cooking techniques.

We started off with a bowl of fresh & crispy Makhana that paved way for an elaborate culinary fare that was to follow.

For our drinks we had Coconut curry leaf Mojito and Orange ginger Mojito. I was pretty intrigued with how curry leaf would taste as a drink, and I must add I was in for a treat and was blown away with how the mojito tasted. It was very tempting and I went I for a second. In comparison to the coconut curry leaf mojito, the Orange ginger didn’t stand out much.

We also tried the Peppermill Shikanji and Lychee anardana. Peppermill Shikhanji is the perfect drink to ensure that you are ready to have a massive feast. Lychee anardana is an amazing drink to feast your eyes, especially the way it’s served. I love theatrics, so this was something I enjoyed looking at but not sipping on.

For our entrees we started off with Edamame and potato Dosa served with delectable tomato chutney. The dish is pretty innovative and fun. I loved the amalgamation of Bengali and south Indian cuisine. I love Edamame beans and eating it with Dosa blew my mind. It was a wonderful combination and the chutney was palatable. You must definitely try this out

Chicken Sev puri is a must have at Pepper Mill. It’s a burst of flavors and tastes amazing. I love how traditional chaat was given a makeover with the inclusion of chicken and sour cream. The fluffy cloud melts in your mouth with the savory flavor of chicken and crunchy puri making it a definite must have. Loved it.

The Chicken Lollipop at Pepper Mill isn’t your average chicken lollipop. You bite into a crispy tempura batter, but not into chicken but juicy sauce (drooling away) and then succulent chicken. The entire combination set my taste buds tingling. This is a must try.

We moved on to try the Grilled tangra prawns. You will see a bit of Chinese influences with soy sauce. Although I love sea food, this dish didn’t really make me go in for a second bite. However, my friend devoured it almost instantly.

The Lamd seekh kebab was a sight to behold. It was soft and succulent with the right amount of spices and was good.

The Chicken and pomelo salad is a treasure hunt. I loved the presentation. It was a mountain of greens and the surprise is when you dig in to find chicken and roasted plum and pomello. The salad has all of the elemenst of perfect crunch, juicy chicken, and the surprise elements of pomello and roasted plum. It is just perfect, fresh and tasted amazing.

For our mains we had Prawn Rangoon curry in combination with paniyarams and butter chicken with roomali roti.

Prawn Rangoon curry was beauty served in a bowl. The curry soaked prawns in coconut cream, was just perfectly spicy. I loved the consistency and aroma of the gravy and the prawns maintained its distinctive crunchiness without being overly soggy. We tried them with paniyaarams. Paniyaaram is a south Indian rice cake. The brown rice cakes were garnished with coriander coconut chutney and peppered with tomaoto powder or podi (as is called in south india).

On Ruchi’s recommendation, I tried the paniyaarams with the Prawns Rangoon curry. The result was an explosion of tastes. The creamy gravy along with the soft paniyaarams was an amazing combination and I’m glad I tried them both.

My friend tried the Butter chicken with Roomali roti. I feel Butter chicken ismt something that can ever go wrong, and at Pepper mill I didn’t have an ounce of doubt it would either. It was just perfectly thick and creamy with succulent pieces of chicken.

We also tried their Kalakhatta Chuski, which is the best way to cool off from the heat. It’s a classic slush that’d made from Indian Blackberry (commonly known as Jamun). Black salt and lime juice is added to enhance the flavor.

Chef Ashish Tiwari stopped by to hear our feedback about the individual dishes.Special thanks to Ruchi and Anurag– who ensured that we had an amazing time, and assisted us with our selection of food. I loved their service.

Peppermill also boasts a fabulous outdoor terrace to enjoy the lip-smacking fare with gorgeous views of the dancing fountain and buzzing Souq Al Bahar waterfront (but let’s hold on to that for the winters).