Mission 4 - Lets go the desi way - Parathey & Chole Bhatoore

“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” -Alan D. Wolfelt
Indians are known for their love for oil, spices and butter. It is our desi way; many of us in India start our day with a paratha and have a special place for it in our hearts. The same goes for Choley Bhatoore - one of our favorite snacks/lunch/dinner - a meal for all times. After completing a month in Dubai, I decided to look out for my favorites parathey cooked on a tava (griddle) and bhatoore.
 
1. Paratha Express, Meena Bazaar, Dubai - My quest for food led me to this place in Meena Bazaar in front of Dubai Museum. As the name said - I expected this place to be having different varieties of parathas and indeed they had. The place is a mid sized, decent budget restaurant with some seating outside and some inside. The owner was very kind in suggesting me to try Aloo Cheese Paratha which I happily ordered. Trust me, It was one of the best cheese parathas I have ever had - A perfect mix of cheese, potato and crispiness. Furthermore, each paratha is cooked on a griddle and comes with a cube of butter on top and thick tasty bowl of Yoghurt. It was large in size too! I could not resist my temptation and then ordered a Koki Paratha - A sindhi flaky paratha with crisp outside and soft layers inside filled with onion, green chillis and coriander seeds. I was having it for the first time and it was delicious. My food was just 15 Dhs and made me nostalgic. The owner recommended me to try Methi Pyaz Paratha which was not possible for me at that point of time but I will definitely come again to munch it. 
https://www.zomato.com/dubai/paratha-express-meena-bazaar

Aloo Cheese Paratha
 

Koki

 

2. Shamiana, Mall of Emirates, Dubai This chain of restaurants is present in Dubai Mall, Mall of Emirates and other major malls. This joint has offers very good Indian food. It has a full range of food starting from snacks to meals. I ordered a Choley Bhatoore and Onion Bhajia. The bhatoora was really good - just like any good one in India. Choley were delicious served along with Salad. The Onion Bhajiya was the perfect side dish. The bhatoore was 20 Dhs and a bhajiya plate costed 4 Dhs. The malls are always a good place to be in Dubai - do hangout at this place whenever you are around!
https://www.zomato.com/dubai/shamiana-downtown-Dubai

Choley Bhatoore

 

Onion Bhajiya

 Dubai has a lot to offer to the food lovers, will keep exploring and looking forward to many more tasty memories.

 

 

Please post your comments and suggestions.

 

Keep following the blog for more from the "Veggie Wanderer".

Mission 3 - Taste with a twist - Tandoori Momos, Mash Dal, Naan & Sweets

Hello friends, This week its time to experience the taste with a twist. I was able to visit quite a few places back to back as I couldn't resist the temptation. After spending last few weeks hunting down good food in Meena Bazaar I decided to visit Al Karama - another area full of expatriates to look for food with some unusual twists to the style.

1. Real Momos Cafeteria - Located near the ADCB Metro station, its a small cafeteria with a seating capacity of barely 8-10 people. However, the small space is very well maintained, clean and hygienic. The owner is very welcoming. Momos are a type of dumpling very popular in India and Nepal. I have earlier had steamed or fried momos. This place caught my attention as they claimed to serve a "Tandoori Momo" - Not steamed or fried but cooked in a tandoor. I ordered a plate of veg tandoori momos. This portions were large - it had 6 momos with a mint chutney and tomato sauce. The momos very really special - it had a perfect balance of crisp and soft without oil. I just loved it!. It costed me 13 dirhams for my plate. The Tandoori Momos are a fantastic twist to this dish and a definite recommendation. Do try Tandoori Paneer Momos as well. Looks promising.
https://www.zomato.com/dubai/real-momos-cafeteria-al-karama/info

Tandoor Veg Momos

 

2. Student Biryani - A yet another restaurant in Al Karama - set up is 1969 as a modest eatery. Today this is popular restaurant with branches across the world and as the name says famous for its Biryani. Even though I didn't expect much from this restaurant being a vegetarian I thought to give it a shot.

 

The place is awesome - very good ambience, large seating capacity and a smiling staff.

 

A look at the menu and I had only one option to go for - "A Veggie Biryani". At first glance I was shocked as the quantity was huge - fit for two people easily. I took half and asked to pack the remaining for me. The Biryani was really tasty - full of different aromas and colors. With soft masala potatoes and whole spices - It was a treat!.

 

Veggie Biryani

 

As soon as I was about to finish I saw a big Naan being served on the adjacent table. It was just irresistible. I looked at the menu again and couldn't stop myself from ordering that Naan along with a Mash Dal Fry ( A vegetarian Daal but I had no clue about its taste ). Thanks to google - Mash Daal is almost a dry daal made from White Daal/Urad Daal. It was served promptly - The daal was just out of this world. A perfect taste - one like I had never before. It was different from the usual Daal Tadka or Makhani. Though it was really spicy - It must have had atleast 6 whole green chillies. You can ask them for less spicy when you order. The portion was also large perfect for 2 people ideally. Along came the Naan, A big one - Atleast double of a typical India Naan, It was so fluffy and yet crisp. It had a unique burnt roasted taste. The perfect combo of Mash Daal and Naan was a taste that I will remember for quite some time. The Naan was just 2 Dhs, Daal - 13 Dhs and Biryani - 14 Dhs - with such an awesome taste, I will say this place is a must visit.

https://www.zomato.com/dubai/student-biryani-al-karama

 

Daal Mash Fry

 

Naan

 

 

 3. Lulu's Hypermarket, Al Karama - After having so much, I walked back to the metro station but saw the Lulu's Hypermarket on the way. Lulu is a retail chain and I had visited its outlet once when I was in Chennai. Out of curiosity to find something authentic South Indian, I changed my direction and went inside. The food section has lots of nice stuff. I finally made up my mind for sweets. They had a very nice collection of fresh sweets. I picked up Mysore Pak and Gulab Jamun for 12 Dhs. Upon tasting the sweets, I felt it was the best decision of the day. After such a tasty meal sweets are icing on the cake. If you walk around that area there is no harm to pickup some sweets as they really have a nice and tasty collection and at a very reasonable price.

 

 

Mysore Pak & Gulab Jamun

 

 I had a great a food tour. Looking forward to many more - This is just the beginning.

 

 

Please post your comments and suggestions.

 

Keep following the blog for more from the "Veggie Wanderer".

 

Mission 2 - Daal & Roti - The Pakistani Style

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.”

 

Hi everyone, thanks for the overwhelming response to my first post. It has been a great motivation for me to keep the hunt for food going. This week I tried to look out for the favorite Indian food Daal and Roti but with a twist - The Pakistani way. I was curious to experience the taste from across the border. I chose to visit a famous and old joint in Meena Bazaar, Dubai - "Sheher Karachi".
 
Note: You get both veg & non-veg food over here.
 
The restaurant is located in main market, large seating capacity and decent crowd. The ambience is decent and prices are low. Though primarily a non veg restaurant, you can find some decent varieties of vegetarian dishes.
 
As soon as you are seated you are greeted with a complimentary salad and raita.

I wanted to order Daal Tadka but saw they had some other kind of Daal as "Daal Kadhai", therefore ordered that along with Roomali Roti and a Butter Naan.
 
The Daal was a beauty - hot and spicy, tadka with raw spices - It was something special. The best part it was directly served in Kadhai (old fashioned metallic pan ) much like a modern day sizzler. The quantity was sufficient for two people and it was less on gravy and more of daal.
 

 

 

I was about to recover from this pleasant surprise, then came a shocker. Mind it - For the one's who don't knew like me - The Pakistan Roti & Naan are huge..really huge. Expecting an India like size I had ordered a Naan & two Roomali Roi which in the end I was struggling to finish. However, the taste was awesome, perfectly cooked and melting in mouth. It was a treat.

Summing up it was a pleasant experience and the taste was memorable. My bill was just 12 Dirhams. So my pocket too din't hurt.

My Recommendation - It's a definite yes for this place. If you like spicy, this is your best bet. However, I won't suggest this place if you don't like to be high on spices and oil or prefer to dine in a strictly vegetarian restaurant.

 

For further details refer https://www.zomato.com/dubai/shehar-e-karachi-1-meena-bazaar/info

Please post your comments and suggestions.

 

Keep following the blog for more from the "Veggie Wanderer".

 

Mission 1 - The love for Parathas & Rolls

 

 

The first halt for my quest for tasty food was "Paratha & Rolls" in Al Fahidi Souq, Meena Bazaar, Dubai. Well, being a North Indian, I have a definite inclination towards parathey. However, what attracted me towards this place was the variety of Parathey being offered along with some equally interesting varieties of Rolls. A few names like Hashbrown Stuffed Paratha, Pickle Paratha, Spinach & Tofu Paratha, Black Pepper Tofu Roll, Veg. Galauti Kebab Roll etc. just caught my attention. ( For a detailed Menu please refer the Zomato link attached in the end of the post )

The place has a open dining area where you sit and eat. Its a very clean, hygienic cafeteria and is a pure vegetarian restaurant.

Out of the numerous options I ordered a Tiger Paratha - The name and filling is equally enchanting - It had cooked rice and spring onions inside. Each paratha comes with a small bowl of dal and chole / dahi. Mind it - The paratha was huge. The taste was different and good.
 


Tiger Paratha

Also, I ordered a Galauti Kebab Roll - This was beyond expectations - a kebab that melts in your mouth, cooked in desi ghee and stuffed with vegetables. This was a pleasant surprise and finger licking good.



Vegetable Galauti Kebab Roll

The food was really good, had a different taste, less oily and served well with love. The restaurant was open air, good ambience, good crowd and reasonably priced. My bill was 18 Dirhams.

 

My Recommendation - This will be a for sure recommendation for Paratha and Roll lovers. As the Tag line of this restaurant says "Taste it, Love it". Indeed its true. Do try out the many varieties available.

 

For further details refer https://www.zomato.com/dubai/paratha-n-rolls-meena-bazaar

Please post your comments and suggestions. Keep following the blog for more from the "Veggie Wanderer".

 

 

Get Set Go..Whooooosh - The Veggie Wanderer

Recently, when I came to Dubai, I realized that outside India the life of a Vegetarian is not so simple. For a few days I had to manage with bowls of salads. However, by doing some quick research I found that this global city had a lot of things to offer me as well. Being a global city, this was a chance for me to explore vegetarian cuisines from all parts of the world. Therefore, I being ever interested in eating decided to hunt down for some delicious, mouthwatering, palatable and inexpensive "Vegetarian" food in and around Dubai.

So, here I am the "Veggie Wanderer" on a mission. Hence this blog.

Well you may think what's there for me, so let me highlight some points for you -

1. You will come to know about some good vegetarian stuffs in and around Dubai or U.A.E.
2. If you are Non-Vegetarian, you can think of some tasty alternatives to add to your meals.
3. Being in India, you will come to know about the vegetarian cuisines outside India.

If you don't think all the above reasons encourage you to follow this blog, I would like to quote G.B. Shaw as he says -

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”  

Do check out this blog for new updates. Will come up with the first food post shortly.


Thanks,
Avanish