DHOW KA AANGAN Indian Restaurant: "Dal, a pint of Kingfisher & the mesmerizing sitar" Top 5 Page for this destination Dubai Restaurant Tip by JessH

(Licensed - serves alcoholic beverages)

This is my 3rd favourite Indian restaurant in Dubai.
Aangan (in the Dhow Palace hotel) - a name that implies an authentic courtyard - is a truly harmonising stage on the path to culinary enlightenment.
Indian food can go terribly wrong; all smothered in gravy, swimming in oil, choked by spices. Or it can do the great Indian magic trick: balancing flavours, textures & colours.

We entered the dimly lit, wood-finished restaurant at 08:30pm to a flurry of slightly chaotic attention. We were "too early" for authentic dining; a typical pair of "ignorant Westerners" that fail to give-in to the fact that sub-continental dinning starts around 11:00pm ;-) But shortly after our first bottle of Kingfisher (memories of Goa drifted back into my mind...) a large Indian family arrived complete with the visit of a semi-famous Bollywood actress, and a more relaxed mood settled in. There was only one other non-Indian couple in the entire restaurant… an excellent sign of a promising authentic experience.

The 5-man & 1-woman band started humming along to the skillful sitar playing... a bit loud for private conversation, but hey! No curry tastes 100% right without a sitar playing in the background... haha!

"In our culture we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God." - Ravi Shankar.

Favorite Dish: We pondered the medium-size but varied menu; the dishes are explained helpfully for the non-Indian guest... and when in doubt, always ask them to "make it less spicy / mild."

John & Siddharth tucked into the complimentary crispy poppadum, fruity chutneys & mint sauce. For starters we had Paneer Tikka: crispy, hot & well spiced. But the true star was the Aloo Mattar Babycorn Tikki: a delicious potato-pea-corn patty that melts in your mouth... divinity on a plate!

The main courses arrived, and to the last morsel they were a revelation.
> John's Kadai Jhinga (Dhs 80) was creamy & wonderfully aromatic, jumbo prawns bathing in a sea of thick sauce with cardamom, saffron, onions & tomatoes.
> My Fish Curry Noorani was superb, with a chunky sauce & 5 large pieces of juicy fish, cooked to perfection.
> Siddharth's dish of butter-chicken kebabs had the boys grinning with delight.
> And then there was the Dal Makhani – the dish with which I tend judge the quality of an Indian restaurant. This one was a delicious buttery brown, a bit too liquid for my liking by still the ideal partner for a piece of hot & crispy garlic-butter naan (mixed naan platter Dhs 24).

Yes, the dishes cost a bit more: starters range between Dhs 30 - 60, but it comes with the territory: this is a 5-star hotel after all.
Summary: this place is superb for an evening of upmarket Indian dining.
And if you can't finish all the food (which we couldn't) there's no problem with having the surplus packed to take home (which we did)
SEATING: 120 people.
DRESS CODE: Smart-casual.

Opening Hours: Daily 12.30pm - 03.30pm & 07.30pm - 01:00am
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(If you're in the mood for something cosier, less posh & slightly cheaper, check-out the Antique Bazar, another of my restaurant tips)

Address: Ground floor, Dhow Palace Hotel, Dubai
Comparison: more expensive than average
Directions: Kuwait Street, Mankhool/Bur Dubai near Port Rashid.
LOCATION MAP: http://www.dhowpalacehoteldubai.com/location.php
Phone: +971-4-359 9992
Price: US$21-30
Rating: 4
Theme: Indian
Website: http://www.dhowpalacedubai.com/angan.php