DUBAI 25 Degrees North!
We’ll save you the trouble of guessing what the name refers to. First, it’s the latitudinal position of Dubai on the map. Second, it is the new fine dining restaurant in Tecom, next to The Greens, serving North Indian cuisine.
It has brought much relief to residents around the area, who otherwise would have to go all the way to Internet City or Al Barsha to get a good authentic North Indian meal.
“We just opened last month and since then have been receiving a lot of home-delivery requests,” gushes Nadeem Ashraf, managing director and owner.
Not wasting time, we kick-start our meal with a traditional North Indian drink, jal jeera pani (jal and pani both mean water and jeera is cumin). It is a popular lemonade of North India with cumin and mint flavours thrown in. Dressed with some floating boondi or tiny balls of chickpea flour, the drink is refreshing and gets spicier as you drink it. It proves a good digestive and lightens your stomach to prepare for the rest of the meal.
For starters, we order a platter of kebabs (Dh79), an assortment of char-grilled chicken, mutton, fish and prawn. “The fish kebab is made from hammour and is marinated with green chilli, coriander and mint paste,” explains Chief Chef Abbas Khan. It is simply delicious. The grilled chicken from the platter also does wonders to the taste buds and is the dish of the day for me.
For our main course, we settle on 25 Degrees North’s mughlai specialities – Sabzi Mili Juli (Dh27), a mix of garden fresh vegetables in assorted spices, Malai Koftas (cheese balls) priced Dh32 for a portion, and Dum Pukht Chicken Biryani (Dh39).
Sabzi Mili Juli is mildly spiced with flakes of corn thrown into the vegetables, but the cone shaped mughlai-styled Malai Koftas is particularly delicious. The cheese balls are prepared in a traditional Mughlai-style gravy and is a must-have dish. If I had to suggest, I would ask the chef to make the koftas a little softer.
As for the Dum Pukht Biryani, I find it quite mild. Though the chicken is cooked to perfection my palate cries out for more spice. The dish is actually a speciality prepared with a cooking style that is over 200 years old. The dish is served in a container with dough covering it like a lid, which can be eaten with the curries.
With the main course over, I scan the menu for desserts and pick Shaahi Tukda (Dh19). It is a North Indian dish made from bread toast, milk, sugar, condensed milk and bread crumbs. Garnished with freshly cut pistachios, this dessert is simply yummy and a fine way to finish one’s meal at 25 Degrees North restaurant.
Details
Meal for two – Dh100 to Dh150
Location: Tecom, Next to The Greens
Timings:
Saturday to Thursday 12pm – 3pm and 6.30pm – 11pm
Friday – 6.30pm – 11 pm
Contact: 04-452 7779
