Steal of a meal at Chor Bazaar in Dubai

Dubai: Its easy to feel a sense of adventure as you venture to try out "stolen" recipes at the Chor Bazaar (thieves' market) in Dubai.

The feeling grows as the new Indian restaurant named after a famous flea market in Mumbai is tucked inside a landmark named after a legendary Arab explorer - the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel.

The idea was to bring together many delicacies from India's regions famous for their food - like Lucknow, Hyderabad and Punjab - in one place.

Your appetite is stirred the moment you walk in. The inviting aroma of char-grilled kebabs, fresh bread and salmon wafts in from three traditional tandoors (clay ovens), situated close to the tables.

Spicy dishes are marked out on the menu with a red pepper sign, but you can request the chef to tame it down a notch - or even up.

For starters, don't miss the gosht kheema gilafi (minced lamb mini kebabs) or tandoori honey-dipped salmon.

The kebabs pulsate with tangy ginger, garlic and coriander flavours and you can savour them with Indian pickle called achaar. This normally sour pickle takes on a bizarre twist at Chor Bazaar - it is at once sweet and spicy.

Salmon surprise

The salmon, meanwhile, is best had by itself. There is no need to add anything to its delicate honey-dill flavour, with ever so slight undertones of a barbeque. The main course features heavyweights like lamb chops and jumbo prawns.

The lamb portions are quite large, but it's the texture that takes you by surprise - the meat simply melts in the mouth, almost like chocolate. The juicy tenderness is a result of a generous treatment with papaya and yoghurt. The tender bites ooze with saffron and masala (Indian spice blends) and leave you feeling "warm" within.

If you order shrimp, remember size does matter. The giant prawns are laden with ground basil paste. A guest dining there recently said they were the "best, but hard-to-finish" prawns he had come across in recent years.

Remember to leave room for dessert. A royal treat - literally - is the Shahi Tukra (royal portion). This is India's answer to the bread-and-butter pudding of Western countries.

One bite and you're hooked.

The bread drips with a warm sugary, milky brew that will have you slurping away like a kid. You may feel an instant urge to ask for a refill, but keep in mind that the richly-flavoured dessert can leave you feeling sluggish.

So keep a getaway car ready.

Bill for two: Dh400