Taste of India in New Dubai

Dubai: The growing South Asian population in New Dubai no longer have to drive to Karama or Bur Dubai to satisfy their craving for authentic ‘desi’ food. They  can now feast their taste buds right in their own neighbourhoods as several restaurants have opened up in this part of Dubai lately, offering a variety of traditional delicacies. From the traditional chaat to delectable biryanis and kebabs to pure South Indian vegetarian snacks – residents of New Dubai are now spoilt for choice.

A walk down the main street of Discovery Gardens reveals a chain of eateries on either side – Urban Tadka, Saravanaa Bhojan Shala and Aappa Kadai, to name a few.

We pause at Saravanaa Bhojan Shala and decide to step in. We find the place packed.

“It is really busy on weekends,” says K.P. Kumar, Managing Director of Saravanaa Bhojan Shala, a South Indian vegetarian restaurant.

“We are from Chennai and we have been longing for a typical South Indian restaurant to open up in Discovery Gardens,” says Imran Sait, a diner.

As we speak, a beautifully rolled up ghee dosa – a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and lentils, priced Dh9 a plate – is served with chutneys and sambhar (a vegetable stew on a broth made with lentils and tamarind).

“We love to eat here as the food is as good as home and the price very reasonable,” he adds.

At Aappa Kadai, Chef Saijudeen Shaikh is pouring aappam batter into the appachatty (a special utensil to make aapams).

“Western Expatriates just love our aappam (a popular South Indian crepe) meals,” he says excitedly. As he lifts the pan from the stove and twists it around to spread the batter to fill the pan in a circular shape, waiters get busy plating up a number of aapam meals – ready to serve.

Take this: At just Dh14 – an aappam meal consists of a chicken curry, two aappams and raita, a yoghurt-based side dish. Fish curry fans get their meal for Dh15. Other special meals, served on banana leaves, are priced between Dh15 and Dh18 per head and are a hit with the residents here.

Across the street, Urban Tadka’s chaat (traditional snacks) counter is busy with a group of people digging into authentic Indian street snack – pani puris. Prices of chaat items here range from Dh7 to Dh10.

Kuljinder Singh, 44, however, opts for the restaurant’s dining option at the other end of the counter. “I live next door – can I ask for anything better? Whenever my family wants to eat out, we just have to step out! Earlier whenever we craved authentic Indian dishes, we had to drive all the way to Karama.”

With the mushrooming of Indian eateries in New Dubai, his sentiment is echoed by almost every Indian living in this part of the city. As one drives around New Dubai one is bound to spot more Indian restaurants than ever before.

The main hot spots are Al Barsha, Dubai Marina, Dubai Internet City and Emirates Living. Bikanerwala and Mirch Masala recently opened in Al Barsha while Kamat and Gazebo are already a hit in Dubai Internet City.

And for the folks in Emirates Living, Copper Chimney in the Town Centre serves the perfect getaway. That’s the kind of easy accessibility only Karama Indians are familiar with when it comes to savouring a dish of ‘home’.