I love Indian food! But although I'm still not that well-versed with the Indian cuisine, I already have some favorites. And as I've already mentioned in my previous posts, a trip to an Indian restaurant is a total delight for me and my palates. Our recent Indian food find was not an exception.
Mark and I were invited to try out the offerings at The Yellow Chilli a couple of weekends back. Located at the ground floor of Burjuman Centre (near Carrefour), although a bit cramped, the ambience is straightforward yet contemporary with accents reflecting India's rich culture. I also enjoyed watching Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's (a famous Indian chef) cooking demos being played on a TV near the entrance.
The menu is extensive showcasing Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's specialties, but I love how it is comprehensive as well, complete with descriptions of each dish and pictures of select dishes. I thought I'd be having a hard time choosing what to have because most of the dishes looked inviting, good thing there was already something prepared for us that night.
Our feast started with papads and chutneys, along with the drinks. Papads are a good jumpstart to any Indian feasts dinner; complete with spicy onions, chili, mint, and tamarind chutneys; the latter being my favorite.
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| Papads and Chutneys |
Strawberry Mojito and Masala Mint Cooler were served for our drinks, Mark giving the former to me as he knows how much I love strawberries. The menu says that fresh strawberries, mint leaves, and soda make up the mojito, but it tasted very much like the artificially flavored powdered strawberry mix and was a tad too sweet for me. Mark enjoyed his Masala Mint Cooler--spiced mint drink with soda--but it didn't quite appeal to me. Not sure if it was just me, but it kinda tasted a bit salty and the masala spice was a little off for me.
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| Strawberry Mojito (AED 18) and Masala Mint Cooler (AED 18) |
If my memory serves me right, out of the several Indian restaurants that I've been to, I think The Yellow Chilli is where I first got to try an Indian soup. We had Murgh Yakhni Shobra--a traditional Kashmiri yogurt-based chicken broth spiked with saffron. It tasted very much like our very own Chicken Sopas (chicken macaroni soup), just minus the macaroni and more on the tangy side because of the yogurt. It also came with generous chicken bits which surely whetted our appetites.
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| Murgh Yakhni Shobra - AED 19 |
For the starters, we were served with Frontier Mix Grill which is a medley of mutton, chicken, fish, and prawn kebabs and tandoori. Out of the grills, the prawns and kebabs were my favorites! Mark love the chicken and fish tikkas on the other hand. You can enjoy their goodness via this platter, or if you're with a larger group, you can have an order of each grill.
Tandoori Basil Prawns (AED 59) - Basil scented succulent juicy prawns cooked with mint and cream yogurt. I can eat these all day! Pudina Seekh (AED 45) - Tender minty minced mutton skewers. Another favorite for me! Kali Mirch Methi Fish Tikka (AED 49) - Fish tikka with crushed black pepper and dried fenugreek leaves served with crackling spinach. Chandi Kaliyan (AED 39) - Mild flavored chicken tikkas with cheese and lemon butter, served with creamy yogurt onions. Murgh Angar Bedgi (AED 39) - Hot and spicy chicken tikkas.
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| Frontier Mix Grill Half - AED 69 |
Three different curries/gravies plus a basket of Indian breads were served for our mains. The Lalla Musa Dal, a blend of black and green lentils in The Yellow Chilli's signature style spices, was not that hard to love as it resembled the taste of our Ginisang Munggo (Sauteed Mung Beans). This one though had the beans pureed with the gravy and with a distinct Indian spice.
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| Shaam Savera (AED 32), Lalla Mussa Dal (AED 26), and Chicken Tawa Masala (AED 39) |
Spinach koftas filled with creamy cottage cheese, served on a velvety tomato butter gravy, this Shaam Savera reaped raves from both Mark and I. The contrast of flavors from spinach kofta, cottage cheese, and gravy went well altogether. It became an instant favorite! Perfect with some hot naan.
Chicken pieces cooked on tawa and freshly ground Indian spices make up the Chicken Tawa Masala. It tasted okay, but I've had a better version of it elsewhere. The chicken pieces were also shredded instead of the usual chunks, and I prefer the latter.
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| Shaam Savera - AED 32 |
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| Chicken Tawa Masala - AED 39 |
Indian curries also go well with rice, but I prefer eating them with roti. Curry and roti are my favorite Indian comfort food!
Indian breads are love! I enjoy eating them plain, with butter, and even with herbs and spices. I have one confession though. I still can't distinguish one type from the other. Haha! Nonetheless, I still love them all. :p
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| Laccha Paratha (AED 8), Butter Naan (AED 7), and Lasooni Naan (AED 8) |
Unlike desserts from other cuisines which, more often than not, get me excited, it's a different story when it comes to Indian desserts. I'm still trying to get accustomed to their taste.
Gulab jamun isn't new to me, I've had it a couple of times before and there's one Indian restaurant in JLT which serves gulab jamun that passed my palates. I also tried it here at The Yellow Chilli and I think I have a new favorite. Gulab E Gulkand is the same old traditional gulab jamun--soft and hot condensed milk balls--but a notch higher as it's stuffed with candied rose petals. The candied rose petals added a depth of flavor and texture to this gorgeous dessert. I also love how the dessert had the right amount of sweetness.
Another twist on gulab jamun is the Zauk E Shahi. It definitely looked inviting but I didn't quite enjoy this one. It's mini gulab jamuns served with rabdi (condensed milk-based dish) and crispy, sweetened bread as the menu says, but everything was mushy and gooey which just kind of felt weird in the mouth.
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| Gulab E Gulkand - AED 18 |
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| Zauk E Shahi - AED 18 |
Dishes served here are Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's best kept recipes, so there's no arguing that The Yellow Chilli serves authentic Indian food. There's a combination of hits and misses, but it's still a good dining experience for us that night. Service is good and staff takes good care of you. The restaurant is easily accessible too and they offer home delivery services. Now I know where to go for when I want a quick Indian food fix!
Authentic Indian cuisine by top Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor #IndianFood Tweet
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THE YELLOW CHILLI
Burjuman Centre, Mankhool
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 453 5242
theyellowchilli.com
We were invited by The Yellow Chilli and our meal was complimentary, but as always, this post is sincerely written and all opinions are my own.
All photos were taken with an iPhone 6S Plus.
Kriska Marie
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