Mark first introduced me to New Sarhad Darbar early this year when I got back from the Philippines for a business trip. This restaurant apparently became his life saver when I was out of the country since October last year. He'd dine here most of the time while I was away. They offer Pakistani dishes with a touch of Indian and Chinese flavors, too.
From then on, New Sarhad Darbar has also become my life saver for when I'm under the weather to cook for Mark's packed lunch to work, and a Saturday dinner habit for us when I'm just too lazy to cook.
The place is decent, well lit and well ventilated (it's air-conditioned but wall fans also come in handy when the Dubai weather shoots up). It's always packed with male diners but it also has a couple of nooks for those dining with ladies or families.
Food here is also not harsh on the budget. We've been dining in and ordering food for take away from this restaurant. Our usual orders would be Chicken Tikka, rice and Coke Light for Mark, and either Mutton Korma and Roti or Chicken Chowmein and Coke Light or Mango Lassi for me, plus some water; and our bill would always be less than AED 50! It shoots up to less than AED 80 when we add food for take away.
If you haven't tried it here yet, this list could help you decide what to have:
1. Chicken Tikka
Marinated quarter chicken that's grilled in a tandoori. Mark always orders this one for his protein fix. He loves it non-spicy and always chooses the breast part. This is his staple order regardless if we're dining in or ordering for take away. He enjoys eating it with plain rice (AED 6) and the complimentary dal fry.
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| Chicken Tikka - AED 12 |
2. Mutton Chops
The mutton version of Chicken Tikka, Mark orders Mutton Chops from time to time. It comes in a generous serving of grilled marinated lamb chops. I like how the meat is fork tender, but it's a little too spicy for us.
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| Mutton Chops - AED 18 |
3. Mutton Korma
While Chicken Tikka is Mark's usual order, mine has got to be Mutton Korma. I'm a sucker for curries, so it wasn't hard for me to love the Mutton Korma. It's a bit oily (so I always have to scrape the oil off first) but it comes in a generous serving of mutton chunks (sometimes boneless, sometimes not) with red gravy. They usually do it the spicy way, but I always have mine less spicy. I enjoy eating it with Roti!
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| Mutton Korma - AED 10 |
4. Roti
They make this flat bread fresh when you order. Make sure to eat it while it's hot as it tends to be a little chewy when it gets cold. Give me their roti and dal and I'm good to go!
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| Roti - AED 1 |
5. Chicken Chowmein
This one's my second best choice after the Mutton Korma. It's basically stir-fried noodles with veggies and chicken. Sarhad Darbar's version uses spaghetti noodles instead of the usual egg noodles. The spaghetti noodles actually work for me as I don't like soft noodles, and egg noodles then to be mushy. The serving is generous, an order can be shared by 2-3 persons.
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| Chicken Chowmein - AED 16 |
6. Chicken Boti Boneless
This one tastes like Chicken Tikka, but is served in boneless chicken chunks. A bit on the spicy side, but it gets toned down when eaten with their Egg Fried Rice.
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| Chicken Boti Boneless - AED 16 |
7. Egg Fried Rice
Think of yang chow fried rice, that's what the Egg Fried Rice is like. It's very flavorful and has loads of ingredients in it, you can eat it on its own. I also love how it's not oily at all.
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| Egg Fried Rice - AED 12 |
8. Chicken Seekh Kebab
This one's minced chicken that's grilled on skewers. It comes in a generous serving and has that distinct kebab taste. I love how juicy each kebab is, but it's too spicy for my liking.
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| Chicken Seekh Kabab - AED 16 |
9. Chicken Pulao
It's the non-spicy version of the chicken biryani. Love the tender chicken that comes with it. It also has raisins which add a touch of sweetness to the dish.
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| Chicken Pulao - AED 16 |
10. Fish Biryani
It's like chicken biryani but with fried fish. There's a generous serving of fish chunks, but the spices are overpowering with this one and it's a little too hot for our palates.
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| Fish Biryani - AED 20 |
11. Butter Chicken Boneless
I'm not really an expert in Indian dishes, but I've tasted butter chicken before that's on the sweet side, which I liked. Sarhad Darbar's version is a combination of sweet and tangy flavors, which I found very tasty. It has generous chicken chunks and I love how its spiciness is tolerable for my palates. There's one downer though; it's a little too oily.
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| Butter Chicken Boneless - AED 20 |
12. Chicken Boneless Handi
This one has a combination of salty, sour, and spicy flavors. Reminds me of a Thai chicken curry!
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| Chicken Boneless Handi - AED 20 |
13. Mutton Rogan Josh
This one also tasted different from what I've had in other restaurants before. Sarhad Darbar's version is more on the salty side, which I'm not a fan of. It has generous chicken chunks but the dish is too oily and too spicy for me, I had to have Mango Lassi to cool my burning mouth down.
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| Mutton Rogan Josh - AED 19 |
14. Prawn Garlic Sauce
Ordered this one from the Chinese section of the menu. I was expecting regular sized prawns in this dish, but it came in a serving of tiny prawns. The sauce has a combination of sweet, sour, and garlic flavor. It's good but a bit spicy for my palates. Larger prawns and less spicy flavor would seal the deal.
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| Prawn Garlic Sauce - AED 22 |
15. Cheese Naan
It's naan filled with veggies and cheese. Its serving is huge, but I can barely taste the cheese here. The flavors of the onions and coriander were mostly evident.
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| Cheese Naan - AED 6 |
16. Mango Lassi
My favorite yogurt drink! In all of the occasions that I ordered Mango Lassi from Sarhad Darbar, it usually gets served when I'm almost done eating. They make it fresh when you order, so make sure to order it in advance.
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| Mango Lassi - AED 9 |
17. Complimentary Salad and Dal Fry
They always serve a complimentary salad with raita for dine in or home delivery. Serving time varies depending on busy periods, so a serving of salad would be enough to keep those hunger pangs away while waiting for your orders.
Each grilled dish also comes with a serving of dal fry, which can be refilled upon request. I love this one, too, especially with Roti!
Complimentary Salad and Dal Fry
There are hits and misses here and there, but Mark and I still keep coming back for their Chicken Tikka, Chicken Chowmein, Mutton Korma, Butter Chicken, and Roti!
Have you dined at New Sarhad Darbar? Which dish is your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below. I'd love to know! :D
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NEW SARHAD DARBAR
Bank Street, Al Mankhool
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 352 5822
+971 (0)4 352 6466
We paid for all our meals in all our visits to this restaurant. This blog post is not influenced nor paid for. Opinions on this blog post are my own.
All photos were taken with an iPhone 6S Plus.
Kriska Marie
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