Raising A Toast To The Emirates

Dubai has seen an influx of Indian chefs who are breaking boundaries with their inventive cuisine.

- K Fernandez

It’s 9 pm on a Monday night and Indego by Vineet is buzzing. Every table on the terrace of this decade-old restaurant is taken and some have been turned over once already. A mixed crowd is dining at Vineet Bhatia’s posh Dubai restaurant — a throng comprising travelling businessmen and a large bunch from Emirate’s expatriate community.

If businesses in some economic sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are struggling to stay afloat, that’s certainly not the impression one gets on a visit to Indego — or indeed, at any of the other Indian restaurants across the city. Already home to ventures by Bhatia’s Michelin starred colleagues Atul Kochhar and Vikas Khanna and TV chefs such as Kunal Kapur and Sanjeev Kapoor, the Emirate is fast emerging as the newest outpost for fine Indian fare, with several new openings this year having raised the bar further.

The heart of the matter

Last October, Mumbai-based Chef Farrokh Khambata jumped on the bandwagon with Jaan at the Penthouse, his stab at ‘progressive modern’ Indian cuisine that defines the way we eat now. With ingredients and cooking techniques borrowed from regional kitchens and innovative presentations, he joins other city newbies such as Pradeep Khullar, head chef at Jodhpur, and Himanshu Saini, whose Tresind and Carnival by Tresind are the city’s leading Indian restaurants on the popular mobile app, Zomato. Meanwhile, Zorawar Kalra’s, Farzi Café, which opened in spring, remains booked throughout the week, and is patronised by Indians and UAE nationals.