Salaam Namaste

Though we had trouble getting in, this Indian restaurant is worth the wait Discuss this article

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Salaam Namaste is translated as ‘greetings’ in Urdu and Hindi respectively. Odd, then, that my date and I found the door directly below the name to be locked. Instead, my date and I headed through the lobby of the Seven Sands Hotel Apartments into the restaurant – and there, at least, we were made welcome by the smiling, authentically dressed, staff.

Salaam Namaste is a nicely decorated restaurant and so it’s a shame it’s situated in a soulless apartment block. In spite of the many warm colours, rich woods, Indian ornaments and, er, gramophones adorning the walls, the cosiness is counteracted by the cold marble floors, open layout and bright lights.

The phooljadi tikka (tikka chicken wings), which had been recommended to us, were unavailable (get them if you can), and so, despite our hearts shrinking back in horror, we both ordered dishes from the ‘deep-fried starters’ section. Both were artery-cloggingly good. My prawns deep-fried in lentil batter (prawns koliwada) – ‘medium-sized’ according to the menu – were meaty monsters: any bigger and I would have needed to dislocate my jaw to get my mouth around them. The batter was light, crispy and spicy in equal measures. I traded a few of the shellfish with my date in exchange for some of his deep-fried potato cakes, which had a flavour reminiscent of bubble and squeak and a delightful texture – soft, yet resistant enough to get that satisfying bite.

For mains, I went for the veggie dish of malai kofta. Two plump teardrop-shaped dumplings of paneer (Indian cheese) came bathed in a canary yellow sauce that, in spite of its rich smell, tasted of little; certainly not the cashew nut it was apparently made with. I felt every bite set up camp on my thighs and the creamy, thick, rich sauce was not to my taste. My date, however, thought it was delicious (although I’m not sure I trusted him on this, due to the fact he had practically dissolved his taste buds earlier in the evening when he chowed down on a chilli having mistaken it for a green bean). He would have swapped, but was unwilling to give up his murgh saagwala: tender chunks of boneless chicken marinated in a sharp spinach gravy. It made an excellent accoutrement to the quilt of garlic naan bread we ordered.

Upon checking out the desserts, my date’s curiosity outweighed his full belly, and he completed his dinner with gajar halwa – a bowl of grated carrot, sweetened with reduced milk (mawa) and sprinkled with dry nuts. It tasted surprisingly like rice pudding. Though he vowed to stop after each bite, he absent-mindedly continued to spoon up more until finally there was nothing left.

In truth, I’ve yet to be truly disappointed by an Indian meal in this city. No matter where it is, or how cheap, the dishes usually satisfy. Salaam Namaste is another to add to this list and, with the option of takeaway, it’s one I’m sure I will revisit.

The bill (for two)
1x Prawns koliwada Dhs52
1x Aloo methi tikka Dhs18
1x Malai Kofta Dhs40
1x Garlic naan Dhs10
1x Cheese naan Dhs10
1x Murgh saagwala Dhs44
1x Steamed rice Dhs22
1x Gajar halwa Dhs12
2x Diet coke Dhs10
2x Jal jeera Dhs10
Total (including service) Dhs250.80

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