Gharana

Excellent Indian restaurant, just avoid the desserts Discuss this article

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When it comes to cuisine from the Subcontinent, it’s true that Dubaians are a little spoiled for choice. Surprising, then, how easy it is to fall into a curry rut. Gharana aims to coax diners out of their routine with the lure of four different regional menus: an intriguing, if potentially disastrous tactic. How likely is it that one team of chefs can manage dishes from Delhi, Rajasthan, Lucknow and Hyderabad – four areas with decidedly unique cuisines – with equal aplomb? We don’t know what the odds are, but Gharana has them beat.

My date and I naturally wanted to test the range of food on offer, so ordered from across the menu. We were immersed in butter vapours a good minute before the food arrived at our table, at which point we couldn’t help but drool just a little. The Lucknow avadhi kesari mahi (saffron-kissed hammour cooked in the tandoor) may have been the most exquisite take on the local fish I’ve yet encountered. Gently charred and billowing (yes, billowing) shards of fish were so moist they oozed.

My own starter – a giant portion of slow-cooked baby lamb leg that hailed from Delhi – was expertly seasoned, with hints of cinnamon and star anise shining through on each bite, but it was disappointingly tough. An overnight marinade and slow braise could have made it fork tender, but sadly this wasn’t the case – a shame given the flavour was so winning.

Ordering mains almost seemed redundant, seeing as the starter portions were large, filling and, oddly, twice the size of the mains anyway. They were also a good deal lighter.

I couldn’t resist the sound of the Hyderabadi murgh halamhar: barbecued cubes of chicken breast cooked in a cashew nut and yoghurt gravy, then tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. As I should have expected, this dish was the very definition of rich. It was also very subtle; the spices crept up on you so although the mustard seed flavour was barely detectable on the first bite, its presence was unmistakable by the third. My date’s Punjaabi dal makhani – a house special – was no more sparing. A mixture of black lentils and cream, the gravy’s predominant flavour was butter. A delicious dish for those not weight watching, but a difficult one to take in a single sitting.

The meal’s only unqualified disappointment came in the form of dessert. The chef’s special – a vermicelli dish from Hyderabad – was limp and greasy. If the rest of the meal wasn’t so filling, we would have tried another, but clearly the venue’s strength lay in the savouries, and why end a charming evening on a bad note?

The bill (for two)
1x Large bottle Masafi water Dhs16
1x Fish tikka Dhs55
1x Baby lamb Dhs145
1x Zubzahar biryani Dhs45
1x Murgh halamhar Dhs40
1x Dal makhani Dhs35
1x Vermicelli dessert Dhs20
1x Naan Dhs10
Total (prices include10 per cent service) Dhs366

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