Alkauser

Subcontinent cuisine on Al Diyafah street Discuss this article

‘I’m sorry, but we don’t have boiled rice, Ma’am,’ said a rather stunned waiter, looking up from his notepad, pencil mid-scribble. With equally wide eyes, I gawped back at him. It was music to our ears when we first heard that Alkauser had opened its doors on Al Dhiyafah Road – the jumble of independent eateries dotted along this busy thoroughfare had long been bereft of anything approaching decent Subcontinental cuisine – until now. This, however, was obviously not a run-of-the-mill Indian restaurant, and, after eliciting such a response, I was apparently not their typical customer either.

It wasn’t until later, when my tardy guest made his entrance, that I discovered that Alkauser is actually a chain of Lucknowi restaurants famous in India and now, thankfully, available to the Dubai dining public. And, by asking for boiled rice, I’d committed the ultimate ordering faux pas – among the restaurant’s many signature dishes, their traditionally cooked biryanis and breads are extremely popular. After all, who wants a bowl of boring old basmati when you can mop up your extra curry sauce with a varqi parantha (a pancake made with desi, ghee, almonds, cashews and ‘other special ingredients’) or mix your dahl with a navrattan dum handi biryani (saffron rice with vegetables, paneer and dried fruits that’s served in a bread-sealed clay pot) into a squelchy concoction for the perfect bite?

Thus educated, we battened down the hatches and dug in. To start, we had the kekori kebabs, which, according to the disposable placemat was developed during an annual kebab making competition in 1896 by Nabbu Mian – who it seems, with the 52 secret spices he blended to make this dish, is India’s answer to Colonel Sanders. On the menu it claims that this delicacy ‘melts in your mouth, with a taste that lingers for a lifetime’. Happily we can report that, while these delicious strips lived up to the former claim, they thankfully failed in the latter.

To mix with our moreish parantha and biryani, we shared a hearty serving of tadka yellow lentils, which was perfectly thick and lightly spiced. The meat dishes, however, were a little disappointing. The murg shahi qorma (mild chicken curry) and the muttan nehari (medium-spiced lamb curry) were both scrumptiously sauced, but full of bones with very little meat. Never mind, we decorated our extra servings of pudina parantha (pancakes fried with mint) and tandoori naan with the leftover sauce and filled up our already fit-to-burst tummies. To end the meal on a sweet note, we tackled the phirnee (saffron rice pudding) and shahi tukda (Indian bread pudding), which, while over-sweet, slid down our throats with very little effort, making a lovely end to an overall very enjoyable meal. To the chefs at Alkauser, with your specialities and funny stories, you are indeed a very welcome addition to the Dhiyafah Street gang.

The bill (for two)
Kakori kebab Dhs25
Vargi parantha Dhs6
Navrattan biryani Dhs26
Tadka yellow dahl Dhs14
Mutton nehari Dhs 30
Murg shahi qorma Dhs28
2x Tandoori naan Dhs6
2x Pudina parantha Dhs10
Shahi tudka Dhs8
Total (excluding service) Dhs153

• Previous reviews
  • 17 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff

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