Indigo - Beach Rotana

Over the past 1 week, I've sat down to write this review several times, but everytime I would complete a line or two, I would erase whatever I had written, simply because, I needed to do complete justice to Indigo by writing a review as spectacular as my experience there. 

Indigo is the perfect fine dining experience serving Indian food, located at Beach Rotana (TCA) which in itself is a plus, because most other fine dining Indian restaurants are situated in Yas, which is slightly far from the city.

A colleague and I were invited by the head chef of Indigo, Nitin Raheja for lunch last weekend and we had gladly obliged. But back then, we had zero idea of what was coming our way, because had we known, we would have definitely skipped dinner the previous night and breakfast too. 

Food? Going by what I've written above, I'm sure you've guessed that we were literally bombarded with food at Indigo, but hey, who in their right frame of mind would ever complain about free food? Wait let me rephrase that, who in their right frame of mind would complain about free fabolous food, wow 'F3' (random observation, you may ignore and move on with reading this review)

At Indigo, there was no discrimination between food, right from being served Mumbai Street Food to Punjabi Parathe, Hyderabadi Biryani to Assamese Dumplings (Momos) we were to experiment it all. 

What we tried? Dahi Bhalla, Assamese Dumpling (Momos), Teekhe Tandoori Aalu, Non Veg Platter (Chicken Seekh Kebab, Mutton Seekh Kebab , Fish Tikka, Mutton Tunday Kabab & Jhinga Til Tinka) and the mini Veg Platter (Hara Bhara Kabab and Tandoori Stuffed Mushroom), Alu Parathe, Puri Choley, Keema Pao, Ande Ki Burjhi, Lamb Biryani. *PHEW*

Honestly not trying to over-sell the place, but genuinely I quite liked everything I tried, barring the fish tikka (which wasn't as tender as I expected it to be) and the Lamb Biryani. 

My top 5 favourite dishes from what I tried would be -

1) Chicken Keema Pao -  Chicken keema with Pao has mostly been a street-style dish, so it was a pleasant surprise to see this being served at a Fine Dine restaurant. The Chicken Keema is minced chicken curry prepared with tomatoes and onions and this is served with pao. This was by far the best Chicken Keema Pao I've ever had, it was literally mouth-watering. I was almost convinced to call for a second round, inspite of having so much food on our table already. 

2) Chicken Seekh Kebab - Succelent spiced chicken mince, skewered and cooked over charcoal. The seekh kebabs were spot on, tender, spicy and flavourful. Definitely got my taste buds tingling. (always thought to myself, if the Britannia ad was inspired by the word tingling, you know like, ting ting tiding) 

 

3) Mutton Tunday Kabab - Minced Lamb Tikkis mixed with spices and green chillies. It has a super soft paste like texture from the inside. The kababs are unmissable spicy and have a smokey excellent taste to it. 

The Platter (Jhinga Til Tinka, Chicken Seekh Kebab, Mutton Tunday Kabab)

4) Jhinga Til Tinka - These gigantic prawns literally call you towards it and don't you dare make the mistake of giving it a miss. The Jhinga Til Tinka are basically king prawns, coated with bread crumbs and sesame seeds which is then marinated with aromatic spices. Even though I have had sesame prawn toast several times, this was the first time I had tried Jhinga Til Tinka (I like the sound to this)

5)Teekhe Tandoori Aalu - As the name suggests, this was chili potato, which was not just spicy but also had this tamarind flavor to it, which made a dish as simple as this so scrumptious.

Also a special mention to the Chicken Dumplings (Momos) which were quite good, but yet not the best I've had.

Honestly post this meal I was sure that I would have to drop the 'Anorexic' from my blog name, because I had eaten so much that I was actually contemplating unbuttoning my jeans (but trust me, I didn't, I survived) 

Also after being served lavishly with all this food, we were also convinced by the Chef to try out their special ginger icecream and their 'sau meel ki chai' which I kept hearing as Saumil and was wondering to myself, who exactly is Saumil? But well, in my defence I was slightly sleep deprived.

This was the 1st time I was trying out either, the ginger icecream as well the sau meel ki chai. All it took was one bite of the icecream and 1 sip of the chai, for me to fall in love with both. Also for all those who don't know the reason behind it being called the 'Sau Meel Ki Chai' it is because travellers in the North side would have this during their long drives (100 miles and more, thus the name)

This chai was served in an extremely fascinating tea pot which infact was also used as a decorative piece at Indigo and it sure did enhance the place.

Ambiance? The interiors are quite fancy and classy, and the restaurant has a good mix of Indian and Firang crowd. 

Cost? We didn't really have to pay for our meal but yes it is heavy on the pocket and is not suitable for a casual dinner, but is a great option for any sort of celebration (birthday, anniversary, appraisal at work) If its the third option, kindly drop me a comment with your HR's email ID ;)

Service? The staff was well trained and friendly and so is their head chef, Nitin Raheja who made it a point to visit every single table at the restaurant, and it came as no surprise, to over-hear all those praises for him. 

Absolutely loved my experience at Indigo, looking forward to going back soon. I  would rate it a 4.5/5

  

P.S. Did I mention they also serve alcohol? Go NOW!    

Lazeez

You automatically know a restaurant is brilliant when all the top Zomato reviewers have the best things to say about it. Hence Lazeez was on my To-Do list for a very long time and I finally decided to take my parents out for dinner here.

I had spent almost an hour on the Lazeez Zomato page, going through its menu and reviews before I could actually head there.

On arriving, we were quite pleased with the fact that the restaurant offers Valet service, since parking could be an issue.

Now unfortunately my first impression about this place wasn't that great, reason being, I disliked the interiors, the sad part is that it was noticeable how they had spent money on the interiors but yet failed to create something neat. The colours used were a mismatch and the accessories used looked slightly cheap, especially the place-mat.  

But we went upstairs, got ourselves seated and went through its extensive menu (which I had already read) and decided to call for Gosht Seekh Kebab, Machli Tikka Lasooni, Murgh Kastoori Kebab, Murgh Bharwan Seekh for appetizers and Murgh Lahori and Roomali Roti for main course. 

You know how they say first impression is the last impression, Lazeez proves that wrong and how, even though I was slightly negative about the place initially, the food changed it for me. Lazeez is truly a foodie’s paradise and I undoubtedly thought it was the best Indian food I had ever tried in Abu Dhabi. It literally blew our minds.

The Gosht Seekh Kebab was wonderfully spicy and juicy; the mutton mince was blended smoothly with the coriander and mint. The Machli lasooni tikka was succulent, yummy and absolutely tender. The Murgh Kasturi Kebab was boneless chicken marinated in some spices and curd, it was grilled in such a way that it melted in our mouth just like the lasooni tikka. But what truly stole the show was the Murgh Bharwan Seekh, this was chicken seekh stuffed with creamy filling of mint, cheese and coriander. This was an out of this world dish that you simply can't miss out on.

Mutton Seekh Kebab, Murgh Kastoori, Lasooni Tikka Machi

Murgh Bharwan Seekh

Moving on to the main course, the Murgh Lahori was boneless chicken pieces cooked with spicy masala and garlic/ tomatoes and red chily. The gravy was thick and luckily not too oily (as served in most other places) the chicken was tender and this dish would taste good with any sort of Indian bread.

Murgh Lahori

Lastly since I had heard a lot about the firni here, I decided to give this a try and absolutely loved it.

Firni

 

There was absolutely nothing I could complain about with regard to the food. It was a perfect 10/10.

The service was good; the server taking our order was friendly and helpful.

Overall the place was quite a huge hit, I decided to ignore the fact that I disliked the interiors and thoroughly enjoyed the food and shall definitely come back and recommend you all to try it out.

I would rate Lazeez a 4.5/5

If you enjoyed this review and want constant updates; follow me on Twitter & Instagram

It's the time for Shawarma

My colleague and I had just got done with our meeting on Najda and were discussing where to grab a quick bite from and that's when my colleague suggested Shawarma Time, a place he had heard about recently.

When I heard the name 'Shawarma Time' I thought it would be a normal Arabic restaurant and Shawarma would just be one of their many dishes,  but little did I know that the restaurant only was a Shawarma specialist and were limited to just Shawarmas. 

Their menu isn't too cluttered but at the same time they have quite a few variants of shawarmas listed, such as Shawarma Wok, Mexican Bites, Shawarma Pizza, Shawarma Saj etc. Unfortunately most items that were listed were not available.

I tried out their original ‘Chicken Shawarma’ and the ‘Mexican Bite’.

The original Chicken Shawarma was quite good, the pita bread was fresh and the chicken stuffing was done generously.  Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the shawarma but I do have a photo of the  way it was packaged which was quite cute.

The Chicken Shawarma

But what stole the show was the Mexican Bite, which was Mexican cheese bun that was stuffed with chicken shawarma, this was a unique concept and the bun was fresh and the chicken was juicy, an absolute treat to my tummy.

Mexican Bite 

The ambiance and interiors of Shawarma Time is bright, they have an open kitchen concept and they have also managed to have a small kids section. The colour scheme of the interiors is very similar to Zaatar W Zeit.

Open Kitchen 

Kids area

Both these dishes were priced at 15 AED each which is quite expensive for a Shawarma honestly, since you could instead get a tastier Shawarma from Lebanese flower for about 6 AED. But yes I would definitely recommend you to try out the Mexican Bite.

I would rate this place a 3.5/5

If you like this review and want to follow my regular updates, follow me on Twitter & Instagram

Hot Plate

Are you craving for some Indianized Chinese food? Hot Plate is where you should be then.

I've been hearing about their food from quite some time now and finally decided to give this small desi Chinese like restaurant located in Mina Mall (Abu Dhabi)

Honestly I was quite excited about my experience here because it reminded me of all those days I spent in small Chinese restaurants like Discovery, Fire Bowl etc. back in Mumbai.

Coming to the food, I had called for the Chili Potato, Prawn Crackers, Thread Chicken, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, Schezwan Egg Fried Rice and Singapore Chicken from their extensive menu which also includes Indian food.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet corn chicken soup which really helped my sore throat feel relief. 

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Coming to the starters, the thread chicken was way too threaded for me, because I honestly found it hard to even find the chicken amidst the fried noodles. Thankfully the fried noodles tasted decent. But it was the chilly potato that I absolutely loved, this was perfectly prepared and though I initially laughed at my friend who called for this dish and argued with her to call for another non-veg starter instead,  it was definitely a treat to my taste-buds and much recommended.

Chili Potato 

Thread Chicken

Moving on to the main course, the schezwan egg fried rice was average; however there was no flaw in it as such that I can prominently point out. The Singapore chicken on the other hand was really good as the chicken was well spiced and tender.

Schezwan Egg Fried Rice 

Singapore Chicken

Also for me, prawn crackers almost invariably taste brilliant if it’s accompanied with the right sauce and thankfully Hot Plate serves great chilli sauce.

Prawn Crackers 

Location wise, this place is slightly odd as it’s located in Mina Mall and I believe not too many people visit the mall any more.

As far as the ambiance is concerned, it’s simple and not very clean. Which is definitely the major downfall of this place, they really need to make the

restaurant slightly more hygienic and clean.

Lastly the staff was friendly and was good with their service.

I would rate this restaurant a 3/5

If you liked this review and want to follow my regular updates, follow me on Twitter & Instagram

La Passion Cafe

La Passion Cafe

La Passion Cafe has been on my mind since the past 1 month. Though I honestly wouldn't even know about this place had it not been for the voucher I was gifted, reason being, it’s located in Reem Island and I haven't really discovered much in Reem Island as yet.

In fact I also tried visiting this place about 2 weeks back but ended up losing my way and did not reach the destination. Finally last weekend I decided to go here and try out Moroccan cuisine for the very 1st time with my family.

The manager of the outlet recommended the buffet they were serving, but that did not seem to impress either of my family members and hence we decided to go with a la carte. We ordered for chicken breast in mushroom sauce, chicken tagine, seafood tagine and brochettes chicken.

Tagine, I believe is referred to as a pot which is served with a semi-gravy dish. The chicken tagine was marinated in lemon and olives. This was very appetizing, however it wasn’t boneless (And just a reminder, I can’t stand chicken with bone)

Chicken Tagine

As for the seafood tagine, this was basically fish tagine and the fish was so soft that it almost melted in my mouth. The spices used in this dish tasted very Indian and masale-dar, in fact what’s funny is that my mom thought it tasted exactly like this ‘Punjabi Machli’ she has had before.  But nonetheless, it was flavorsome.

Fish Tagine

Moving on to the Chicken in Mushroom Sauce and Chicken Brochettes, both these dishes had one thing in common; they lacked tenderness, it was almost impossible to break the chicken into pieces. The mushroom sauce was mouth-watering and really blended well with the chicken. The chicken brochette on the other hand could have been a little juicier.

Chicken Brochette

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

We also ended our meal with Moroccan tea that was simply out of this world and was one of the best I have ever had.

Mr. Taib pouring the Moroccon tea

The interior of this place is slightly random but not bad either, it's like any other ordinary cafe in a mall. In fact the mall this is located in, i.e. the Boutik mall is filled only with cafes.

The manager Mr. Taib was attending to us and he was extremely sweet and friendly. He also spoke to us quite a bit about Moroccan food and culture.

The prices are average; it’s about 45 - 50 per dish.

Overall it was quite a good experience trying out this new cuisine.

I would rate this place a 3.5/5

Camacho Guido - A unique combination.

Who would have ever thought a restaurant would serve Italian and Japanese cuisine together? Camacho Guido definitely did think that way and came up with this unique concept of serving both these brilliant cuisines together.

I had never heard about this place until 17th august which is also my birthday when my friend and I were craving Arabic food and decided to go to Sheesh Shawarma which was really packed that day and hence we thought of entering Camcho Guido.

We absolutely loved the interiors of this fine-dine and immediately thought of the place as an expensive joint but this wasn't the case, the food here was quite reasonable.

I believe most people were here for the sushi but unfortunately I'm not a fan and decided to go for Italian and called for their Mexican Pizza, this was undoubtedly one of the best pizzas I had ever had. The toppings included red chilly, sweet coconut chilly, cheese, jalapenos and grilled chicken. This thin crust pizza literally melted in my mouth. This is suitable for 2 people.

Mexican Pizza

I had also ordered for the raspberry smoothie here, which was very refreshing and tasted quite good.

Raspberry Smoothie and another smoothie that my friend had called for.

I was really glad to stumble upon Camacho and shall definitely visit the place soon to try out their other dishes.

The staff here was quite friendly and as I already mentioned before the prices are quite reasonable and the interiors are beautiful.

I would rate this place a 4.5./5.

The unexpected has happened; The Anorexic hog is reviewing a vegetarian restaurant.

As a true Mumbaikar I was super excited about trying out Salam Bombay because I had heard a lot about it from a few friends who literally live here during their lunch break.

Thankfully they opened a branch right next to my office in Al Nahyan, which I personally think was a great move from their side because if you have visited their other branch in Salam Street it is filled with ADCB and other banks crowd at all times and similarly here there is an ADCB bank right besides Salam Bombay and more over the entire area is a commercial area. I’ve also heard they are opening a branch in Mussafah very soon.

Now getting to the food I’ve tried out a few things here, starting with their Paneer Tikka. Salam Bombay takes, 'teekha banana' to a whole new level, I almost had smoke coming out of my ears (as seen in cartoons) but no seriously, my face had turned red. It definitely tasted really good, but their thick level of red chilly powder around the Paneer made it very little difficult to have it after 3 pieces.

Paneer Tikka 

 I’ve also tried out the Paneer Cheese K Seekh but unfortunately the Paneer wasn't as soft as it should have been and tasted very average and similarly the Dahi Puri I tried out very recently was very ordinary too, hence you can definitely give both these items a miss. If you’re craving delicious Dahi Puri,i I would recommend Chappan Bhog.

Dahi Puri

Paneer Cheese K Seekh

Next moving on to to their Chole Bhature, this was absolutely amazing. The Bhature are huge and the chole are spicy, make sure you ask for the green chutney for some extra flavor. I would definitely recommend this.

Similar to the Chole Bhature, another brilliant dish I would recommend here is the Pao Bhaaji, it reminded of the brilliant Pao Bhaaji I used to have in Mumbai at Bhagwati (Kandivali)

Pao Bhaaji

Salam Bombay is the most renowned for, it's ‘Vada Pav’ (the Indian burger) There is a huge hype in Abu Dhabi for the brilliant Vada Pav served by Salam Bombay, but all that is for a reason, the reason is the vada pav is actually outstanding, it takes you right to a small street vendor on the busy streets of Mumbai.

Lastly unfortunately they don't have too many options in desserts, but I remember trying out the Rabbadi in the other branch which tasted a little stale.

Salam Bombay

Talking about the interiors, you would find nice bright green walls with some huge posters of famous places in Mumbai and for some odd reason they have a London tube station board saying chaat counter, but I think they were trying to make it like one of those Mumbai station sign boards.

Also even though I haven't tried the Veg Lolypop and Tandoori Platter, I’ve heard it’s brilliant.

I would rate this place a 3/5

Zaatar W Zeit

Zaatar W Zeit has a very unique, or as we Indians would say 'Hatke' concept, it's a blend of Lebanese and Italian food. 

The menu comprises of salads, wraps, pizzas and a few appetizers. I tried out two variations in the pizza and two variations in the wraps.

To start off with the pizza, I called for the Ultimate Cheese Pizza and Chicken Barbeque Pizza. 

The ultimate cheese was a complete delight for a cheese lover like me; it was smothered in 4 cheese and oregano. There wasn't too much of tomato sauce thankfully. The crust was thin and crispy. This was priced for 33 Dirham’s.

Ultimate Cheese Pizza

Moving on to the BBQ Chicken Pizza, this obviously was loaded with barbeque sauce along with chicken that was very well cooked, mushrooms, green pepper, onions and cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Here again the crust was brilliant. Also I think it would be safe for me to say that it was one of the best BBQ chicken pizza's I've had. This was priced for 42 Dirham’s.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

The quantity of the pizza is suitable for 2 people.

Next we have the Wraps; we called for the Baked Falafel Wrap and the Spizy Chicken Wrap (and no that isn’t a typo for spicy) I'm usually not a fan of spending 30 Dirham’s or so on a wrap when I can have a main course for around the same price, but thought might as well give it a try.

Starting with the Spizy Chicken, this was basically marinated chicken with bell pepper, spinach, onions, melted cheese and a spicy sauce on top. The sauce was very mild, it was barely spicy, or maybe that's just the Punjabi in me talking. But the melted cheese was extremely breath taking. This was for 33 Dirham’s.

Spizy Chicken Wrap

Lastly the Baked Falafel Wrap which was a delicately spiced falafel mix seasoned with sesame syrup topped with parsley, tomatoes, turnip, radish and mint. I think it was absolutely bizarre for my friend to pay 22 Dirham’s on a falafel wrap, you could get almost 70 falafels for that (just saying) anyhow coming back to the wrap, it was no doubt good, it was minced falafel with all the right sauces complimenting it, but not sure I would want to spend that much on falafel. (I could be a little too judgmental sometimes)

Baked Falafel Wrap

The common factor between both the wraps was that it was really filling. 

The ambiance of the place is like any other fast-food joint, but their prices are slightly more than a casual fast food restaurant. Also since I visited the branch on Salam Street there were no tables catering for larger groups. But for that you could always visit the branch at Abu Dhabi Mall. 

What I absolutely adore about Zaatar W Zeit is that, it is one of those very few brands who go all out with Social Media presence and that has also helped them create such a strong brand identity.

Overall  it was a great experience, I would definitely recommend the place and looking forward to visiting Zatar W Zeit soon. 

I would give it a 4/5