The only samosa chat without potatoes

Most Indians in Dubai know what it is like to crave a bowl of chat - spicy, sweet and every other flavour you can think of. And like most Indians I get my regular fix of chat in the city.
When I entered Ashiana by Vineet, a fine dining Indian restaurant at Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel, I presumed it would be rich, heavy food, which would take days to digest. But then I walked in, sat me down and slowly those thoughts began fading away. The warm lighting played a big role in calming me. The attention to detail in the interior décor was evident right from the first place my eyes fixed on - the lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Vineet Bhatia became the first Indian chef restaurateur to be awarded a Michelin-star in 2001 at Zaika, London and the only Indian chef to have two of his restaurants retain this award.
The waiter quickly arrived at my table with a bottle of water and handed me the menu. THIS was the best menu I've ever had to scan through. It's concise and dedicates one page per course - Starters, Main Course (contemporary), Main Course (sharing), and Beverages. Desserts can be found in another menu dedicated to it. It easier to make up your mind and each dish is completely different from the other - lamb, seafood, chicken, and vegetarian.
Some roasted papad, a delish mango chutney, and beetroot-yogurt dip kept me busy while I waited for my appetizers to arrive. Looking around, the seating area is divided into two sections - intimate, and family style. They were separated by latticed frames, and bold pillars that felt I was seated in a Royal Courthouse. In fact one wall was painted with a scene from an Indian royal palace, which was most likely, something you would find in Udaipur.
The great samosa chat
Samosa Chat
I wasn't sure about ordering Samosa Chat, but the manager of Ashiana assured me it was a customer favourite. So, well I tried it. I can say for sure it was the first time I ate chat with a fork and knife, and I relished every bite. Now this chat is special because firstly, the samosas are stuffed with pickled carrots, beans and green peas - NO POTATOES! It doesn't stuff you up. These samosas are generously dressed with tamarind chutney, doused with sweetened yogurt and sprinkled well with sev (deep fried noodles made from chickpea flour paste).
I know quite a few people who diss hygenic chat, but I actually have eaten real good preparations at clean places. I remember gorging down pani puri, dahi puri and more at Karachi Sweets in Bandra. After college it used to be our go-to place, every day, for a long time.
Bharwan Seekh Kebabs
The other appetizer was Bharwan Seekh Kebabs (minced lamb skewered and served with masala cheese) had a great cheesey twist to it. But that Samosa Chat stole all my taste buds.
For mains, came along Murg Makhanwala, just another moniker for Butter Chicken. The manager told me it was the best Butter Chicken(chicken tikka in creamy tomato-fenugreek gravy) in all of Dubai. And I just might have to agree. I'm not sure it's the best, but I sure haven't found anything better yet.
Murg Makhanwala and Dal Maharani
I've long been a fan of Dal Makhani, and at Ashiana they serve it at Dal Maharani. Quite befitting a name I thought. A slow cooked urad dal and rajma preparation prepared with fresh cream, it sure is meant for a Maharani (queen).
I devoured the Murg Makhanwala and Dal Maharani with Indians breads (pictured below) of Onion and Coriander Naan, and Laccha Paratha.

Oh goodness, sweetness!
If you love Indian sweets, this place is sure to charm you. The Ashiana Aan (pictured below) is a platter of gajar halwa (carrot sweet), rasmalai-pista rabadi, khoya brulee-boondi (Indian version of crème brulee), and Peshawari white chocolate samosa. Of them all the gajar halwa served with kulfi was a winner.


A brilliant new twist to the cheesecake was the Gulabi-Gulab (pictured above). It was basically gulab jamun placed decoratively in a rose cheesecake, served with rose petal-vanilla bean kulfi. I couldn't taste the cheesecake because it melted so quickly in my mouth, leaving me chewing on the gulab jamun, wrapped with kulfi.
Verdict: It's the victory of vegetarian preparations
Must try: Dal Maharani and Samosa Chat
Cost for two: Dh450
kymberlee@khaleejtimes.com