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Eat like a maharaja in this royal setting

You'd almost like a maharaja (royal) if you walked into India Palace. And why not? With everyone - from the turbaned man at the door to the receptionist, to the service staff (dressed in traditional finery), greeting you with a genial smile and warm 'namaste' - welcoming you makes you feel you're boarding a First Class cabin on India's national airline. However, once you step into the two-decade-old restaurant at Al Garhoud, you are immediately transported into another setting.
The place is a throwback to another era - the interiors replicate a medieval Rajasthani royal dwelling, and the grand look is enhanced by a vintage wooden staircase, ornately carved 'maharaja' furniture and classic Indian paintings. The place even has a bangle maker, who sits cross-legged in his kiosk, giving the place a complete 'Rajasthani' feel.
While the ambience takes you on a trip to a 16th-century palatial mansion, the menu, is inspired by Mughal cuisine (the dishes have exotic names).
We visited India Palace to sample their latest menu called the Samundari Khazana (seafood treasure). The limited-choice menu offered more crawly crustaceans than fish dishes and featured six items all of which showcased the art of delicately spiced Mughal dishes. These recipes are traditionally known to use simple, whole ingredients that give the dishes full flavour and a distinctive character.
We started off with Aatish-e-Jheenga (Dhs70) - a prawn kebab with bell pepper, onion and coriander flavoured in an egg coating. The grilled prawns were mildly spiced and juicy (unlike some places that overcook seafood making them rubbery and chewy). The starter got the stomach juices firing and prepared us for the seafood feast that lay ahead!
Next up was the Fish Ambarsari(Dhs36), a crispy golden fried fish coated with gram flour batter. The batter-fried hamour reminded us of the famed London Fish & Chips, except, in this case, the batter was spiked with spices. This was followed by Prawn Biryani (Dhs75). The dish featured jumbo-sized tiger prawns coated in spices and layered with fragrant biryani rice. A hint of cardamom, mace and fresh mint  made the dish aromatic and the long-grain rice blended perfectly with the prawns. However, being accustomed to spicier biryanis, we would have loved the dish to be kicked up a notch or two.
The main highlight of the meal was the Tandoor i Lobster(Dhs110). The signature dish was made with whole Omani Lobster marinated in garam masala and Kashmiri chilli. It was delectable and the delicate spices were gentle on the palate. The freshness and appeal of the earthen oven-baked lobster was evident in the way it was cooked (overcooking lobsters can make the meat tough and chewy). Moreover, the light spices brought the flavours of the lobster to fore! This dish scored high on our list and ticked all the boxes.
Having had a good measure of crustaceans (actually enough to bore you), we moved on to some gravies. So, next up was Awadhi Machhi (Dhs48), fresh hamour cooked in a gravy of coconut milk, cashew nuts and onions, and  Jheenga Dumpukht(Dhs70) prawns in a light, aromatic gravy which was sealed and cooked in a copper pot (perhaps to contain the flavours) and laced with cinnamon and chilli.
Both dishes went well with the Lachchedar parathas (Dhs7), a crispy, flaky layered Indian flat bread. The gravy dishes came as a relief and played perfect foil to the drier, grilled and fried varities.
The darbar ambience, the Rajasthani interiors, and the friendly service clearly overpowered anything else at India Palace and made the experience worth it!
Meal for two: Dhs135 (approximately)
Location: Al Garhoud (next to Le Meridien Fairway Hotel)
Opening hours: Noon-midnight
Contact: 04-286 9600

michael@khaleejtimes.com