MOHALLA: THE NEW INDIAN IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
It was time to make a decision after an impromptu lunch date with a friend of mine. She lives at one end of Dubai and I at the other – so we needed to find middle ground – and D3 it was. I had always shied away from going to Mohalla – somehow because I am so used to eating Indian food that I usually always end up choosing a different cuisine when I venture out. But on this particular Friday I quite fancied a nice long leisurely Indian meal. So Mohalla was my accepted suggestion.
There were seats outside, but Dubai summers crush that idea quite quickly 😊 Once you enter the restaurant is nice and light and airy. You look up and see the ceiling decorated with rugs, you look to one end and you see a a mural by a local Indian artist depicting a typical street scene.
I had booked a table thing it would get busy on a Friday but when I walked in at 1PM it was fairly empty – but that changed very quickly once the clock struck 2PM… then tables were buzzing, there was chatter and with a sandstorm brewing outside it added to the buzz-iness of the restaurant as staff tried to hold the doors shut every time they flew open to the wind chaos.
The word ‘mohalla’ which means ‘neighborhood’ lends itself accurately to the different choices on the menu which have inspired the dishes on the menu representing different ‘mohallas’ in India.
For my drink I had the Passion Fruits Two Way which had a mix of passion fruit, orange juice with a touch of tobasco and ginger fizz. With a sandstorm blowing outside, this drink just felt even more refreshing.
We were also given a complimentary of what seemed like very crispy dosa with 3 different dip served up in the cutest miniature tiffin.
For the food we stuck to the dishes on the ‘Small Bhook’ page – this way we new we could try a few more dishes than just the one.
Calcutta Kathi Chicken Roll – and indian wrap filled with egg, chicken, vinegar onions accompanied by a mint chutney – would have this again in a heartbeat.
Kuzhi Paniyaram – basically this was rice and black lentil batter cooked in a mould filled with prawns and served with a tomato chutney. They look like mini stuffed idlis. But with this dish I got to taste more of the batter and very little of the prawn filling. I had to bite one and check if there indeed was a filling.
Raj Kachori – this seems to be their signature – it was on nearly every table. It is a spicy chaat bowl made of semolina and filled with a variety of condiments includ9ng, potato, pomegranate, dal crisps, nylon sev with a trio of chutneys. It was delicious – but as it’s a heavy dish you end up with very little space to try out other things – like dessert in my case!!!!
Would I go back and eat at Mohalla? Yes, I think I would. But would try and few other dishes like the calamari koliwada or the pav bhaji but definitely the Chicken Khao Suey.
Location: Mohalla, Building 5, Ground Floor, Dubai Design District Open from 11 AM – 11 PM (Sunday – Thursday) and from 10 AM – 11 PM (Friday/Saturday) Telephone: +971 4 4272855
NOTE: I ate at Mohalla on my OWN time and money! The views and opinions expressed on this blog are truly my OWN.
