QURESHI’S KEBABS AND KURRY
Country Club, Dubai
Qureshi’s, the small intimate Indian restaurant at the Country Club, Dubai, had a fleet of hungry people waiting outside when we arrived, – always a good sign.
With Dubai’s plethora of Indian eateries we had our fingers crossed that this would have something new to offer. We weren’t disappointed; the restaurant lived up to the Qureshi legacy – a 200-year-old family of chefs to Indian royalty.
We started off with the Dahi Ke Kabab; deep-fried muslin-hung yogurt that dissolves on the tongue, vanishing with the trail of spice it leaves behind. The melt-in-yourmouth Kakori Kebabs, (spiced minced lamb kebabs) followed. The Dal Bukhari and Murgh Mussalum (entire chicken marinated overnight and cooked in dum) saw us go back to basics with our main course.
Qureshi’s version of the humble black dal slow-cooked overnight in tomato gravy with a flourish of butter and cream was a revelation – see, dal doesn’t have to be boring.
Succulent and bursting with flavour, the chicken found its mark on our palates, as did the Lucknowi Nehari, velvety smooth qorma of lamb shanks cooked in their own juices. The dum biryani came along, narrating the story of Qureshi’s mastery of the Dum Phukt style of cooking over a slow fire. Aromatic, flavourful and filling, it had us thanking our good sense for having ordered the light roomali rotis as bread accompaniments.
Be warned. Qureshi means business when it says spicy, so it’s advisable to mention your spice threshold before you order. We didn’t, so we ended up seeking relief with water and yoghurt while relentlessly eating our way through the courses – that’s how good the food was.
The desserts were a welcome arrival and definitely the highlight of our evening. Not because they took the edge off the spice assault, but because they were an education
The desserts were a welcome arrival and definitely the highlight of our evening
in what culinary richness actually entails. The shahi tukra – bread slices deep-fried in ghee, soaked in saffron-laced milk, golden syrup and embellished with edible silver leaf and nuts – was richness personified. The shahad-e-jaam, the gulab jamun’s regal cousin, also met our expectations.
With strains of the live ghazal singer’s music, great vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian curries and kebabs to choose from, and prices that are easy on the pocket, Qureshi’s is a restaurant we’re going to return to. But after we hit the gym.