Delightful Indian cuisine at Amal

There is no dearth of Indian restaurants in Dubai, yes, but Amal stands out with its unique offerings. The minimalistic and almost Spartan culinary hotspot in the Armani Hotel is bursting at the seams with flavour.

As we walked in we were greeted by live sitar and tabla players and it quickly becomes clear that nothing at Amal is done halfway. After being seated in the surprisingly comfortable seats, we relaxed into what would be a beautifully orchestrated evening, with the head chef and waiters catering to our precise needs with extreme care. Both my date and I decided to try a little bit of everything with their special tasting menu that allowed us a sampling of several dishes on the menu in moderate servings. My personal favourite was the malabari rattan, tender scallops in a spicy sauce – I devoured two platters on my own! The beef chilly fry, with curry leaves and the right amount of tender tang, also deserves special mention. The main courses were as divine. Dal makhani may be a generic and common offering in all Indian restaurants, but there was nothing ordinary about this heavenly dish at Amal. The murgh makhani, Alleppy fish curry and perfectly crisp and divine naan were also superb to say the least. The sweet and rich mix of tender meat and spice, was nothing short of superlative.

Dessert was another decadent affair as we chose one dessert sampler each which allowed us to chose three dishes from the menu. My date and I ordered the gulab jamun, araguani chocolate mousse and crème brûlée each and polished each morsel off guiltlessly. The chocolate mousse, in itself, with caramelised pecans and vanilla ice cream, is worth visiting this restaurant. All in all, we were pleasantly surprised at the hearty and unpretentious fare at this gem in the Armani Hotel.