Handi – Taj Palace Hotel – Rigga Deira, Dubai

The first time I noticed this restaurant was when I visited the LIFE pharmacy which was as an attachment to Taj Palace Hotel. My son would enter this pharmacy from the front and vanish through the backdoor of the pharmacy. I would find him sitting on a horse(non-living, kept outside the restaurant). That was the first time I noticed this indian restaurant called Handi. I hear an old classic Indian song coming out of the restaurant. Interestingly I also notice a stage inside this restaurant with musicians on top. A pillar right in the front covered by their restaurant awards achieved in different years. That’s when I decided I must definitely visit this restaurant one day.

So here I am finally inside this restaurant. You can either dine in their private dining space or you could sit in the open inside their restaurant. The chairs, tables, lighting, artwork on top is all depicting traditional India. By the way, I love their chairs. They were pretty, wide and comfortable. I was here for lunch and unfortunately the musicians play on stage only between 8:00pm – 11:00pm in the night. So now I’ll have to come for dinner if I need to see them in action 🙁

As Always it started with the drinks. Let me tell you before we ordered I was hesitant with trying Chass-diluted yoghurt but since it was a recommendation from the restaurant manager I thought I’ll try it. I am glad I did cause it was the best among the three. Very refreshing and builds the appetite. I think this drink should be given to everyone before they start their meal at Handi. A great refresher. Unfortunately their mango lassi didn’t reach up to my expectation or maybe the mango was dominating and the core of the lassi could not be felt in the taste. It was more of a mango juice to me than lassi.

Murg Ka Shorba soup was fantastic. Really nice and you would just continue sipping till the end once you start. Rarely I get a soup in such a wide plate. The paneer chutney tikka is a cottage cheese with black pepper cooked in tandoor. It was really nice. Very soft and had the right taste. Paneer lovers would love it for sure.

From the kebab plate all of them was awesome specially the Kasoori Murg tikka(Boneless chicken tikka flavoured with fenugreek leaves). Some of the items that came along in the kebab tray were:

• Boneless chicken tikka flavoured with fenugreek leaves
• Tender fillets of royal hammour flavoured with fenugreek leaves.
• Traditional boneless chicken tikka
• Indian mutton minced and marinated with fenugreek and traditional spices

It was all lovely specially when you dip that sizzling meat in that green chutney provided on the table 😉

The giant prawn that came along with prawns biriyani was special. It was a midly spiced king prawn. I can tell you it did a good job cause the moment I took a bite I totally forgot about my camera until i finished all of it 🙁 Sorry guyz, wish i had some pictures of those lovely king prawns for you to see :p

All their paratha, naan and roti were worth a try. They make it well. My favourite were their multi layered parathas. I ate most of that one 😀 You see that chef in the photo with the Naan, he’s the one responsible for the taste engine at Handi 😉

We ordered one of each so this is what you see on the plate and I am sure most of you could make out which is which here.

Lachedar paratha – Dhs 18 – Multi layered paratha
Pudina Paratha – Dhs 22 – Multi layered paratha with mint
Naan – Dhs 18 – Butter, plain or garlic
Amritsari Kulcha – Dhs 27 – Aloo, onion and paneer
Tandoor Roti – Dhs 18
Khasta or Rumali roti – Dhs 22

Their raan was deadly. Tender little lamb. Well cooked and would just melt in your mouth. The bone of this raan came with a fancy foil work 🙂

We had their award winning curry which was Gosht korma awadhi – A combination of boneless mutton, cashew nuts and almonds in onion gravy. Dal Handi curry which is supposed to be their blank lentil specialty was good as expected.

Desserts

Rasmalai – cottage cheesedumplings in milk reduction, favoured with saffron and pistachio
Shahi Tukra – A special mughali bread delicacy topped with rabdi and nuts flavoured with saffron.
Kulfi Falooda – Indian ice cream served in a matka garnished with flavoured vermicelli.

Shahi Tukra rocked here. One of the best tasting Shahi tukra I’ve had. It came little but tasted great. Rasmalai was pretty neat. Kulfi falooda was a little different here. I mean it’s the first time I actually got the falooda seperated from the kulfi. Normally everything is dumped into one space. Its seems there are people who like to have them separately so they are served in separate compartments.

There masala tea came with the right taste. It was a typical northern india masala chai. Even my wife enjoyed her green tea. It came with mint leaves in it and tasted natural. Overall it was a good experience at Handi including the ambiance but the only downside is that their pricing is on the higher side. After all the restaurant is located in Taj Palace, what do you expect! Along with a 5 star comes a 5 star price!

Click here to see Handi on website