Opposite Ibn Battuta Mall is Ibn Battuta Gate with its majestic arch housing the luxurious 5-star Movenpick Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel. Here, one can find restaurants catering to various cuisines and amongst those is the very famous Indian restaurant, Chor Bazaar.
I visited them with my family to try their recently launched Thali menu which is available for only dinner every Saturday to Wednesday 6:30pm to 11pm. It is priced at AED 165/- pp with soft beverages and AED 265/- pp with house beverages, all inclusive.
The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the hotel. The walkway is adorned with traditional Indian figurines on one side and on the other side is the tandoor area that can be viewed through a glass window. The area is comparatively small, but the layout is neat and not cramped at all.
As soon as we were seated, we ordered our juices, Apple, Mango & Mix Fruit, and were served chutney, pickle and pappad platter. Soon came the pre-starter, which was Sev Puri, a wonderful mix of sweetness and sourness, a must-try for any chaat lover. After this was a warm serving of Tomato & Coriander Soup with a dash of black pepper. Not a fan of tomato soups but this one was delightful.
It was time for the mains, where the curries were served in small bowls placed in a huge plate, in typical Indian fashion, with rice and bread, to share. The curries I tried were Bhuta Saag Paneer, Butter Chicken, Malabar style Fish Curry, Dal Makhani and Aloo Gobi. The butter chicken and dal makhana were simply delicious but the paneer was too bitter.
Since we opted for the Non-veg. thali, the Tandoors we had were Haryali Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Lamb Chops and Lasooni Jhinga (Garlic Prawns), live from the tandoor ovens to our table. The chicken tikka was decent, but the prawns were too charred and dry. The lamb chop was a thick slice that was cooked to perfection but once again, a bit too charred on the outside.
The staff were very kind to have served some non-spicy chicken curry for my little one. I too tasted it and we both loved it.
Desserts were Zaffrani Kheer, Gulab Jamun and Kulfi. Loved the kulfi, it was creamy and had amazing flavours. The gulab jamun was soft and delish too while the kheer was just average.
The service was good, but the food was a mix of hits and misses. Had shared our view with the staff then itself and they did take it with an open mind. Hope this helps to improve which can definitely lead to perfection.
Lizbethology 