Vikas Khanna – A Michelin star chef that cooked for President Obama and the Pope, was now here in Dubai to cook for US! We got an exclusive invite for tasting Iftar menu for Ramadan 2016 and a one on one chat with the man himself.
Junoon, located in Shangri La, Dubai is the only branch of the Best Indian Restaurant in New York (Michelin star restaurant). We got to try the 5 course meal which will be served for Iftar in Ramadan.
The 1st course
The first course was served in a crescent bronze platter. It included dates and nuts which was to break the fast. It is worth the mention that the nuts were of extreme high quality! The quality is in the crunch in case you are wondering..
The Interior is modern with a lot of detailed work. The restaurant has a large open space with the kitchen overlooking the guests. The whole ambiance is very classy and elegant. They took care of small details. Such as a purse hangar under the seat and the foldable servers table
The 2nd Course
The second course consisted of 4 dishes
- Dahi Bhalla
- Melon Salad
- Assorted Pakoras
- Fried Squid
Dahi Bhalla, which probably lasted 30 seconds. It was soft and flavorful.
The Melon Salad was fresh-cut assorted melons sprinkled with pepper. Delicious!
Assorted Pakoras and the Squid – The star dish was the Squid. It was crunchy on the outside and soft on the side. It had the desi tadka taste to it.
We ordered the Sandalwood Grenade: The mocktail was a mixture of guava juice, sandalwood and coconut. It will light your taste buds. The only complain, quantity was less. The drink was served in a coconut with the special effects of course.
The 3rd Course
It consisted of Two Kebabs, vegetarian and a non vegetarian.
- Veg Shaami kabab
- Mutton Seekh kabab
The mutton Seekh kabab was tender and juicy. The sauce along with it seemed to be clove based. I would love to know if it was grilled or baked as I couldn’t tell. Great presentation!
One thing very noticeable was the fine crockery. The dinner plates were trimmed with Gold lining and did not have any scratches or cutlery marks. It was also huge in size.
The 4th Course –
For the fourth course (main course) we were bombarded with 6 dishes.
- Prawns
- Chicken curry
- Paneer
- Mushrooms
- Dal makhani
- Lamb Biryani
All the dishes were unique. They were freshly prepared and did not share bases like most restaurants. The quantity was overwhelming. However Chef Vikas pointed out that people will be fasting the whole day and would easily fill up. We did agree!
Mr. A is very picky about his Biryani. In his opinion it was ‘one hell of a fine Biryani’. The meat was boneless, tender and fat-free – just the way he likes it.
The 5th Course
The fifth course was the most interesting one. The desserts just blew us away.
- Falooda
- Green Apple
- Chacoal Shaahi Tukda
Falooda presentation was genius. The ingredients of Falooda was scattered on the plate. In the middle was a slice of kulfi, on top of which was a matka (pot) made out of chocolate. Lift the lid and you will find strawberry milk inside.
The server asked us to break the pot and mix the ingredients and voila! The milk flowed down and it was the perfect falooda.
Green Apple – Another tasty and unique dessert i’ve tried. The green apple was made out of candy and inside it was caramelized apples in white cinnamon mousse. Once again you smash the apple and mix the ingredients, it turned into an amazing treat!
Charcoal Shahi tukda did look like a charcoal. The server poured liquid nitrogen over it to soften it. Once you dig into it, you can see the golden sweet bread.
Chef Vikas sat down with us when we finished our meal and was enjoying the Jasmin tea. We chatted with him for 30 minutes on various topics. I will cover his interview and one on one chat in another post but for now, all I have to say is that Chef Vikas Khanna is a genius and his personality reflects in his food and restaurant.
5 Course Iftar menu is priced at AED 240 per person.
For reservations: 04 405 2717
Check out the video…Chef Vikas Khanna has a special message for you at the end of the video! =D
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