The highly acclaimed Michelin starred restaurant from New York, ‘Junoon’ headed up by Chef Vikas Khanna (MasterChef India’s popular judge) is yet another addition to Dubai’s dynamic culinary scene. The food here is created with modern techniques infused with local spices but retains the same Indian flavour.
Name:Â Junoon
Location: Shangri-La Hotel Dubai‎
Cuisine:Â Indian/Mughlai
Ideal for:Â Indulging in a rich and delicious Indian meal with close ones.
What to order
APPETIZER
-Eggplant Chaat: This is by far one of the best chaat variations I have ever tried. The crisp thin slices of eggplant (coated in three kinds of flour) dressed in tamarind chutney and chaat masala is simply worth trying! So what if you are not a fan of eggplant? You will definitely love this one.
-Melon Salad: With three different melons topped with foam accompanied with spicy cashew and a delicious mint melon parfait, this was like a party in my mouth.
-Kadak Seekh: The crispy lamb seekh was stuffed with green chilli paneer and served with tamarind raita and red chilli chutney. You have to try this to believe how unique it is.
-Murgh Tikka Mirza Hasnu: Delicious cubes of chicken tikka sitting over a brocolli puree and salad.
-Saloni Macchi: A soft and tender ocean trout tikka beautifully topped with sea foam and beet korma. Loved this one!
MAIN COURSE
-Burrah Kebab: Soft and tender lamb chops served with black chickpea achar sauce and a vegetable masala. Even though this comes without gravy it is just perfect as a main course dish.
-Junoon Black lentil: A classic rich black dal. You can’t go wrong with this one!
-Amritsari Kulcha: Unlike other potato kulchas this was stuffed with green peas, roasted coriander and other spices. It was the perfect combination with black dal.
-Murgh biryani: The moment this dish arrived the aroma of the saffron and cardamom took over the entire table and we couldn’t wait to dig in. This biryani was not too heavy and generously filled with tender chicken pieces, just the way I like it.
DESSERT
-Falooda: This is an amazing twist to the classic falooda. It’s a chocolate matka filled with rose rabdi sitting on a block of almond milk sorbet and blackberry jelly. Isn’t that too fancy to be true?! You have to try it out.
My experience
-Firstly, I was so impressed when a little bench was placed near my chair to keep my bag.
-I love restaurants that serve palate cleansers. For those who are unaware palate cleansers are tiny meals or bites (we were served lemon sorbet) served between the food courses to neutralise taste buds and enhance the culinary experience by eliminating competing flavours.
– The food is absolutely worth every penny you’re spending. The quality and quantity is on point! Also, the presentation and the unique combinations just blew my mind.
– What I loved the most was that despite eating so much Indian food, I didn’t find it heavy and oily unlike the other Mughlai restaurants where food is dripping with fat. The food here was clean, classic and delicious.
– For the first time I don’t have a favourite dish to choose from because I absolutely loved everything that was served.
-They also have amazing set menus for lunch at a reasonable price.
– I loved the dim lit atmosphere with an old world artistry reflecting touches from India.
Service: The service here is simply amazing. Tanushree was extremely great with recommendations and the manager helped us pick out the best grape. Really impressed!
Bill for 2-3: AED 750 approx (5 appetisers + 4 main course + 1 dessert)
Contact– 04 4052717
This was one of the best Indian gourmet experiences that I’ve had in Dubai and highly recommend you to try it out!
