The Indian dining scene in the capital is as diverse as it is authentic, unlike its counterparts in the West, with menus of safe, standard dishes prepared for foreigners.
The Indian dining scene in the capital is as diverse as it is authentic, unlike its counterparts in the West, with menus of safe, standard dishes prepared for foreigners.
The Indian dining scene in the capital is as diverse as it is authentic, unlike its counterparts in the West, with menus of safe, standard dishes prepared for foreigners.
A flavour of home
Feature Abu Dhabi is teeming with chaat stands, cafes and restaurants run by Indians for Indians, offering a unique choice of regional dishes and snacks as expansive and diverse as the subcontinent itself.
Abu Dhabi is teeming with chaat stands, cafes and restaurants run by Indians for Indians, offering a unique choice of regional dishes and snacks as expansive and diverse as the subcontinent itself.
Hallie Engel
takes a tour.
India has a population of more than a billion people, and probably as many varieties and types of food. To sample the breadth of native cuisine, you would need to dedicate a lifetime to traversing every inch of the country, eating your way through villages, towns and cities. If that sounds a little daunting, you could opt instead to explore Abu Dhabi, where the Indian expatriate community has imported food from every corner of the subcontinent.
I work night shifts, returning home from my office around 6:30 each morning, my stomach growling. With no International House of Pancakes in sight, I usually go for an Indian breakfast at Saber Cafeteria. Tucked away in a dusty alley near my flat in Al Markaziyah, it's a modest affair with no menu. I receive a few curious stares every time I walk through the door: I'm probably their sole female customer, definitely the only American, but the other diners shuffle down the bench to make room for me at their table. I smile at the waiter and he brings me my usual: pieces of bread known as Kerala perotta, some coconut chutney and a plate of potato curry. The bread is warm and flaky, the chutney intensely sweet, and the potatoes bright yellow from a liberal dose of turmeric. This, along with a cup of tea, leaves me full and very content.
The Indian dining scene in the capital is as diverse as it is authentic, unlike its counterparts in the West, with menus of safe, standard dishes prepared for foreigners. "Restaurants here are run by Indians for Indians," says the Calcutta-born expat Gilgamesh Kabir, a pilot whose travels expose him to Indian cooking throughout Europe and the United States. At the end of the day, though, he's partial to Abu Dhabi. "You get a massive variety of food here, because there are people here from all over."
In my central neighbourhood, I've found a haunt to satisfy every craving. For vegetarian, I head to Evergreen Restaurant, situated next to a Bollywood cinema. I study the posters advertising the coming films before going in, staring at pictures of moustachioed gangsters, coquettish leading ladies, and once, a man astride a giant rooster. Distractions aside, Evergreen is a great place for a lunchtime thali, an assortment of dishes served in small bowls on a steel platter. It's a chance to try a little of everything, and roaming waiters spoon out extra portions until I wave my napkin in surrender. To heat things up, I grab some mango pickles or a few green chillies from the the condiments tray in the centre of my table, and cool the burn with sips of buttermilk.
For something sophisticated, there's Mughlai cuisine from the north, described by India Palace's head chef, Rashid Raza, as very rich; full of cashews, cream saffron and ghee. A softly spoken man with a gentle smile, Raza grew up cooking with his uncle, and honed his skills at the Taj School in Delhi, where he was taught to "make gravies, find the right temperatures to work with, and create the real taste of Mughlai".
I can't resist the butter chicken, a perennial favourite in India and the West. Consisting of rich orange gravy filled with smoky hunks of tandoor grilled meat, it's an indulgent meal I can never finish in one sitting. While it doesn't quite match the version I had in Mumbai, it comes close. Raza explains, "We make it the same here as we do in India. It has a classic taste, famous there and all over the world."
To sidestep the usual bread-and-curry routine, Indian-Chinese is worth a try. When I first moved to Abu Dhabi, I was confused by the sight of wontons and noodles on the menu at Indian restaurants. I decided they must just be offered to placate curry-phobes. Gilgamesh Kabir corrects me: it was cooks in India's lone Chinatown, located in Delhi, who created a new type of fusion cuisine: "Chinese food done to Indian tastes: extremely spicy, with ginger, turmeric and onions, basically, Indian food with soy sauce." Imported to Abu Dhabi, many dishes are native staples in their own right. Ghobi Manchurian, cauliflower fried in a hot, garlicky sauce is to India as chop suey is to the US, born of immigrants to please to locals.
Chaat, Indian street snacks, are perfect for a quick bite. Served at open-air stands, there are sweets and savouries galore, but I like samosas. A few weeks ago, I ordered a couple for takeaway from Evergreen and watched in horrified silence as the server mashed them with a fork, destroying my dinner. He kept going, though, adding chickpeas, a ladleful of watery yoghurt, tamarind sauce, diced tomatoes and a sprinkling of shredded coriander. The final product was an overload of tastes and textures, from the crunchy shells to the soft filling, tangy yogurt countered by sweet tamarind, and a mellow aftertaste from the coriander. If only it were so easy the world over to saddle up to a counter for something cheap and delicious, no need to wait around for an overpriced appetiser served on a bed of wilted lettuce.
Still, the most interesting experiences always seem to happen in the most humble of places. One morning at Saber, I decided to try something new and pointed at the meal being consumed by the patron to my right, a flaky white roll of some unknown substance and a bowl of brown lentils. When my order arrived a few minutes later, I tried asking my server for an explanation, but he didn't speak English, nor I Hindi. Before digging in, I gathered evidence like a culinary Nancy Drew by snapping a picture of it with my mobile phone. With my fork, I broke the mystery loaf into chunks. It was firmer than I'd expected, dense and heavy enough to stave off hunger until lunchtime. Taking my first bite, I found it bland and a tad gritty, but a good match for the curried lentils. After a few more mouthfuls I headed home, determined to get to the bottom of things. The next week, I dropped by Kabir's apartment and showed him the picture of the mystery meal on my phone. He studied it in silence before going to his bookcase. Filled with titles on Indian culture, history and food, he scanned the bottom shelf before selecting a tiny volume of recipes from the southern state of Kerala. He leafed through several pages and handed it to me. "Puttu," he said, a note of triumph in his voice. Made of steamed rice powder, it's a traditional breakfast in the south, but so regionalised that he, a northerner, had never had it. We agreed to meet up for a morning meal soon, so Kabir can give it a try. As Raza said, "With Indian food, the taste, the colours: everything is good." And in Abu Dhabi, everything is available, from high end to humble, northern to southern, within the space of a few blocks.
With no menus or ones bearing little description of what's being served, experimenting with Indian food in Abu Dhabi can feel like a crap shoot, especially at a chaat stand. Chaat items are often billed as appetizers in the west, despite the fact Indians generally don't do starters, instead relying on these small dishes for a quick, between-meals nibble. There are a lot to try, but start with one of these:
Panipuri:
Bite-sized flavour bombs consisting of a fried shell filled with a watery mix of chickpeas, onion, tamarind and sundry spices, depending on the whims of the chef. Panipuri taste great dipped in a sweet or minty chutney and are a traditional finale to a chaat session.
Bombay Mix:
Filled with puffed rice and squiggly chickpea flour noodles, Bombay Mix resembles edible confetti. It's spicy and crunchy, heavy on salt and sweetened by diced tomatoes. It's easy to inhale an entire order, but it also makes a nice side; just add a couple spoonfuls to a plate of chicken tikka.
Pav Baji:
A spicy curry of mashed potatoes and vegetables, pav baji is served with a pair of toasted buns and topped with tomato, onion, coriander and a pat of butter. It's perfect in size: just enough to tide over the single diner until supper, but eaten with a few crispy pakoras, it makes a satisfying meal.
Jalebi:
Originating in Iran, this sweet has been adopted by India and most chaat stands will have a pile of these chewy, pretzel-shaped deserts. Orange or yellow in colour, jalebi is made from flour flavoured with saffron and rose water to form a batter that is drizzled into oil for deep frying.
Where to go for authentic Indian food
* Evergreen Restaurant: El Dorado Cinema Building * India Palace: Al Meena Street * Saber Cafeteria: Corner of Hamadan and Electra, behind the Greenhouse Centre Building
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
Torrijos Palace dome
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples. Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts. Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
