A scrumptious approach to uncover Meena Bazaar, some of the vibrant neighbourhoods of Old Dubai, is to e-book into the 4-hour lengthy ‘Little India on a plate’ meals tour with Frying Pan Adventures.
While chalking out my favorite meals recollections from the neighbourhood trio of Bur Dubai, Karama and Oudh Metha in my earlier three-part blogpostI made a decision to go away this excellent meals tour apart for a separate blogpost. One of my favorite methods of discovering a metropolis is although strolling, specifically a strolling meals tour. The latter not solely throws highlight on consuming holes with long-standing legacies, it additionally displays a unique perspective to a metropolis than the everyday ‘things to do’ options in the very best promoting tourism guides ever will. My affiliation with with Frying Pan Adventures goes again a great distance – my first meals tour with them being the Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage. Much later, I invited Arva and Farida, the vivacious sisters and founder duo of Frying Pan Adventures, house to point out case Bengali cuisine during noboborsho for his or her podcast.The following autumn, I hosted a Bengali feast for one in every of their Suffer occasions. Even with all of the affiliation, it wasn’t a straightforward activity for Frying Pan Adventures to persuade me to hitch them on their Indian meals tour ‘Little India on a plate’. As a self-proclaimed Dubai old-timer who might navigate blindly to the closest Indian restaurant within the Meena Bazaar neighbourhood from any given automotive park within the space, I truthfully noticed no novelty on this meals tour. I couldn’t be extra fallacious.
Even for the proud desi that I’m, who’s been consuming off all of the alleys in Meena Bazaar for the final twenty years, I used to be mighty stunned on the Indian meals tour.
Being on a meals tour is a severe exercise… gritty and sweaty
One sultry summer time night… as soon as upon a time, when one might stroll and eat round freely and fortunately, freed from masks and worry, Debbie (my partner-in-crime and co-founder of FoodeMag) and I hit Meena Bazaar on a 4 hour lengthy meals stroll with Frying Pan Adventures. The tour was full of tasty treats and helpful insights from Farida Ahmed, our tour hostess and co-founder of Dubai’s first meals tour firm.
Bhelpuri at rangoli restaurant
Our tour hostess Farida Ahmed, being a spice exhibit
Learning the rocket science of a superb South Indian filter espresso at Sangeetha Restaurant
South Indian mini thali at Sangeetha restaurant
The cone formed ‘signature’ Topi sin at Sangeetha Restaurant
Farida spilling out behind the scene kitchen secrets and techniques and insights
Deep Fried Crispy Alo Bonda at Farisian Cafeteria
Daunting activity – selecting from crispy aloo bondas and samosas
Chicken tikka within the grill at Sind Punjab
Succulent rooster tikkas at Sind Punjab
Hot fluffy naans straight from the tandoor at Sind Punjab
Jalebis within the making at Salam Namaste ( I discover the Amul Ghee!)
Hot crispy jalebis to be savoured strictly with a wealthy and creamy rabdi
The everlasting allure of Meena Bazaar
A gaggle of six enthusiastic foodies, we began off with the spicy chaat speciality of Bhelpuri and Panicurate on the Gujrati restaurant – Rangoli and ended our meals stroll with recent made crispy candy Jalebis topped with a creamy layering of Rab at Salam Namaste. We made a number of meals stops and halts within the pulsating neighbourhood of Meena Bazaar, in between experiencing the fascinating behind the scene kitchen actions, studying on Indian spices and different meals tales. Our second cease was at Sangeetha Restaurantthe place we had a style of South Indian meals. A steaming South Indian filter coffees adopted by a mini thali set and the restaurant’s ‘signature’ cone formed Topi dosa in its full finery with spicy sambar and coconut chutneys. The thirty yr outdated neighbourhood eatery Farisian Cafeteria was our subsequent cease, the place and we munched on crispy fried ALOO BHONDAS and samosas, accompanied by spicy dips of mint and tamarind chutneys. A fast cease on the Indian grocery retailer Madhoor Supermarket gave us an opportunity to purchase among the versatile inventory – a wide range of lentils and flours utilized in an Indian pantry. Our ‘meat’ cease was on the formidable Sind Punjab the place Farida ordered recent sugarcane juices to clean away the exhaustion of our earlier meals tastings and strolling within the warmth. A meals tour is greater than an indulgence, it’s sweaty and gritty – a severe exercise! Now we have been prepared for the succulent rooster tikkas, a signature dish on the restaurant that had individuals queuing up for the reason that time the restaurant opened up on this neighbourhood in 1977. Accompanied by scorching fluffy naans which arrived on the desk straight from the tandoor, the rooster tikkas lived as much as their stardom. Much like among the long-standing eating places in Meena Bazaar, Sind Punjab too, carried the heavy tag of being one in every of Dubai’s culinary legacies. In truth, all of the meals that we had on the varied locations that night, bore testimony to the goodwill and legacies created by every one in every of them through the years.
Debbie and I’ve at all times bonded over consolation meals and meals tales that join individuals and locations
The epic meals tour with frying Pan Adventures, traversing from treats from North India to South India, was not about tasting scrumptious meals or studying about small eateries and legendary eating places that characterised the alleys of Meena Bazaar. It was sonmething rather more than that.
It’s getting to connect with the essence of some of the intriguing neighbourhoods of Old Dubai and the way they co-exist alongside the blooming new neighbourhoods. I felt such a way of delight when our great hostess Farida identified about Al Jamarik Cafeteria, which ‘nourished the soul of Dubai, serving tea to all those establishments in the surrounding’. Established in 1958, even earlier than the beginning of the United Arab Emirates, Al Jamarik Cafeteria was one of many oldest cafeterias in Dubai. When locations like these maintain its head excessive amidst Dubai’s new city panorama in 2020, this can be a story that needs to be advised and celebrated. What do you assume?
Unblogging all of it… Ishita
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Disclaimer: Frying Pan Adventures (www.fryingpanadventures.com) kindly hosted us for the ‘Little India on a plate’ tour. The topic, story, opinions and views acknowledged listed here are my very own and all pictures are from my private album. While you take pleasure in studying my posts with lot of visuals, please don’t use any materials from these posts.
You may take pleasure in studying these associated articles of mine:Bur Dubai | My favourite food memories from Old Dubai – Part 1 Dubai Creekside, Al Fahidi and a cultural lunch at SMCCU Immersing Myself Into The Heart Of Sharjah with FPA – Part 1 Eating Up Sharjah With Frying Pan Adventures - Part 2
