Cheap eats in Dubai

http://www.timeoutdubai.com/dubai/features/review.php?id=1085

If spiralling rents have left you grounded, or if you can’t bear to part with your hard-earned cash, there’s no need to go hungry – there are great restaurants in Dubai to suit every pay packet. At the following restaurants two people will get change from a Dhs100 note, and sometimes plenty of it.

For finger food with a difference…

Karachi Darbar Dodge in between the melee of uniformed waiters that are dashing among the crowded tables carrying platters piled with extremely cheap and exquisitely tasty Pakistani food, and grab yourself a seat. Flag down a fleet-footed waiter and ask for a chicken or mutton biryani. No sooner does the last syllable leave your lips than fresh naan breads, salad, mint yoghurt with chilli and a dish of curry sauce arrive with a flourish. Then brace yourself for a gigantic portion of subtly flavoured basmati rice strewn with soft nuggets of juicy meat. Feel free to scoop it up with your bread and your hands, especially if you need to toss away any bones – this place is all about keeping it real.

Deira (04 224 9594). Taxi: Omar Bin Al Khattab Road, near Fish Roundabout (04 224 9594). Open Daily 4am-2am. Credit cards not accepted.

For a taste of Iraq…

Samad Serving the Iraqi diaspora in Dubai is Samad, the local branch of a Baghdad chain. Casting a warm glow upon the street through its yawning windows, it’s an inviting prospect for non-Iraqis too. From an open kitchen of revolving kebabs, glinting blades and licking flames comes a small bowl of potato and vegetable soup next to a basket of flat breads. Then there’s the Iraqi shammi (pictured) – an inflated pillowcase of crisp batter on a base of bread with a scattered salad. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of tender lamb and chicken pieces tumbling over fragrant wild rice, noodles, sultanas and pine nuts beneath a seductive plume of steam. Like your hosts, you’ll be glad you found this Iraqi haven here in Dubai.

Deira (04 229 3660). Taxi: Muraqqabat Street, opp. Dream Palace Hotel. Open Daily 1pm-2am. All major credit cards accepted.

For real life street theatre…

Ravi Restaurant The swanky restaurants of Jumeirah might pull out all the stops to keep you entertained, but they’ll put a dent in your wallet the size of the Burj. The simple Pakistani food and unintentional street drama at Ravi’s can be just as compelling – at a fraction of the price. Sit outside, watch the tireless tide of humanity sweep along the Satwa Road, and enjoy a tender bihiri kebab alongside a feisty mutton palak in a rich curry swamp spiked with chilli, or an aggressive chicken sukha in a rich quicksand of spice. You’ll struggle to spend more than Dhs50 for two people and the food is excellent, which might explain Ravi’s near legendary status.

Satwa (04 331 5353). Taxi: Satwa Road, near Rydges Plaza. Open Sun-Thu 5am-3am; Fri 1.30pm-3am; Sat 5am-3am. Credit cards not accepted.

For a culinary adventure…

Pinoy Grill Here, those inexperienced in the joys of Filipino food can sample a veritable madhouse of unusual delicacies without driving their bank managers bonkers in the process. With its shaved ice, jackfruit, jelly cubes, sweetcorn (yes, sweetcorn), mung beans and mashed purple yam soaked in evaporated milk, the halo halo is simply insane. Slightly less wacky is the lumpiang sariwa, or sweetly wrapped rolls of fresh carrot, mangetout, spring onion, prawns and lettuce with crushed garlic and peanut sauce; or the house speciality bulalo, which offers a huge hacking of fatty beef that spills squishy marrow from the bone into a watery, cabbage-strewn stock. Throw caution to the wind and discover that Filipino food is every bit as adventurous as the non-Filipinos who choose to explore it.

Rigga Street (04 222 2225). Taxi: Next to Burger King. Open Sun-Mon 12 noon-12 midnight; Fri 1pm-12 midnight; Sat 12 noon-12 midnight. All major credit cards accepted.

For a guilt-free kebab…

Afghan Kebab House Banish all preconceptions of sizzling elephant’s feet revolving in tawdry kebab house windows because this place is the real deal. Once you’ve found the Afghan Kebab House among the labyrinthine alleys of deepest Deira, grab a naan bread the size of a continental quilt and fill it with chicken, lamb and beef licked into juicy tenderness by lashing flames on the skewer. It’s a unique experience – all around you, groups of weary men huddle over crouching tables deluged with food, discussing the trials and tribulations of the working day. Kick back with a full belly and smile to yourself about the job you’ve had just to find the place.

Naif Souk (04 222 3292). Taxi: Next to Naif mosque, Deira. Open Daily 4am-12.30am. Credit cards not accepted.

For a no-frills Indian…

Hyderabad House Perched on a terrace overlooking the manic asphalt below, this unassuming restaurant is little more than a cheap and cheerful chow down where people can find a hearty meal. Which is exactly what you’ll discover as you sit among flickering fluorescent lights and peeling poster art, at tables stocked with jugs of tap water and boxes of flimsy tissues. Thankfully, the traditional Hyderabadi food on offer here is very good indeed. The chicken curry offers monolithic hunks of tender meat, which fall effortlessly from the bone into a rich, oily and spicy sauce. The talawa gosht – a dry dish of red, chilli-infused lamb nuggets in coriander and tandoori spices – is perfect for sharing, and the steaming parathas should be used to scoop everything up.

Karama (04 336 9373). Taxi: Opp. Yahala Restaurant. Open Daily 12 noon-12 midnight. Credit cards not accepted.

For bonkers Bangkok bites…

Smiling BKK The eccentric dish titles at Smiling BKK (‘fook mi’, ‘experience of crack’, ‘like a virgin’) are a perfectly innocent (if a little cheeky) facet of this quirky Thai restaurant’s immense appeal. The ‘shiny happy people’ offers sumptuously deep-fried prawns with garlic, while the ‘balls of delight’ are nice and spongy orbs of fish. And the aforementioned ‘fook mi’ is a jumbled mass of flat noodles, chicken and cabbage in soy sauce. With its café-style food, friendly service, daft interior, bonkers menu and shameless amateurishness, this tiny place has something that all the five-star restaurants in the world can’t buy – charm. And if you tell some funny jokes on comedy night every Monday, you could get to eat for free. We defy you to find cheaper grub than that.

Al Wasl Road (04 349 6677). Taxi: Next to Jumeirah Post Office and the Emarat garage. Open Daily 11.15am-12.15am. All major credit cards accepted.

For edible tableware…

Pillars It might look like a perished grey disc of old deckchair foam, but injera – a traditional Ethiopian flatbread made with a tiny grain called teff – is the most versatile foodstuff known to man. Not only can you use it as a tablecloth, a plate, a napkin and a utensil, but you can eat it too. At this nondescript Ethiopian coffee shop, the yefisig beyanetu is a combination of spicy meat stews and salad served on a giant injera you could hold a circus under. But that doesn’t stop most of the Ethiopian diners here from unloading lots of their food onto the table. Maybe they want to see injera in all its naked glory?

Phoenicia Hotel (04 222 7191). Taxi: Baniyas Square, Deira. Open Daily 24 hours. All major credit cards accepted.

For quintessential Britishness…

The Fish Supper Unlike other purveyors of Britain’s illustrious national dish in Dubai, The Fish Supper is not faking it. The owners, the Kennedy family, are genuine fish and chip enthusiasts. One trip to their restaurant will convince the most discerning of chipophiles that these chaps certainly know their (pickled) onions. They understand fully the art of creating perfect batter. They pickle a mean egg and their fish is chosen with skill and precision. Their discriminatory attitude towards selecting potatoes ensures premier league chips. Tucked away in the food court of an obscure Rashidiya shopping mall, these might just be the best fish and chips in the entire emirate.

Food Court, Bin Sougat Mall (04 286 1789). Taxi: Rashidiya. Open Sun-Thu 11am-3pm, 5pm-10pm; Fri 5pm-10pm; Sat 11am-3pm, 5pm-10pm. Credit cards not accepted.

For Palestinian home cooking…

Habiba Al Nabulsi Huge trays of piping-hot kanafa, that devastatingly calorific combo of gooey cheese, honey and pistachio nuts, are bright red beacons that light up the main room of Habiba Al Nabulsi. With furniture plonked on either side of a nearly empty central fish tank, the restaurant next door to the sweet shop feels like an afterthought – but it’s here where Dubaians can sample some authentic Palestinian home cooking. This is the sort of restaurant where you eat what you’re given, and you’ll more than likely be handed a plate of mansaf, a heaped pile of yellow pilaf rice with a scattering of pine nuts and a couple of rotund lumps of tenderly flaky lamb. The dish, which is Bedouin in origin and also the national food of Jordan, has a distinctive flavour from jameed, an aged, sun-dried yoghurt that sours the flavour of the dish.

Muraqqabat Street, Deira (04 227 7760). Taxi: Near Reef Mall. Open Daily 9am-2am. All major credit cards accepted.

For homely, hospitable eccentricity…

Special Ostadi Restaurant This long-standing Iranian restaurant has been the hectic, bustling and charming breadwinner for three generations of the same clan. As you eat, take in nearly 40 years’ worth of paraphernalia covering the walls. Look down and the glass-topped tables imprison a small fortune’s worth of foreign notes and coins – keep an eye out for Saddam-era Iraqi tender. The mixed grills of chicken marinated in saffron and chunks of thyme-scented mutton are dragged off piping hot skewers into fragrant, steaming rounds of bread brought in from a bakery across the road. It’s a hedonistic gastronomic experience when all the pomp of cutlery and presentation has been thrown by the wayside to make room for pure, unadulterated glorious food.

Mussalla Road, Bur Dubai (04 397 1933). Open Sun-Thu 11.30am-4pm, 6.30pm-1am; Fri 6.30pm-1am; Sat 11.30am-4pm, 6.30pm-1am. No credit cards accepted.

For bargain-priced but brilliant curries…

Gazebo Gazebo’s lengthy menu focuses on dishes from Lucknow and Hyderabad, such as the excellent tawa masala, with chunks of succulent lobster stir-fried in a curry of spring onion, tomato and black pepper. The achari gosht is another winner; tender, juicy cubes of lamb fired up by a sauce of tamarind, fennel and sundried tomatoes. You’ll be wowed by the intensity of the flavours, the lingering warmth of the spicing, the tantalisingly fruity aromas on the nose, and the dazzling colours of the dishes. Unfortunately, the service isn’t great and you should expect lengthy waits, but it’s a clean, smart, functional and contemporary restaurant, with dark wood fittings, reddish-brown shades, a few Indian arts and crafts, and, most importantly, some of the city’s best Indian food.

Kuwait Street, Bur Dubai (04 359 8555). Taxi: Near Dhow Palace Hotel. Open Daily 12 noon-3.15pm, 7pm-11.45pm. All major credit cards accepted.

For sampling Sri Lanka…

The Curry Leaf Although The Curry Leaf serves Chinese food, fish and chips and curry-meets-pasta fusion options, we suggest you stick to the authentic Sri Lankan goodness. Try the hoppers – rice flour pancakes with a fried egg in their centre, usually eaten with chilli sambol (a spicy side dish) – along with lumpries, a Dutch colonial dish of rice baked with boneless chicken, beef or lamb, fish cutlets, boiled egg, aubergine, and a delicious sweet onion sambol. Fish plays a large part in Sri Lanka’s cuisine – try the kiri maalu, kingfish cooked in a lightly spiced coconut sauce. Sri Lanka’s favourite dessert, watalappan, is strange but very satisfying; a custardy combo of coconut, jaggery (a type of sugar cane), eggs, milk, cardamom and cinnamon, served with ice cream.

Food Court, Al Mussalla Tower, Bank Street (04 397 8940). Open Daily 11.30am-12 midnight. Credit cards not accepted.

For feasting under the stars…

Pars Iranian Restaurant At this alfresco eatery hidden behind the basketball courts by Satwa roundabout, you can throw off your shoes and spread out over the low seating to enjoy a spread of salads, breads, dips and kebabs under the stars. The dips can be scooped up on crispy, warm flatbreads and eaten with feta cheese and sabzi, the mixed fresh herbs that come with every Iranian meal. The kebabs are huge and marinaded to juicy perfection – try the lemony seafood platter of grilled hammour and juicy prawns, or the excellent beef option. Whatever you order, it’ll come with a mountain of rice and a grilled tomato. If the weather’s hot, cool down with some falooda, an icy, syrupy vermicelli-based dessert.

Satwa (04 398 4000). Taxi: Behind Satwa roundabout, beside Rydges Plaza hotel. Open Daily 7pm-1am. All major credit cards accepted.

For fresh seafood without the fuss…

The Fish Basket In a city where many restaurants will happily strip you of Dhs200 (plus a cooking charge) for an overcooked slab of salmon, here you can feast like a king for Dhs50 per person. Diners can either choose their own fish from the market or be guided by the knowledgeable staff. Either way, eating out here is clean, cheap and guaranteed to hit the spot. Feast on fresh bread, salads and yoghurt dips, before getting stuck into a tray of grilled hammour, battered calamari, anchovies, some super fresh crab and a couple of stately king prawns. It’s not the place for a long lingering lunch, and it’s a disastrous choice for a date, but dirham for dirham, The Fish Basket destroys most of the opposition.

Bur Dubai (04 336 7177). Taxi: Opp. Mövenpick Hotel Bur Dubai. Open Daily 10am-12.30am. All major credit cards accepted.

For a guaranteed taxi ride home…

Pak Ghazi If you’ve ever wondered where all the taxi drivers are when you leave work, they’re probably in this Pakistani stop-off. Join them on the pleasant little outdoor terrace, and treat yourself to a simple salad, raita sauce and puffed naan breads alongside shammi kebabs as soft as a Dhs10 speeding fine. Then move onto a murky peshwari chicken karahi in a kitchen-battered steel pot. The chunks of curry-soaked meat depart easily from clunky bones onto splendidly pert basmati rice, where the rugged cauliflower and clustered potato of a lively aloo gobi are bunched in a snarl-up of spice. Finish with a cup of sweet and milky tea for the road.

Bur Dubai (04 397 9711). Taxi: Bank Street, opp. BurJuman Centre. Open Daily 5am-12 midnight. Credit cards not accepted.

For the city’s best Indonesian food…

Namking This Indonesian restaurant’s unimposing façade belies an elaborate interior with shimmering candles, dark wood and brightly coloured booths. A pre-appetiser of kimchi is strangely moreish, featuring tangy cucumber strips and alarmingly bright red stained cabbage. The pak bao cakes are sublimely sticky inside-out barbecued chicken snacks, while the gado gado with tofu and green vegetables is a fresh and colourful dish sprinkled with a glorious peanut dressing. An inexpensive and enjoyable place to eat, Namking is a rarity in Dubai – an independent restaurant with a seriously stylish finish and honest and tasty food.

Bur Dubai (04 396 6388). Taxi: Behind Regent Palace Hotel. Open Daily 12 noon-2.45pm, 7pm-11.45pm. All major credit cards accepted.

For the last meal before the hunger strike…

Grand Abu Shakra Atkins dieters beware: the most popular lunchtime food in Egypt, koshari, contains enough carbohydrates to keep you sated for the next couple of decades, with lentils, pasta, chickpeas and deep-fried onion mixed up with huge quantities of rice. And if you’re feeling bold, or simply have the urge to pick up an entire animal with the palm of your hand and rip it to shreds with your teeth, go for the stuffed pigeon. Getting the meat off one of these crisp-brown former flyers involves a bit of a grapple – they’re mostly skin and bones, but when you gnaw your path through to the tiny bit of meat, you’ll find it invitingly rich and gamey. So while Egyptian food may not suit your carb-dodging health freak, it’s certainly a world of fun for your inner pigeon fancier.

Maktoum Street, Deira (04 222 9900). Taxi: Next to Al Khaleej Palace Hotel. Open Daily 8am-2am. All major credit cards accepted.

For those 3am baba ganoush cravings…

Sidra Sidra’s mezze – freshly prepared each morning – is temptingly arranged behind the first counter, while warm, small and fluffy bread is baked in the corner, near where kebabs are grilled to perfection. On Sidra’s terrace overlooking Dhiyafah Road you can sit down to bowls of hummos beiruti (blended with onions, garlic and herbs), a fattoush low on oil and high on fresh, crisp greens, and a zaatar salad, with strands of tangy, potent thyme and chopped olives. The food’s usually fantastic, but the mezze chef is prone to drizzling his food in tons of oil, so if you want to eat healthily it’s best to speak out at the time of ordering. And it’s perfect for night owls – Sidra’s open 24 hours.

Al Dhiyafah Road (04 345 3044). Taxi: Behind Jumeirah Rotana Hotel. Open Daily 24 hours. All major credit cards accepted.

Please note that all opening times listed are for regular trading hours outside of Ramadan. For timings during the Holy Month please call the restaurant directly.

By James Brennan and Matthew Lee, Wednesday April 18 2007