Dil Se Desi | Bengali Cuisine in Bur Dubai

There are those few times when food isn’t meant to fill up your stomach; it’s meant to touch your heart. And this is one of those. Offering a beautiful combination of Bengali and Mughlai cuisines, Dil Se Desi brings out the classic flavors of these regional delights with their variety. Flaunting a full-fledged menu – including starters, mains and more – for both these fares, they are equipped to cater to a multitude of tastes. Located in a quiet lane, in an otherwise not so quiet Mankhool area, you can easily spot this restaurant on the ground level of Pearl Residence Hotel Apartments.

We speak to owners Sancheeta & Sudip Acharya who tell us their journey from leaving full time corporate jobs to fulfil their dreams of starting their own restaurant. Alongside tasting some of their best dishes across both cuisines, we hear stories of how they had to wait for the perfect Bengali chef before launching the Bengali menu. Or how the restaurant is open for over 21 hours from 530 am to 2 am serving not only Bengali or Mughlai food lovers, but also hotel apartment guests, office goers, deliveries and takeaways. All these stories are accompanied with the pride of winning the title as one of the Top 10 Hidden Gems of 2019 from Dubai Food Festival.

A little over a year old, Dil Se Desi has already made a special place in the hearts of the Bengali community in Dubai and beyond, but what’s surprising is how many non-Bengalis it attracts as well. Sancheeta tells us how diners travelling from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah take a pit stop at the restaurant for lunch. Such is the love for food, and such is the love for Dil Se Desi.

Bengali Cuisine

As soon as we settle down, we are offered in-house water (quite a rarity, but much-needed in Dubai), followed by a pre-starter of Bengali styled Jhaal Mudi. Puffed rice and sev tossed in spices and filled in a papad cone make for perfect conversation starters while keeping your hunger in check. Then comes in our Bengali starter platter that features a couple pieces each of Vegetable Chop, Dimer Devil (Aloo) and Chingri Chop. With a crisp thin coating, the Vegetable Chop features a hearty filling of beetroots, carrots, ginger and chili. This no onion, no garlic cutlet is a pleasant surprise. Dimer Devil comes with a boiled egg covered with mashed boiled potato and deep-fried to give it a crisp outside. Based on your preference, you can opt for these cutlets in Mutton or Fish instead of potatoes as well. However, what really tickles my taste buds is the prawns or Chingri Macher Chop. A mish mash of prawns, deep-fried to give it a beautiful golden coating makes the perfect choice for evening bites. These cutlets come with a distinct mustard sauce on the side known as Kasundi. It’s a must try, for it instantly enhances the flavor of every item.

We almost expect to move to the main course next, but instead we’re offered a snack course, which is quite a regular thing for Bengalis. My favorite dish from the evening, this one is a Matarshuti Kochuri and Alu Dum that features a small portion of potato curry with peas puri. The curry is simply brilliant, and we love the gravy that coats the chunky yet tender spuds. And it honestly couldn’t have found a better match that those puris stuffed with peas. The light green hue on the puris is such a pleasant sight!

Next arrive the mains, and we are astonished with the sheer variety of dishes we are offered. We start with two different types of veg dishes – Muger Dal (Lebu Pata) and Dhokar Dalna – that are served along with steamed white rice and Jhuri Alu Bhaaja. Muger Dal is simply brilliant. A basic moong dal enhanced with lime leaves brings out such a refreshing, tangy flavor that goes perfect with steamed rice. I especially love that hint of Thai the lime leaves lend to this humble lentil. Dhokar Dalna is a more thick gravy based curry that features fried lentil cakes as its highlight. The Jhuri Alu Bhaaja or fried potato slits served on the side almost remind me of Gujrati or Parsi farsan, commonly known as potato salli. Tempered with peanuts and curry leaves, these are great to munch on and balance the creamy dal chawal.

Another set of mains include two versions of the Bengali staple – fish. The first one – Doi Ruyi is a fried Rohu fish covered in a yogurt based gravy. A little tangy for my liking this one comes with a bone-in fish which instantly shoots up an alert signal in brain. My friends are happy to help by removing the bones for me and making sure I eat only the fillet. The other fish – Paturi Bhetki is covered in a rich mustard gravy and steamed inside a banana leaf. Much more palatable for me, this dish uses a boneless fillet of bhetki or Barramundi fish. Both these fishes come with a side of a sweet tomato khejur chatni which is another staple among Bongs.

Sancheeta tells us how certain dishes can take up to 40 minutes to prepare, but she assures everything is made from scratch with every order and nothing is merely heated up at the time of serving. She adds that most of their patrons are well aware of the time stretch, but they don’t mind it anymore since they know what they are being served will be the best of the best. And then, there’s always an option to call in and place your order while you are still on your way!

Mughlai Cuisine

You must think we reached the end of our meal, and the only thing that would come next would be dessert, but hold your horses, because what comes next is another set of starters and mains from the Mughlai menu!

To balance out all that food with some lighter notes, we are offered a sweet and spicy concoction of a mango chili mocktail. Served in a salt rimmed glass, this drink comes with mango juice that was enhances with green chili, coriander, honey and more. The flavors are absolutely refreshing. I almost almost order a pitcher but realise I am way too full for that.

The Mughlai dishes begin with a newly launched selection of Kolkata Kathi Rolls. We try the egg roll as well as the chicken roll and both exceed our expectations. The paratha is as crisp as a potato chip and the filling inside is generous, with its spiciness on point. The green chutney dip adds an extra spicy element to the roll. Sudip asks our views on the kathi rolls and we tell him how we would love to have the egg kathi roll for breakfasts, while the chicken roll would make a great choice for midnight cravings.

Next up, it’s time for Mughlai mains and we are left drooling with the sight of a grand Kolkata Style Chicken Alu Dum Biryani. The plating looks so perfect, we are almost too scared to want to eat it. Topped with a couple of chicken pieces, a chunky potato and a boiled egg, this is exemplary of how every biryani should be. Served with a raita on the side, we eat a couple of heaped spoonfuls of the rice along with the succulent chicken before we decide to get the rest packed for next day’s lunch.

But it’s not just next day’s lunch that’s sorted. We are brought two more dishes that guarantee our dinner plans for the next day will be taken care of too. The Bengali style Chicken Kashmiri is a rich tomato, onion and cream based gravy that’s enhanced with dry fruits, and while its Bengali version is eaten with biryani rice, it can be paired with roti or paratha as well. The Mutton Rezala is a meat stew cooked in a thick yogurt based gravy, which goes perfect with paratha. This one is a favorite during Bengali new year celebrations.

Finally (for real this time) it is our chance to sample something sweet. Bengalis are known for their love of sweet meats. From Rasgulla and Sandesh to Mishti Doi and Cham Cham, Bengalis have pioneered the art of sweet making. After the roller coaster foodie ride we had been on, we request for just one simple dessert and we are brought the special Phirni. The first look reminds me of dudhi halwa from back home in Mumbai, and the taste is quite close too. The rich mawa that’s used in making the phirni really stands out and lends that utterly creamy taste that makes us want to eat spoon and spoon despite being so full already. The dry fruit garnish adds a richer taste to the dense dessert.

Tip: Go there with a big appetite. Bengalis love food, and love to serve them to their guests even more. Their portions are hearty and the quality of the food is top notch. Although the wait time can be slightly longer than usual, you can rest assured you will get food that’s made to order. A common practice among their regular customers includes sending across a message or making a call to the restaurant beforehand with their order, so the food can be ready by the time they arrive.

Dil Se Desi offers various packages and discounts for breakfast and lunch. They also run a Bengali buffet every other weekend. And the restaurant comes equipped with a party hall making it a great choice to host large dinners, get-togethers and more!

Dil Se Desi

Location: Pearl Residence Hotel Apartments, Street 18, Mankhool, Dubai
Contact: 04 3553834

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