Bikanervala Courtyard | Al Seef
Tucked in a small corner of the ‘old’ Al Seef is a very modern outlet of Bikanevala Courtyard. Built to sync in with the traditional souq styled facade, albeit maintaining a distinct contemporary appeal, this pure vegetarian restaurant offers a plethora of food and drink options, right from lip-smacking street chaat to filling curries and rice dishes, and a refreshing selection of mocktails and milkshakes.
Because Bikanervala is such a legacy, the expectations are always high. And when a restaurant of this calibre decides to experiment with fusion food, the stakes are set high. I’m quite happy and rather relieved to say that they fared well across everything – right from creativity and presentation to the actual taste of the dishes.
Like always, we decided to go with most of the staff recommendations and requested for a couple of dishes that we liked. For appetizers, we tried Chinese Bhel, Sunheri Kurkuri, Dahi Ke Kebab and Dahi Puri.
Featuring crispy noodles tossed in a spicy tangy garlic sauce, the Bhel was spectacular. Sunheri Kurkuri was another marvel. I loved the presentation in shot glasses, while the veggie filling and crusty vermicelli coating made it taste just wow. Dahi Puri, presented in a humble manner, packed a punch in terms of its sweet and sour tastes. And as for Dahi Ke Kebab, I feel I have grown to liking these little creamy hung yogurt morsels more than ever (especially when they are served with a spicy green chutney).
Since the climate was cool enough, but still slightly warm owing to the afternoon, we decided to sip on a Mint Mojito and a Cucumber Lemon Mint mocktail. Both the drinks were as refreshing as can be, with the latter highlighting flavors of kiwi and green apple. They’ve got an exhaustive list of mocktails, milkshakes and juices, so you can be pretty sure you’ll find something you like.
Next up was mains, and since I was craving the simplicities of Indian food, we opted for a Makhani Malai Kofta with Pudina Parantha along with a classic combination of Jeera Rice and Yellow Dal. If I called these dishes brilliant, that would be a major understatement, for they were delicious, filling and comforting – all at the same time. I loved the texture of the malai kofta, although make sure you ask them to go a little easy on the butter if you’re looking for something slightly less greasy. The dal rice, as humble as it can be, was the most rewarding part of my lunch at Bikanervala Courtyard.
I don’t know why, but we always get full by the time it comes to ordering desserts, and more often than not, we pick the lightest and most easiest option at a place where we could have really indulged. Thankful for not being a sweet tooth, I have come to terms with just sampling a little sweet at the end of the meal, but if you love your desserts, make sure you keep enough space for fusion desserts, kulfis, rabdi, halwa and more.
Since it was a lovely afternoon and almost tea time by the time we were done with our lunch, the only obvious choice for a tea lover like me was to sip on a hot cup of tea. And well, it brought back tons of memories from back home and made my afternoon complete.
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Everything about this place is welcoming. The location, the ambience and obviously, the food. I want to keep coming back to Bikanervala Courtyard to try out all the chaat on their menu. Plus, the winters are ideal to visit this Al Seef outlet, since they have a lovely outdoor seating blessed with the cool winds from the creek. Try their chaat, sunehri kurkuri and if you want something more meal like, then you’ll love their dal chawal.
Bikanervala Courtyard
Location: Shop 143, Al Seef, Al Seef Street, Umm Hurair, Dubai
Contact: 04 3885553
