Barbecue Delights | Ibn Battuta Mall

Last night we turned to desi comfort food and drove all the way to Ibn Battuta Mall to try out the best of Pakistani food and grills at Barbecue Delights. A favorite among Desis for comfort Pakistani food, this restaurant flaunts a long history of serving up delicious desi fare across D-town. Offering the option of a buffet, which is a big hit, their a la carte menu is not worth a miss either.

While I’ve visited BBQ Delights on several occasions, this was my first visit to their newly opened Ibn Battuta branch. The interiors are as chic and colorful, as the vibrancy of their food. And talking about food, read on to find out what we tried.

Their new chaat menu at the counter instantly caught my eye, and I knew I had to begin my dinner with this before I dove into the BBQ. Our first choice was the classic pani puri that featured a lovely mashed potato stuffing and the usuals of sweet chutney and spicy water on the side. Pani puri alone is no fun, so our server suggested we take up the chaat quotient by adding some papdi chaat to our table. A mish mash of papdi with potatoes, yogurt, sev, chutney and LOTS of different spices, this was a explosion of flavors. I would have liked it slightly spicier though.

After the chaat, our first choice in starters, without a doubt, had to be their Lahori Fried Fish. I’m a little biased to this dish because I had tried it at one of their other branches before, and I couldn’t help but start drooling as soon as I saw this on the menu. Crispy fried fish fillet marinated with a truck load of unique spices, this one reminded a little of Amritsari machli (since it hails from the similar region), but had it’s own unique aftertaste of garlic, cumin, coriander and carom seeds.

And then came the blast of kebabs! We were dining at a restaurant that has the very word barbecue in its name, so trying out at least 3 different options from their grills section was mandatory. Bihari kebabs have always been my fav, so when I found out these were one of their signature dishes, I knew I had to try these. Wrapped in a spicy marinade and supremely tender inside, these had that melt-in-your-mouth texture. A must have if you like spicy food, else go for the next option of malai tikkas. Who doesn’t like malai tikkas? I mean come on, who has never said no to a malai tikka? Right? Mini morsels of absolutely juicy chicken cooked in a creamy yogurt and cheese marinade, and then grilled to perfection, always has my heart. These are not spicy, but are packed with lots of
flavor, and certainly worth a try (especially if you’ve never had these before). Seekh kebabs have been my weakness ever since I was little. Something about Friday lunches with mom and dad, how mom used to wrap these up in roti so nicely and the whole nostalgia related to that experience pushes me towards ordering these every time I’m at a bbq restaurant. These too were a signature item on the menu and rightly so, with all that juiciness of minced mutton engulfed with spices and char-grilled to give it that smoky flavor. While I had these as is, you should definitely try them as a wrap with tandoori or roomali roti.

We were hardly done digesting the grills, when we were brought our mains. A specialty, not only at this restaurant, but in the whole of Pakistan, the Mutton Karahi was brilliant. Tender mutton chunks paired with a spicy gravy garnished with ginger and green chilies couldn’t have gotten any better. And the fact that it’s served in an authentic karahi wok takes the cake. We loved the roghni and garlic naan this gravy was paired with. You didn’t think I would leave without trying the Chicken Biryani, did you? A very humble preparation, their biryani was full of flavor and fragrance. I did miss the aloo though.

Classics can never go wrong, which is why we opted for the classic Pakistani kheer for dessert. Very rich, very creamy and very silky, this rice pudding was simply brilliant. Must have! Oh trust me, we were full. Really really full. But when the staff insisted we try the kulfi too, we couldn’t refuse. I loved loved loved this. My only regret was it was too heavy and I had no space left for any more food, and the fact that we couldn’t pack this up for later. If you’re a kulfi fan, just blindly order this dessert and you will thank me later.

To end our experience on a warm note, and to pay an ode to their warm hospitality, we had a warm cup of karak tea.

Barbecue Delights

Location: China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall, Jebel Ali Village, Dubai
Contact: 04 5668479

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