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The Best Thing To Happen To Eggs – Tamota Par Edu
I have written several times about being a foodie, what extents we go to sample our favourite cuisine or explore the new. When I was in Delhi, I was extremely passionate about new eateries, cuisines I hadn’t had yet, and try new places where I was not even authorised to enter (like state guest houses or consulates) but used to get in somehow (by requests, or in the pretext of some food/art/film festival organised there). I knew these were sometimes extreme measures, and many of my friends used to refrain from that, though the foodie friends always came along, but most of the times I went alone.
This post is not about my trysts and foodie stories (which would though get me started), but the same passion that was revived by a certain eatery called Kebab Bistro. After coming to Dubai, I was exposed to many new cuisines of the world, but the Indian regional cuisines disappointed, beside the options too are sparse. I had forgotten about my former self who’d go crazy for a restaurant or a dish and take everyone there one by one, just to sample every dish they have on their menu.
Parsi cuisine and cafes have always been romanticized in the magazines and papers I’ve been reading since childhood. Unfortunately Delhi didn’t have any restaurant that I know of, that offered Parsi cuisine. When I finally found one there, I made sure I had my fill whenever I could. Coming to Dubai, I had forgotten about it, and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon a small quaint diner in Jumeriah 1. Though they specialize in kebabs, as the name suggests: Kebab Bistro, they are mighty good in the Parsi cuisine.
Not knowing that it’s a Parsi diner, I bought the groupon for their kebabs 2 years back, and I am glad that I did, else I wouldn’t have possibly known about this diner that is hidden away inside a sleepy neighborhood where only the neighbors would be knowing about it. In a small shopping complex (if it could be called one) which even houses the famous Smiling BKK, Kebab Bistro has a larger dining area al fresco than inside, which would possibly seat 10-12 people. Good option on a wintry noon, overlooking the Burj Khalifa, surrounded by a lush nursery. They also have an outlet in Karama now.
What makes Kebab Bistro a super-yum diner is that it has everything perfect. Right from the green chutney, cumin infused yogurt and the crunchy salad while you order your food, to the mint cooler that is so refreshing that you’d forget about the Dubai summer. Equally refreshing and amazing is their dahi chaat. The spices in the chilled yogurt make for a tangy chaat.
Starting with kebabs, the Bihari Boti is exactly how it should be, the authentic one. It comes in a sizzling wok, the aroma and the sweet sound of sizzle enough to make you satiate. The spices are perfect, not too spicy yet lending the flavors. The seekh kebab is spicy & juicy too, a welcome change from the bland ones I encounter almost in every restaurant. It’s best had in their paranthas as a roll, which is splashed with green chutney.
Coming to curries, I would demarcate their menu into two (which even they do), a North Indian fare starring Chicken Kadhai in the main lead. It has got the oomph factor, the right tang. Not the oily, capsicum-y, tomato-ish, coriander-ful stuff you get elsewhere, but the real deal, topped with green chillies and coriander leaves. Also good is the Ginger Chicken, something different that you’d have.
 
But the winner at Kebab Bistro is the Parsi cuisine, which they are experts at. Whether it’s the subtlety of their Mutton Dhansak, richness of Sali Boti, spiciness of Patra ni Macchi (which comes encased in a banana leaf), crustiness of Prawn Kawab or the goodness of Mutton Curry Chawal, everything here stands out. Every dish is worth celebrating, every morsel worth dying for!
I have been having these dishes for quite a while now, but lately discovered their Tamota Par Edu, an egg curry which I always ignored to be too humble for my taste, but it overwhelmed me crazy. It was a shocker. A dish so flavorful that I went to the diner some 7-8 times in two weeks, just to hog down that Tomato Par Edu. Everytime I went there, I took some new friends along, so that I could share my joy and discovery with everyone. And all of them were of the opinion that after a long long time they had something unique, something very tasty. On a rich & tangy gravy of tomato, they place two poached eggs, and also have the eggs yolk separately cooked and sprinkled on the sides. The heavenly taste is best complemented with rice, which I couldn’t believe it would. It has become my utmost favorite, something I would thank Dubai for. Now Dubai feels like a yum place to live!
End the meal with their Laganu Custard. The crust is brown, lending a smoky flavor, dotted with Chiroji nuts. The inside is soft & sweet. This brown-ish custard has a homely feel, something you’d find in a Parsi café in Mumbai. 
Only one advice for those going there: Go super hungry, eat to your heart’s content. The portion sizes are good for 2 people usually.
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