Bottomless platter at Chor Bazaar

What if you could enjoy great Indian fo od on a “bottomless” plate where the dishes never disappear no matter how much you eat? It’s not a foodie fantasy, but a hot new craze at Chor Bazaar. The eatery in Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel now offers the thali, a traditional Indian meal served on a round plate with small bowls of different curries, rice, grilled meat varieties, bread and chutneys. The food never stops coming in the Dh139 all-you-can-eat deal. There is no menu, no orders, no waiting. Just no-holds-barred feasting. But they tease you first, before the platter arrives. There is a shot of chaas, a foamy, salty and minty yoghurt-based drink typically served in the summer for its cooling effect. It comes with Dahi Puri on the side; a flaky and crunchy ball of razor-thin fried bread stuffed with tangy tamarind, sweet yogurt and finely diced onions and tomatoes. You pop it in the mouth and it bursts with the juicy flavours swirling about. Another starter arrives — hot tomato soup in a tea cup — and you wonder if it’s the last stop (it is) before the unstoppable food train — the thali — arrives to take you as far you wish to go. It looks deceptively non-dominating — just a few curry bowls with rice and bread. You start dipping the naan bread — baked in a traditional clay oven called tandoor — in the curries one by one, until you find out which ones you like most and their levels start to plummet. There is the spicy hot Malabar curry (from the Indian region with the same name), buttery and creamy Makhani gravy, Kashmiri Roghan Josh with that peculiar saffron taste, heavy and filling Daal Makhni (black lentils in butter sauce), and the humble Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese). However, the game-changer is a long skewer studded with a variety of kebabs and tikkas. The chef brings it out from the live cooking station and slides the grills on the plate. Suddenly the thali looks like it gained a tonne. “Will I be able to finish all this?” is your first thought. The next one, after you take a bite, is: “Wow! I’m going to eat it all.” The sheesh kebab is spicy and juicy and really soft. The chicken tikka is also melt-in-the-mouth tender but has a delicate flavour that needs more oomph — dip it in your favourite curry and you are on cloud nine. And taking you even higher are the prawns — golden brown on the outside, fluffy snow-white inside. They beg a liberal curry dousing and the bread takes a backseat. The best, in our view, are the sheesh kebab and boti lamb kebab — cooked to well-done strength and infused with Indian masala. It’s marinated with saffron as well, and has just the right balance of texture and taste that brings out that red-meat flavour you can’t expect from chicken or fish. There is also a bowl of rice, which will make you full quickly, so use it sparingly. We couldn’t finish the curries or rice, but had seconds of grills and bread. Once you get used to hot grills served in a flash on your plate straight from the oven, it’s hard to stop. But you do stop, much sooner than you think you would. If you’re smart, you’ll leave room for the dessert, which was gulab jamun when we were there. For us, it was the perfect finish to our flavour-filled journey. DETAILS: Cost: Dh139 per meal Location: Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel Parking: Valet available Call: 04-444 0000