March 2020 – Karu's Journey

Known for its traditional Indian sweets, snacks and pure vegetarian Indian food. The brand traces its humble beginnings to 1905, originating from the royal state of Rajasthan, India. Bikanervala offers a wide range of vegetarian options to choose from.

I recently visited their branch in The Pointe – conveniently located near the parking, it is easy to spot the place. They have an elegant setting with beautiful interiors and bollywood music – giving those proper desi vibes.

The menu is super wide – offering everything from chaat to kebabs, biryanis, indian sweets and much more!

We started off with try Dahi Puri from their chaat section. A delicious plate of 6 puris partially filled with the mashed potatoes; topped with sweet tamarind chutney and beaten yoghurt and garnished with sprinklings of sev, pomegranate and finely chopped coriander leaves. If you are a fan of Dahi Puri, make sure to try this one on your visit here – you won’t regret it!

For starters, we called for the tandoori platter which included a mix of 4 different types of kebabs which were Paneer Tikka, Soya Tikka, Bhatinda Mushrooms and Firdausi Aloo.

Paneer Tikka: Paneer is quite a tricky snack as not all places serve soft paneer which is a disappointment. However, the paneer of this place was MINDBLOWING! An added feature is that the paneer they use in their dishes are all made in-house – the reason behind the freshness! Absolutely loved how delicious this was.

Soya Tikka: I’m not a fan of soya tbh but this starter was actually pretty good. The soya was marinated to perfection was extremely delectable.

Bathinda Mushroom: I can’t do my vegetarian meal without mushrooms! A die hard fan of mushroom, i had to try this snack. A flavorful spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms – a must try for all the mushrooms! Highly recommend it!

Firdausi Aloo: Stuffed with cottage cheese and chickpeas – this dish was a unique one and quite interesting. If you are a potato fan – go for this!

If you are still not ready to get to the mains, they have got a variety of street food options for you! We tried their Pad Bhaji. I’m a sucker for butterly flavorful pav bhaji. Hands down, one of the best pav bhaji’s i’ve had in Dubai! With just the right spices, the chef does full justice to this one!

Moving onto the mains, we tried their Veg Dum Biryani. This was served along with Raita. 2 words for this – Aromatic and Appetizing! With a burst of flavors – this biryani was well cooked with vegetables, herbs and spices. The raita was like a cherry on top 🙂

To end with, we tried their gulab jamun! I’m super choosy when it comes to gulab jamun as i don’t prefer it with elaichi (cardamom). Fortunately, there was no elaichi in this except just a slight aroma to it. Soft and made with perfect sweetness – i LOVED their gulab jamun! Definitely worth trying’

All in all the place definitely deserves a visit! If you’re a vegetarian, take yourself as totally sorted. And if you think vegetarian food is boring, visit the place and prove yourself wrong 😛

Located in Karama, Indian Summer offers a wide variety of Indian and Indo-Chinese selections. The restaurant is spacious and has extremely beautiful interiors. It tastefully reflects the Indian theme of art and traditions.

We tried quite a lot of vegetarian variety on our visit here. The menu is wide with enough of options for vegetarians as well as the ones who enjoy non vegetarian as well. Starting off with their selection of soups, we tried one of their best sellers – Cream of Mushroom. This one’s a traditional creamy soup flavored with mushrooms. Being a mushroom lover, this soup was DIVINE!

Moving on to starters, we tried the Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, Crispy Vegetables and Vegetable Spring rolls. You clearly know my obsession with mushrooms by now! I have tried a couple of stuffed mushrooms city wide, the ones from here fall under one of my favs in Dubai! Absolutely loved the cheese and herbs stuffing of these mushrooms. Cooked to perfection – i highly recommend trying these!

The place does indo-chinese food as perfectly as their indian selections. One thing i don’t like about spring rolls is it tends to be super oily at times. This was not the case here. They were not too oily and has a delicious stuffing of vegetables. The crispy vegetables had the perfect level of spice and just the right level of crisp. Loved every bit of this!

For mains, we ordered for a Paneer gravy (this was a new addition to the menu – unfortunately i don’t remember the name) and bucket bonanza. The paneer is made in house and tasted super fresh and soft. It was a tomato based gravy topped with grated cheese. Absolutely loved this gravy and it went very well along with the garlic naan.

Bucket Bonanza was something different i had come across! This dish is spread over on your table. You will be given gloves as its supposed to be eaten with hands. A mix of biryani rice and vegetable gravy – this looked like an actual BONANZA! A 10/10 on the creativity and taste of this dish! A must must try on your next visit!

For desserts, we tried their bestseller, moong dal ka halwa and sizzling brownie. I’m not a fan of moong dal halwa in general but this one was OH SO GOOD! Balanced sweetness and mouthwatering, this dessert has to be on your next order from here! Sizzline brownie was topped with nuts and hot chocolate sauce – i guess the description itself is enough to make you wanna have one now! 😛

All in all, the place is worth trying if you’re craving for some good indian and ino-chinese food – they serve best of both cuisines at a very affordable price. Dine-in, deliveries, takeaway – they have it all!