Grazing on Indian Food at Masala Craft in Century Village, Dubai

  • Category: Food
  • December 5, 2018

If you haven’t visited Century Village in Dubai yet, add it to your foodie bucket-list because this is one of Dubai’s favorite venues for Al Fresco dining, especially with Dubai’s gorgeous weather these days. Masala Craft serves up a mélange of different cuisine from all across India and is a refreshing, lush, and cozy venue that serves up high-quality Indian food just as we like it.

We were welcomed by tiny deconstructed pani puri shots which were small glasses filled with a pungent green chutney, topped with the characteristic wafer sphere with a hollowed out center that held the tiny spiced chickpeas. It was a novel idea and fun to eat.

As the cold weather often induces a craving for hot crispy friend pakodas (fritters)—these onion, eggplant, and potato rounds were served with a spicy, sweet chutney. Our non-vegetarian barbecue platter was another cold weather treat with lasooni tikka, pahadi seekh kebobs, hariyali machli (green fish), chicken papdi, shammi kebob, koliwada jheenga, and rawa fish. All of these were melt-in-your mouth delicious and when dipped into the green mint and coriander based chutney, was perfect.

The dal makhani, one of my absolute favorite lentils, was a dark, creamy, and aromatic spiced lentil curry that was a treat to eat with the accompanying crispy garlic naaans. We also enjoyed chicken tariwala—chicken cooked in traditional style gravy along with their signature dish—khushk raan; which was tender leg of baby mutton delicately flavored with dry spices. Masala Craft also does lovely mojitos and mocktails; I tried the colada which is always my favorite and my daughter had a mango lassi which is an indulgent treat.

Despite being full from the delicious food, we always have room for dessert. We indulged in Angoori rabdi which was grape sized gulab jamins (sweet dumplings) in a reduced milk sauce which was exceptionally rich, creamy, and a true delight to eat. And the gajjar ka halwa—a warm and rich carrot
dessert slow cooked with thickened reduced milk and sugar. A must-eat during the winter.

The Verdict: Masala Craft is a wonderful place to go for a cozy, but delicious Indian meal that’s delightfully spiced and aromatic with just the right balance of spice to make it delicious. Take your friends and family and you will surely not be disappointed.

Visit: https://centuryvillage.ae/restaurants/masala-craft/