Khadak is no hidden gem. Since opening in November, the Indian restaurant has already earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, awarded for “good quality, good value cooking” – an accolade it picked up only six months after opening.
I visit on a Friday afternoon in the summer, usually a quiet time in the UAE, but not here. Word is out: Khadak is the place for atmosphere, striking decor and excellent food.
The concept comes from Naved Nasir, former chef director of UK chain Dishoom – an institution famed for its food and infamously long queues. At Khadak, he brings the same energy with one Dubai-friendly twist – reservations are welcome, so no waiting in 40ºC sunshine on Al Wasl Road.
The restaurant is named after a road in Mumbai’s street food district Bhendi Bazaar, and the menu is inspired by the fare served in the area. Inside, the look is as considered as the cooking – rattan furniture, asymmetrical art, antique electronics, colourful tiles and velvet upholstery. It feels like the chic living room of a friend who knows how to entertain.
Sharing is the way to go. We start with morel cheese kulcha with truffle butter, karari kale chaat and tangra prawns, joined by murgh malai Sichuan and patthar ka gosht from the grill. I have since read that the keema pao on the menu is inspired by the famed Radio Cafe in Mumbai, so that will be on my list the next time I go back.
The kulcha is indulgent, gooey, creamy and irresistible. The chaat bursts with colour and crunch, crisp kale against pomegranate, chutney and yoghurt. The standout is the tangra prawns: tangy, ginger-garlic perfection.
The grilled dishes impress too. The murgh malai Sichuan brings smoky, succulent chicken marinated in warm, gentle spices. Patthar ka gosht, a “Hyderabadi heirloom”, arrives under a smoke-filled glass dome for tableside theatre. The tender goat slices, paired with saffron rotis, are worth the drama.
It is at this stage that I realise the grilled dishes are not the main course. Too full to consider two or three more sharing dishes, we order the Khadak daal to share – slow-cooked black lentils, creamy and buttery with a tomato base, comfort in a clay bowl. I take the leftovers home, happily.
Dessert is impossible to skip. After chai, we try the Malabar coffee milk cake, a lighter cousin of tiramisu, spongy and subtly rich. Then Nasir himself insists on the mango milk cake, which acts as a bright summery addition to our table, all in honour of mango season. Layered with cream and fresh Alphonso, it was launched in May and was meant to rotate off the menu, but fan demand may keep it permanent.
Less than a year in, Khadak already feels like a Dubai dining institution. With food, detail and atmosphere to match its Michelin recognition, it’s a place I’ll keep returning to. The number of people I have told about the meal since is testament to that.
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