Peppermill has been a go-to spot for Indian fare in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a few years now, predominantly serving rich North Indian food. Its fancier sister restaurant Laung by Peppermill is centred on the regal fare favoured by mughals and other royal dynasties, with a contemporary twist on the classics.
Given Indian restaurants are a dime a dozen in the UAE, The National set out to review how Laung (which translates as clove, the aromatic spice so lavishly used in Indian cuisine) sets itself apart.
What to expect and where to sit
Tucked away on the first floor of Nation Towers on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, Laung by Peppermill can seat 80 diners in an expansive space that features semi-private and private dining rooms. A glass-encased terrace offers stunning views of the skyline and the sea beyond, and should be your go-to when the weather cools.
The menu
Featuring an extensive menu with chaats, grills, curries, biryanis, breads and desserts, Laung by Peppermill offers signature Indian dishes (such as butter chicken and kadhai paneer), as well as intriguing options such as ghee roast chicken with chettinad sauce. My dining partner and I entrust chef Munish Rana with bringing us his favourites.
The meal begins with toasted poppadoms served with a trio of chutneys ― coriander, tamarind and yoghurt-based ― which whet the appetite for what is to come, alongside light and refreshing mango mojito and berrylicious mocktails.
Gol gappa aka pani puri is a cheap and cheerful staple at Indian street food restaurants. Laung's tangy gol gappa-dhappa dish is pricier than most at Dh29, but comes on little glasses and is topped with a moreish tomato chutney and slivers of papaya. The spicy-sweet water the puris are filled with does not take away from the crunch, but this is a dish best eaten quickly.
We are next served beetroot kebab (Dh55). Truth be told, I am not the biggest fan of the vegetable, but the melt-in-the-mouth patties at Laung have a crunchy exterior and are served with crumbly cheese, making for an exquisitely textured dish. The spice level complements the sweetness of the beetroot, too.
If you're not the biggest fan of spicy food, consider the murgh malai tikka (Dh59). The chicken kebab is flavourful, tender and ― to its benefit ― is served without the twist that accompanied our first two starters.
A tangy berry-chilli sorbet (Dh7) helps cleanse our palate for the mains, which are the real stars of this show.
We try the classic lamb rogan josh (Dh75), dab moilee (Dh99) and chicken meatball in makhni gravy (Dh69). The first is a Kashmiri-style braised lamb curry, and Laung’s version comes with a smooth, flavourful thick sauce with meat that falls off the bone. It's best eaten scooped up in a crunchy garlic naan (Dh17), although the restaurant also serves biryani rice (Dh33).
My dining partner, who is from Kerala, says the dab moilee (tiger prawns cooked in creamy coconut milk tempered with curry leaves and chillies), reminds him of a dish his mother cooked, which I take as a seal of approval. This curry is best paired with plain steamed rice.
With not much space for dessert, we manage only a few bites of the gulab jamun with rabri (Dh29) and shahi tukda (Dh39). Laung serves its gulab jamun warm with a nutty rabri and crunchy caramelised popcorn. The shahi tukda, meanwhile, is a calorific but decadent multilayer dish served with pista and kulfi ice cream.
Standout dish
The meatball makhni is like nothing I’ve ever had before, which is saying something given butter chicken is a staple across the subcontinent. At Laung, a giant ball of minced chicken is stuffed with butter and spices, and perched atop a pool of buttery tomato and bell pepper gravy ― a mild sauce packed with flavour. All that butter does make this dish heavy, but it's a worthy cheat treat.
A chat with the chef
Chef Rana has worked at various Taj properties, including the ones in Lucknow, Sri Lanka and Dubai. In the UAE, he has also worked at Al Murooj Rotana and award-winning Indian fusion restaurant Tresind.
Rana, who is trained in European and Indian cuisines, reveals that he plans to add a number of Indo-French fusion dishes to the menu later this year.
Price point and contact information
Dishes start at Dh29 for soup and go up to Dh119 for the lamb chops. Laung by Peppermill is open from 11am to 11pm, and reservations can be made by calling 02 886 8877.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
