In my very first post I did an entry on mall food and mentioned d
e thali in Madinat Zayed in downtown Abu Dhabi, as a place more than worth a visit. After my most recent dining experience, I feel it an injustice that this little gem of a restaurant does not have wider appeal.
How would one describe it on first impressions? Imagine a hip and more cool India Palace where you do not feel overwhelmed by heavy maroons and ornate tables and chairs. De Thali is spacious and well lit and has the coolest looking menus with that recycled look about it.
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| Seriously simple styling that works for me. |
For the uninitiated, a thali is an Indian plate, typically a steel tray with compartments and will feature several small dishes. Typical dishes include rice, dal, vegetables, a choice of bread, usually roti or naan, yogurt, pickles and a sweet dish too. Depending on the region you are, a thali will differ accordingly where different Indian regions use different core ingredients in their cooking. On this occasion we went with a North Indian style vegetarian thali.
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| Our amazing thali |
We also ordered butter chicken - yes it is a cliche, but sometimes I love cliches. In addition,we ordered a kashmiri lamb dish with yogurt and chillies. Despite the very dark colour that was somewhat off- putting, it tasted delicious. As for the lamb, soft and broke up in your mouth so easily.
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| Lamb rogan josh and Butter chicken. |
Of course we ordered masala tea. I like the tea here for two reasons it is a perfectly sized cup and they got the sweetness just right. When the bill came, it was again reinforced that fine Indian food does not have to be expensive. Under 100Dhs for 2 adults and a child? All in a wonderful setting with friendly waiting staff? I would take this any day.
de thali. Delicious Indian food.
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