A princely Iftar at Jodhpur Royal Dining

Last night’s Iftar was nothing less of a meal fit for a king. Jodhpur Royal dining really takes you on a Royal Iftar journey. Their Iftar set menu is dotted with impressive food choices, excellent service and the unbeatable hospitality extended by Chef Pradeep Khullar and his wonderful team, all this in a luxurious setting. Dining in here is a treat to all the senses.

Start by taking a look at the palatial interiors of this restaurant and read on for a detailed review of their Iftar offerings.

Probiotic Drink Cooler

This is how we broke our fast at Jodhpur last evening.

This lovely probiotic drink is made entirely out of veggies. The combination of beetroot and coriander makes it really light and healthy on a fasting stomach. Plus it cools down your system, preparing you for a delicious feast ahead.

Textures of Dates

There can’t be an iftar without dates and these fusion dates are just perfect. The Textures of Dates at Jodhpur feature pitted dates in the center topped with gold leaf and stuffed with a mixture of rice crisps and dark chocolate.

The little date pops come with the same mix, only these are coated with coconut milk powder and French Feuilletine for a little fusion.

Macaroon Chat

Just look at these stunning Macaroon Chat pieces from Jodhpur Royal Dining. If these don’t tempt you enough to head over to the restaurant right away, I don’t know know what will!

In my very honest opinion, these little gems have created a very strong personality for themselves in the Dubai dining scene. They are masterpieces that capture the very essence of creativity and experimentation. My only complaint is that Jodhpur doesn’t sell these in take away packs so we can enjoy them at home 🙁
Are you listening Chef Pradeep Khullar?!

Kidney Bean Hummus

There’s no way you’ll guess what this is!

Deceiving you into believing it’s a dessert, this sneaky starter is actually a creamy kidney bean chickpea hummus sphere dressed up like a Mandarin doppleganger. It is coated with orange juice jelly for a Mandarin skin. Served with a crisp toasted baguette, it ticks all the boxes by fulfilling the need of hummus at Iftar while also staying true to its Indian-ness with the use of kidney beans.

I’d like it more spicy, with an extra baguette, and maybe a little drizzle of citrus oil to go with the whole look!

Mango & Passion Fruit Cooler

A little sweet, a little spicy, goes a long way. This mango and passion fruit cooler at Jodhpur Royal Dining came with all my favorites.

The creamy fruity blend was enhanced with lots of chillies giving it a spicy kick. I would recommend having this chilled with lots of ice for the perfect taste.

Beef Koftas

Moving on to more meaty appetizers, we dug into these Beef Koftas.

Made from pulled beef, these koftas get their fusion with the kataifi pastry coating. They are flash fried until crunchy from outside and cotton like from within, and served over and topped with a unique strawberry chilli chutney. This chutney works perfectly in tandem to balance the sweet and spicy flavors and complement the meat. Quite filling this one, the chutney really adds a creative twist.

Lamb Haleem

This one has been my favorite ever since I tried it at the Jodhpur station during the cocktail reception at Roda Al Murooj.

The Lamb Haleem that makes one of the best choices for Iftar traditionally, carries on its legacy at Jodhpur with a revamped look. Made with seasoned boneless mutton that’s cooked for 24 hours along with spices and herbs, this deliciously smooth Haleem is topped with crispy onions, crunchy potato sticks and coriander roots and served in a mini pan. A final squeeze of lemon juice gives it the perfect finish. That’s the thing about dishes at Jodhpur. First they wow you with their presentation and then with the taste and later with the craving to have them again and again and again.

Koliwada Prawns

To an NRI Mumbaikar like myself, Koliwada is synonymous to a crowded fishermen village that smells of sea, seafood and everything I would not willingly walk into. But these Koliwada Prawns at Jodhpur Royal Dining are a complete contrast.

These tender morsels of tempura fried jumbo prawns are tossed in an onion, chili and curry leaf spice mix. This adds that authentic Koliwada flavor touch. Every bite has a lovely crunch to it which draws you towards the next, and then the next. These prawns are served alongside a swatch of beetroot wasabi dip. Plus, they are garnished with dehydrated milk foam crisp which took me back to the childhood taste of milk powder.

Thanks for all these wonders Chef Pradeep Khullar!

Butter Chicken

As we moved from course to course, we landed on the deconstructed Butter Chicken. While my last stint at Jodhpur (almost a year back) had me swooning over their Chesnut & Chicken kulcha, this one was quite similar, yet quite different.

Where your regular butter chicken comes with pieces of the meat cooked in rich buttery gravy, this one had a shredded chicken tikka meatball, stuffed with butter inside and coated with crumbs on the outside. The flash fried crunchy sphere is presented dry with a slim naan on the side. And on serving, it enjoys a lovely dressing of makhani sauce.

The creaminess in the gravy is to die for. And it goes perfectly well with yet another Jodhpur classic – Chur Chur kulcha and Faux Dal Makhani.

If you are a self acclaimed butter chicken aficionado, then this one’s for you.

Ghee Roast Mutton Boti

What was the first thing I noticed in this dish? The coconut of course!

While Chef Pradeep Khullar kept explaining what this creation was, all I could think of was biting into those dry coconut pieces. And after all, it’s this very fruit that adds so much texture and flavor to the Ghee Roast Mutton Boti.

Cooked in a coconut based gravy along with onions, tomatoes and spices, this dish features boneless meat of lamb leg. It’s inclined more towards the Western coastal regions of India. I knew this instantly, thanks to the Goan flavors which were a big hit with my Goan plus one.

The Dosai crisp dressed up as a cone made the perfect accompaniment while lending a southern touch to the dish.

Chicken Biryani

You should never, I repeat, NEVER, say no to a good biryani. Especially when that recipe comes from a creative mastermind like Chef Pradeep Khullar. Being a hard core biryani lover with a quest to sample this one single dish at every possible restaurant I can, I had to step back for a minute and slap myself inside my head for not having tried this before at Jodhpur.

Well, it’s not fancy with smoke coming off it. Neither does it have half a dozen variants. And nor is it served in an earthen pot covered with dough. But yet it is more special than all these things combined. It tasted like home. It tasted like something my mom would make had she been around.

After my dinner, I ended up asking Chef Pradeep for a basic biryani recipe, because this was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn’t be more humbled on receiving an open invitation to his kitchen to learn how this favorite is made. This Biryani made such a wonderful place in my heart, I got more than half of it back home and ate it all by myself. No sharing at all!

And yes, it’s served with a classic Burhani cumin raita on the side.

Mango Two Ways

This dessert is many things and ordinary isn’t one of them. Crafted elegantly, the Mango two ways cheesecake and kulfi duo at Jodhpur is comes with the best of ingredients.

Alphonso mangoes combines with Philadelphia cream cheese for the cheesecake. In addition to a freshly chopped mango topping, it is garnished with an intricately designed sesame studded glucose glass. Made with full cream milk, vanilla essence, fresh mango pulp and a touch of cardamom, the Mango kulfi in the backdrop is a true classic. This dessert is a must for anyone who fancies everything mango. And the mangoes, well they are just impeccable.

Sticky Burfi

The final item on our multiple course Iftar menu at Jodhpur was this Sticky Burfi with banana barrel and cinnamon ice cream. This scrumptious block is essentially an Indianized version of sticky pudding, topped with a caramelized banana barrel.

But what really took the cake (pun intended) was that creamy scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

The strong cinnamon flavor perfectly matches the sticky sweet nature of the caramel. If it was up to me, I would combine the cinnamon ice cream from this dessert with the mango cheesecake.

Jodhpur

Location: Roda Al Murooj, Downtown Dubai, Dubai
Contact: 04 3559846