Eat like a Maharaja

We’d been craving delicious Indian food so when the opportunity to review Rangoli at Yas Island Rotana came up, we didn’t think too hard before saying yes. Since we had only heard very good things and had about a handful of dishes recommended to us, we decided to visit the Wednesday night Maharaja buffet. That way, we were able to stuff ourselves silly, all in the name of research.

When we first arrived we entered the rather dimly lit restaurant to find ourselves falling into our seats. The booth was packed with green and red-orange cushions that were so soft we wanted to melt into them. Separated by dark wooden poles, our table provided enough privacy without closing us off entirely for a romantic night out.

Now to the real crowd pleaser, the food. We were first served some chaat, or Indian street food, with a twist. The chef told us that “chaat” literally translates to “lick” and after a taste we knew we’d be licking our plates clean. The variety of mixed chaats, each housed in a small and delicate bamboo container, was delicious. Our favourites included the channa chaat and papri chaat. The channa chat had enough spice to kick our taste buds while the lentil cakes, tamarind, mint chutney and yogurt sauce combine for the perfect trifecta of sweet, sour and tartness.

Plates licked clean, it was time to hit the buffet and after one round we were back for seconds. We started off with appetisers (pakoras, fried fish and tandoori chicken) before sampling the curries. We recommend you fill up on tandoori chicken, which was a flavourful orange tinged finger expedition and the paneer curry which, strangely enough, was also another orange stained venture, that once again left us licking our digits.

We retreated back to our cushions after we’d gorged ourselves on the best Indian we’ve had so far in Abu Dhabi and were given dessert and some masala tea. The warm gulab jamin cannot be missed as is the coconut barfee, a traditional Indian sweet dressed up with silver leaf.

Sawaiba Khan

What? Rangoli, Yas Island Rotana
When? Wednesdays, Maharaja Buffet
Cost: AED 158, inclusive of beverages
We say: Worth the journey out to Yas Island!
Contact: 02 656 4000