Shamiana Tandoori & Indian Cuisine at Deira City Centre (UAE, Dubai)

At Dubai, we stayed at Copthorne Hotel Dubai which is sited just 5 minutes walk away from the Deira City Centre (shopping mall) and the Deira City Centre Metro station. In addition, the hotel is located just 10 minutes drive away from the International Airport. To sweeten the deal further, we were upgraded to the Dubai Suite. As it was already past 2pm by the time we check in, we decided to quickly pop by the Deira City Centre for lunch. There are many restaurants located in the mall and the food there was generally quite expensive. (The cost of living here is very high too!) As we wanted something quick, we headed over to the food court. 

There were many stalls offering different variety of food in the food court such as Western, Italian, Middle Eastern and even Chinese cuisines! In the end, I decided to patronise Shamiana. Shamiana specialises in serving a wide variety of Indian cuisine such as tandoori, curry, biryani, kebab  and naan. I found out later that it is also available in food courts at other shopping malls such as The Dubai Mall, Dubai Festival City and Mall of the Emirates. It then occurred to me that it may not be so authentic after all. If I really wanted something authentic, I should have gone to explore the 'street food'.  

Chicken Tikka Biryani 28 AED (S$9.44)

I ordered the Chicken Tikka Biryani which cost 28 AED (S$9.44) and was served with a yogurt. 

Chicken Tikka Biryani 28 AED (S$9.44)

Three pieces of chicken tikka were served along with the biryani. The chicken tikka with its aromatic blend of seasonings were outstanding - soft fragrant tender meat. Whereas the basmati rice was just average. Some parts of the rice were in lumps and were not fragrant enough. 

Yogurt

The Yogurt was watery and sourish. It had a very weird taste as if it had turned bad. We took a sip each and left it untouched. I wonder if this is their version of raita which is made from yogurt and complement as a sauce to the biryani.

Overall, I thought this was just average. The chicken tikka was great, however the basmati  rice (an essential component of a biryani meal) was disappointing. Even though this was a food court, I thought that the prices here were on the high end compared to Singapore.

ps: the currency used in Dubai is called Dirhams (AED). Not all money changers in Singapore carry this currency.

Shamiana Tandoori & Indian Cuisine (UAE, Dubai)

Food Court

Deira City Centre

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel: 04 2954393

Website
Location

The locations are as follows:
A - Copthorne Hotel Dubai
B - Deira City Centre Metro station 
C - Deira City Centre Shopping Mall

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Shami Banana Leaf (Northpoint)

Northpoint Food Court has undergone a revamped and now the food court is run by Kopitiam. Previously, before the renovation, this was no doubt the most popular stall in the food court with a long queue that  can stretch to as 10 to 15 people during meal times. 

This time there was only 3 person at the stall, not a queue. (I think I know the reason why there was no queue... read on to find out)

Chicken Biryani Set $7

Remember how in my previous post in 2010 I mentioned that the price of the Chicken Biryani Set has increased from $4.50 to $6? Well, this time there is another revision in price to $7. I can understand that the price has gone up as the rental expenses are bound to increase (after the revamp) and inflation rate in 2011  in Singapore surged to 5.2%. What made me unhappy was that the 2 pieces of crackers (which are my favourites) are no longer provided in this set. Increasing the price and cutting down on quantity or quality is a big no no to me.. (that's not the way to do business).. ok enough ranting.

The Chicken Biryani Set was served with chicken, vegetable (of your choice) and rice. A very generous portion of rice was given. Each grain of rice was well cooked and curry drizzled over it, it was delish. The chicken flaming red in colour was not overly spicy. Inside, the meat was soft and tender.

I can't help but wonder if the lack of queue was due to the price increase couple with the decrease in portion. After all, last time there will always be a long queue without fail. I doubt I am eating this anytime soon. The food was good. But this is too pricey. I am better off eating other stuff.

Shami Banana Leaf (Northpoint)

930 Yishun Ave 2

#B2-10 Northpoint, Kopitiam 

Tel: 6754 3797

Opening Hours: Daily 945am to 845pm

Location

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