Years ago when I worked in Bur Dubai, one of the girls at work ordered us lunch from Gazebo. Having lived in Dubai for years, I have learned to love Indian cuisine but I still order my curries mild or non-spicy if possible. I know that’s sacrilege, but my Filipino taste buds are just not equipped to process that level of fire in my food. I can eat spice but not the fire that comes along with it. Anyway, one of the main items she ordered was chicken biryani in a clay pot covered with a very soft, warm bread. It was divine! The memory of that meal lingered until a few weeks ago when adverts for Gazebo kept on playing at the Mirdif City Centre food court screens. If we weren’t already sitting down with our meal, I probably would have dragged the family down to the central galleria to dine at Gazebo then!

We promised each other that we would sample the best the restaurant has to offer as soon as we can, and that day came last weekend on a Friday at Deira City Centre. Patrick was nearly tempted to go to PF Chang’s (again!) but I nudged him over to the dark side mwahahahaha! Erm, yes, we got us comfy seats inside the restaurant and selected our dishes as they laid out the snazzy-looking tablewear. All photos are off my iPhone by the way so excuse the lo-res quality. Hi-res posts will resume shortly.

I ordered fresh watermelon juice for me and Patrick. Bernie had orange juice. The watermelon juice was naturally sweet, no added sugar or crushed ice so it was pure watermelon goodness!

Indians love their pickles and fresh onions, but seriously I only use it to saute or grill in the oven. The smell is just too powerful for me to enjoy anything else. I apologise if I offend anyone but it did smell like someone who’s got terrible body odour was sitting at our table so I pushed it as far away from me as possible. I could have wrapped it in tissue and took it home for sauteing.

Erm, the freah naan and Murgh Maskawala didn’t last long enough to be photographed. It’s not as artsy as I would have liked but I assure you this is the creamiest butter chicken I have ever tasted. I love the one by Shamiana but this is just amazing. Plus the naan was fresh out of the oven and crispy on the edges, just the way I like it.

Patrick wanted the Gosht Yakhni Pulao but without the gosht (mutton) so we exchanged it with chicken. It was delicious! I think he would have been able to finish this entire plate on his own if we let him. Don’t you just love how long each grain of basmati rice is? And yet it’s so light and fluffy!

And the main attraction for the night, the awesomely presented Murgh Zafrani Biryani. I love how it’s served in a clay pot, which you can take home btw so don’t forget to ask your server for it! The rice at the top is very soft and fluffy but as you dig in right down to the bottom of the pot, you will hit the rich sauce and the tender chunks of chicken. Or a chunk of potato in my case! It was a delicious meal, perfect balance of spice and flavour, not too hot that I had to reach for a jug of water with every spoonful.

Speaking of spoons, do you see a spoon? I don’t. There is no spoon after all.

I give this restaurant four stars. Why one less? Well they double-charged us on the watermelon juices which I know could have been an honest mistake but if my husband weren’t checking the bill properly would have been a pain when we find out later. The service was a bit slow, but then it was dinner rush hour and the place filled up as soon as we got our table. Still not bad at all.

I highly recommend going there once to try the clay pot biryani at least.