Lazeez is a newly opened Indian restaurant situated on Hamdan Street. It is a place that aims to provide a ‘royal’ yet classically home-style experience, with sensitively spiced curries, smoky grills and generous portions.
From the moment you step into this little gem, you know you’ve found something special. General manager Sadiq Khan greets guests on arrival and continues to be unobtrusively solicitous throughout.
With its authentic Mughal-style interior, rich and exotic coloured walls, bright paintings that give a very vibrant feel to the room, plenty of golden ornate bits and pieces and gleaming chandeliers, Lazeez tries to take patrons back to that era to provide a splendid experience.
Seated by the swift, friendly and attentive staff, we began our meal with papad (crisp Indian lentil pancake served roasted or fried) partnered with shikanjvi (freshly squeezed lime juice churned with water or soda).
Next up, a delectable murgh malai seekh kabab (char-grilled mildly spiced chicken mince seekh with herbs) followed by a gosht seekh kabab (mutton mince blended with fresh coriander, mint, ginger root, onion and subtle spices, skewered and char-grilled) arrived at the table.
The kababs were served piping hot from the grill, delicate and flavoursome. Delicious, both my companion and I agreed.
And although I am personally not much of a mutton fan, I found myself finishing it all. But it was the murgh malai seekh kabab that proved the standout amongst the delicious delicacies.
For the mains, dum handi gosht (tender boneless mutton prepared and tossed with coarsely ground spices cooked in dum) arrived, juicy and well spiced. The house specials are worth ordering, especially the murgh masala biryani (juicy chunks of chicken spiced with masala and aromatic basmati rice cooked in dum, served in a sealed clay pot). The biryani was full of flavour, with excellent use of numerous herbs and spices, and our choice of mutton rewarded with further expertise by the chef. The accompanying roomali roti (handkerchief thin bread made of mill flour) was amongst the best Indian breads we’ve tasted.
Time to do desserts. We were presented with a ‘Lazeez specialty’ called matka firni (a light custard-like dessert of milk and ground basmati rice flavoured with saffron, topped with pistachio and almond slivers, served in a chilled clay pot). It was a heavenly end to the meal, perfectly balancing out the spices from the earlier dishes.
Lazeez is a great place to enjoy a relatively inexpensive meal. Its chefs excel in putting unfussy, homely meals on plates.
Details
What: Lazeez Indian Cuisine
Where: Hamdan Street
Cost: Appetisers from AED 2 to AED 20, mains from AED 22 to AED 90, desserts AED 12
to AED 20
We say: Mughal cuisine at its bestContact: 02 677 7070
