MAHEC by Satish Arora- Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre

Its been a day since I dined at MAHEC by Satish Arora and I am still thinking about my delicious dinner. What I really liked most about my dining experience at MAHEC was that there was no smoke and molecular gastronomy drama, and it was authentic Indian food presented in modern style that suits every palate.

Located in Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, Mahec is an Indian restaurant, lounge and bar. Legendary Chef Satish Arora has taken over the restaurant and we got to try many of his specialities.

Chef Satish Arora has a career spanning 50 years. He has created dishes for esteemed guests like Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth, President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Amitabh Bachchan to name a few.

MAHEC’s menu features many of Chef Satish Arora’s favorite dishes in his 50 years journey as a chef. The delectable food menu is complemented by an extensive beverage menu.

MAHEC has a blend of modern and Indian inspired decor. Landscaped outdoor seating area looked inviting and as the weather in Dubai is still pleasant, we decided to sit outdoors. They also have private dining rooms. Their menu has good vegetarian and non vegetarian options. Being vegetarians, we tried only the veg dishes.

As our welcome drink , we were served Masala Soda and as in all Indian restaurants, here also we were offered complimentary condiments like Pickles, Chutney and Poppadum.

One by one our cocktails and mocktail were presented. While the mocktail Mahec Paradise was fruity, the gin based Chili Jam Gin was spicy, where as the vodka based Bombay Tamasha was a bit on the sweeter side. Tequila based cocktail Rasila Tequila was a perfect drink to end our dinner.

Each and every drink was handcrafted well and tasted amazing. Apart from these drinks, they also have a vast selection of wines and other spirits.

Starter

As a pre-starter or amuse bouche, we were served Chakundari Tikki, a pan fried beetroot tikki with garlic cheese dip and Nimbu Pani shot.

We tried 4 kinds of starters: Malai Broccoli– Broccoli marinated in cream cheese, mace, cardamom powder and cooked in tandoor oven.

Ragda Patties- Popular street food from North India. It had potato patties on a bed of Chole.

Bharwan Mushroom- Mushroom stuffed with paneer and cheddar cheese and cooked in tandoor.

Cottage Cheese & Asparagus Cigar– Thin slices of cottage cheese rolled with spiced potatoes and asparagus which is cooked in a tandoor.

We relished all the starters, each one of them were deliciously different and had perfect level of spice. So difficult to choose a favorite. But the creative and tasty cottage cheese starter is worth trying even if you’re a non vegetarian.

Main course

Methi Malai Corn was a rich and creamy cashew gravy with corn and fenugreek.

Shahenshai Kofta Makhani was created for Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and it is named after his movie Shahenshah. This utterly delicious veg and cottage cheese dumpling served in a velvety smooth tomato and cashew gravy is a must-try.

Khushranga Paneer was a paneer and bell pepper based curry in a pickle sauce. This was the only curry we didn’t like as we found it too salty.

Arora’s Dal Makhani has a homemade flavor and tasted absolutely delightful.

Vegetable Biryani was slow cooked dum style and it was packed with incredible flavors.

Pudina Tamatar Raita went perfectly with the Biryani.

We ordered a variety of Indian Breads like Laccha Parathas, Garlic Naan and Tandoori Roti to go with our curries.

Dessert