Karachi Darbar.. Falling From Favour?
This used to be the FLS favourite haunt in Dubai, great tasting cheap food and whilst the hoards head up to tourism central, FLS would head into the less touristy areas to join the locals for a great curry.
The Restaurant
The Karachi Darbar Group has been in the Emirates since 1973. It’s a Pakistani chain but for Brits looking for a curry whilst you’re away, you’re going to find all your favourites on the menu. There are a number of locations but this is where it gets a bit weird, search on the company website and they’ve not listed them anywhere. A website for a restaurant chain and not list the restaurant addresses? So then you think, that’s fine I’ll check out their Facebook page. Nope, still no details and the website address on Facebook is for a bakery in Hyderabad in India! The food is good but just how many hours do you want to spend finding out where you can hand over your money, it shouldn’t be this difficult. So if you’re still keen to try them out head over to Tripadvisor and there you’ll find reviews and addresses.
If you’re not familiar with eating in the local restaurants don’t be surprised if you’re ushered upstairs if you’re there with the wife or children, it’s just the way it is in Dubai away from tourist areas.
The Food
Putting everything else aside the food is good and always is. Spicey food but with a depth of flavour, not just a burn your eyeballs heat. The Butter Chicken is rich and creamy, imagine a Korma which has been upgraded. I know, I know not very FLS but sometimes you need a night off from the vindaloo. They can sometimes be a little low on the meat as you can see in the image but the sauce is so good you don’t really mind. And you have to remember that it’s going to cost you around 20 AED which is less than £4.00.
And then there are the breads, forget about your arteries or cholesterol levels and go for the butter naans. They are the perfect way to mop up the sauces and at 3AED or under 60p, you can pig out to your heart’s content and not go over £10. Remember to say no salad or refuse it if it suddenly appears at your table, it’s not free and the moment you reach for a slice of tomato you’re going to be paying for the whole lot. I know, it’s not going to break the bank at 4AED (80p) but in true FLS style, we’d rather have another butter naan.
The Verdict
So it all sounds really good doesn’t it and usually, it is but our last visit saw us being overcharged with extra dishes being added to the bill. And in what was all a little uncomfortable a member of staff turned the television over from showing a harmless Bollywood type show to a news type programme which was extolling the virtues of ISIS. Now it takes a lot to put FLS off their food but discussions of beheadings and the downfall of the west was a step in that direction. I have to say I’ve never had a similar issue and I suspect it was a rogue member of staff but it still didn’t encourage us to return on a recent Dubai trip.
- DK Eyewitness (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages - 11/21/2017 (Publication Date) - DK Eyewitness Travel (Publisher)
Last update on 2024-12-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
