Restaurant Review:
Chawlas2 (square)

Cluster M, Jumeirah Lake Towers
Dubai

This story begins a long time ago, when an enterprising man started a little restaurant near the foothills of the Himalayas that quickly took the area by storm. The USP of this iconic place? It had just one item on its menu; Cream Chicken. As time passed, the restaurant expanded both its menu and its reach as outlets opened up across the globe, yet its tradition and roots both remained sacred. We recently attended a tasting session at this proudly Punjabi restaurant that opened the doors to its first outlet in Dubai in December 2015. 
Drinks:
  • Sweet and salty Lassi

Appetizers:
  • Kalmi Kabab: Chicken thighs marinated in cream & cashew paste, cooked in a clay oven
  • Fish Irani: Boneless fish chunks marinated in cashew paste
  • Chicken Lasooni Tikka: Marinated in cream & garlic paste
  • Paneer Tikka: Cottage cheese chunks marinated in traditional Tandoori masala & roasted in a clay oven
  • Tandoori Mushroom Tikka: Mushrooms with diced onions, tomatoes and capsicum marinated in Tandoori Masala and cooked in a clay oven

While one half of Stamps and Stubs loved the delicately delicious Fish Irani, the other couldn’t get enough of the Chicken Lasooni. The Kalmi Kabab together with the vegetarian tikkas rounded off the scrummy array of starters!
  
Mains:
  • Mutton Kadai: full flavored rich curry cooked with pepper, onions & diced green bell peppers
  • Chicken Dhaniya Adraki: Chicken cooked in cashew paste, coriander and ginger
  • Tomato Cream Paneer: Cottage cheese cooked in a tomato puree, cream and special spices
  • Daal Makhni: Black lentils cooked in tomato and butter gravy
 
Accompaniments:
  • Garlic Naan, Lachcha Paratha and Roomali Roti

Here too, we were divided on what we loved most with one half going gaga over the Mutton Kadai while the other greatly relished the flavorful Chicken and creamy Paneer. The Daal Makhni considered a staple item was delicious too and quite reminiscent of the kind that we eat in our own North Indian households.
  
Desserts
  • Gulab Jamun
  • Moong Daal Halwa

Despite being full, we managed to open up our dessert stomachs to indulge in Chawlas2’s scrumptious desserts. Who can resist some satisfying Gulab Jamun regardless of how full you are and we truly loved the ones at Chawlas2! As far as the other sweet treat goes, Moong Daal Halwa has always been a Mom-made dessert that we’ve eaten lots of growing up and continue to even now. It’s something we’ve hardly seen on menus or rather hardly ever ordered while eating out because well, we have access to it at all times! But let me tell you, the Moong Daal Halwa at Chawlas2 is a must have and got us all wistful and reminiscent about how much we loved this treat when we were growing up.
  
We had a pretty good experience at Chawlas2, what with the tasty food, charming ambiance and warmth we were treated to. We thoroughly enjoyed our hearty conversation with franchise owner, Arvinder Gill, who not only patiently took us through everything we ate, preparations, stories and all but also highlighted the immense attention to detail that’s gone into ensuring that when they say authentic Punjabi food, they mean it. Right from the research to the sourcing out of ingredients and then the final product have, everything at Chawlas2 boasts of a lot of dedication and heart. We know we will definitely be returning to further explore the menu at Chawlas2 and you should too!

Fun fact: the food contains no artificial color thus you won’t have any pesky food shades staining your hands! 

  












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