According to their website:
"Indego presents Indian Cuisine at it's very best!"
That's a big claim. After a less than successful visit to another Celebrity Chef's restaurant I was not sure what to expect.
I need not have worried. No sooner where we seated than a smart young man named Ash came over, introduced himself, ascertained it was our first visit and proceeded to explain the menu. It was beautifully presented, simple and whilst containing several indian favourites, from all over the vast continent they were given a modern twist.
The Indego by Vineet menu, so nice not to have a QR code to scan
I was fortunate to have been taken out to eat from an early age my my parents in the UK and then worked in the hospitality industry for 24 years. My fine dining experience was very traditional where menus had starters, mains and desserts.
Ash explained the new Indego menu is broken down by cooking style ( Chaat, Tawa, Tandoor, Sigdi and so on ) but that each dish could be ordered in different size portions ( small, medium or large, for one or for two, ) and different spice levels ( mild, spicy).
Or , to quote from the Chef himself:
"The Indego By Vineet menu showcases the different styles and preparation techniques including Street Food-inspired dishes and those prepared on a ‘Tawa' or Griddle, ‘Tandoor' or Clay Oven, ‘Sigdi' or Grill and ‘Handi' or Stew Pot, and works on the Indian principle of sharing food.
The tastes at Indego are distinctly Indian; the presentation is playfully elegant. Simply put, Indego is ‘a meeting of worlds.'
Wait a minute, that means the customer can have what he wants how he wants, and should he wish , share it with a friend???? Rather than the old days where the Chef dictated what you had first, second , third ??
REVELOUTIONARY !
Ash explains the concept to Thang
BUT HANG ON .... That means the staff have to know the menu inside out, upside down, where it comes from , what style of cooking, how spicy it is, what it contains, what allergies it is not suitable for . To do this they need to understand where the customer is coming from ( he established I had been to Kerala but did not like my food too spicy and that I did not drink alcohol , that Thang was Indian and works in the industry , and so on) and the fact we wanted a fast small meal. To make matters more complex Thang and I have different tastes and builds. Thang is tiny and does not like much food ( no room for alcohol) , I love a lot of food but small portions so I can pretend I am eating healthily. Vineet's menu allowed us to do that - with me having the Aubergine Bharwan and Prawn Biryani while Thang lingered over his Laal Maas Tenderloin.
I was reminded of a bad experience in another Marriott property a few years back when the Indian waiter poured some very expensive champagne for my dear friend Pav like it was a bottle of wine ( holding it by the neck and not the base) . When I corrected him he told me I was wrong. I checked with a Belgian customer sat next to us at the Teppanyaki grill who agreed I was right. Luckily Pav stepped in, spoke in his dialect, and explained to the waiter that I knew what I was talking about and he apologised to me for saying I was wrong!
What reminded me of this? I was telling Thang how we had eaten fresh prawn while on a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala and asked for the Keralan Prawn Pulao. Ash advised me that the Prawn Biryani was much better. I asked him to show me where the Prawn Biryani was on the menu and he said it was not, but the Chef would make it especially for me. My hackles went down and he was right, it was amazing. I ordered Garlic and Coriander naan and he suggested I had gravy with it as the Naan was dry on it's own. I politely told him I was not Indian and I did not want to cover the Chef's beautiful food in Gravy and he graciously backed down!
The poppadom and chutney selection was a riot of colour and tastes
As soon as he went to place the order another beautifully dressed Indian lady called Kim moved in, introduced herself, presented the chutneys and poppadom's which she described and said if there was anything we needed just to ask. When she returned to serve water I cheekily asked where she was from and she laughed and said she was born in Dubai, but her family was from Goa. I said, "the same as Ash!" . She smiled sweetly and explained they went to college together. I later saw him coaching her on what needed doing next at each table, which was very impressive to see their team work.
As usual we elected to eat early and there was only one large family with lots of kids of varying ages behind us when we arrived. Next a family of 4 arrived and were seated next to us- and Ash said " so whose anniversary is it ?". I wrongly assumed the adult children were taking out their grandparents but it was the other way around. Another family group were seated to our right and each was given the same warm welcome by the Ash & Kim duo. They only slipped up once when my bartending friend reached to get the water in the ice bucket behind him but an attentive manager in a smart black suit headed him off and poured it for me.
After a short break outside ( more helpful staff asking if I wanted to move outside and when I said it was too windy explained if I was seated the glass balcony wall would keep the wind off.) I had intended to start recording my Vlog outside but by then three tables were full. One of the other things I loved about Indego was the lack of customers on mobile phones ( it drives me insane when I have to listen to other peoples conversations or their videos on Netflix usually in a different language) and I was not going to ruin the other guest meals with " Hi , this is the British Kabayan and tonight we are at Indigo by Vineet with a lot of Indian families having a great meal"
One of my other great indicators of a truly authentic restaurant is if it is full of "locals". 90% of the customers were Indian , many in Traditional dress and many were regulars! It reminded me of the Korean Barbecue I went to in Jumeirah just before New Year where MK and I were the only non Korean customers.
As soon as I returned they served my beautifully presented aubergine ( eggplant for my Kabayan and American readers), It was exactly as the boy wonder Ash described, soft vegetable with a slightly spicy topping. Thang got his main dish as agreed and a very attractive cocktail.
By then the coffee we had when we arrived early , and the litre of water, plus the tea and water we had at the Marriott at Dubai Marina had worked its way through my bladder and I asked the Manager where the toilet was. He said "it's a long way sir ( visions of Rhodes Twenty 10) and proceeded to take me to the toilet quipping " the exercise is good for you sir!" .
Let me just rephrase that, before someone gets embarrassed! He led me towards the toilet ( CR, WC, Gents , Bathroom depending where you are from) . I went in on my own. Here's TBK's lowdown on how to spot a really good restaurant / hotel- " Go to the Toilet!" . If the toilet has flowers, fresh towels and is spotlessly clean it's likely the kitchen will be too! The Grosvenor Toilets even had two flat screen TV's playing BBC World. The good news is they were by the wash basins not the urinals. I remembered two toilets I had visited , one of which had the days newspaper above the urinals in a frame , and another an LCD screen above the urinals. All I want to say is I got too interested in the news and missed my aim ! I stress linen towels ( and preferably a whicker basket, emptied regularly , to put the used towels in. ( you can see the toilet in the vlog!)
I know some of you are thinking "but this is a Celebrity Chef's restaurant in a 5 star hotel- how can they control the washrooms?" . I would argue the average customer does not know that Swiss Cheese at the Novotel or the Vietnamese restaurant at Aloft Deira or the Indian restaurant at IBIS Styles Jumeira or Senordamla at Microtel Palawan are not operated by the hosting hotel. I look at the website, I make a reservation , I arrive, I eat in the restaurant and I pee- its all a journey and the moment of truth comes at any point. The person taking the reservation books for the wrong time ( Sofitel) , the people greeting you take you to the wrong table ( sorry, Sofitel again ) or you slip on a wet floor in the hotel toilet, it all ruins your overall dining experience. I know this because I used to teach customer service in many industries, and used Jan Carlzon's "Moments of Truth" concept. (For more on the MOT concept read https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/559984.Moments_of_Truth)
Back in Bahrain in 2010 I met a young Indian Restaurant manager called Sunnuj Dean at Fusions restaurant in the Gulf Hotel. The restaurant was superb but the nearest restaurant aa mess with broken taps , paper towels all over the floor and so on. He would always ask " How was the meal. Mr Porter" and I would always say it was great but the toilet was awful!". He left to work in Dubai and then was poached back to be Food and Beverage Director at the Gulf Hotel. They rebuilt the restaurant on the roof, hired a Bahraini female celebrity Chef ( Tala) and replaced the toilets! I had a meal there just before I left Bahrain and he came to say hello. He asked how the meal was and I said " Amazing" . He added " and the toilets? " and we both laughed.
I just had a call from my good friend Mr Gregory saying I am now telling too many stories , get back to the meal!
Where were we, oh yes, The Prawn Biryani. Being an old man I hate to add that a smart young waiter is right but the Prawn Biryani was superb. BUT then so was the Garlic and coriander ( cilantro for my Kabayan) Naan , without gravy!
On the subject of old men by then my back and leg were hurting from sitting in one place for too long and as the restaurant continued to fill I was feeling a little claustrophobic. My only improvement suggestion for Indego, as for Rhodes, is to spread people out more. When I went to the washroom I saw the whole bar and a second half of the restaurant were empty. I asked if we could adjourn to the bar and they helped move our things, The Manager came to check I was comfortable and chatted with us for some time. The barman showed off his flare skills ( a must see moment on the vlog, see below) and Thang showed off his wine tasting skills while I gave them my non alcoholic challenge - Lemon Mint. MK asked me today if I had Lemon mint and I said yes, two! Then he asked which was the best Lemon Mint in Dubai and I said---- wait for it---- Indego by Vineet.
The best Lemon Mint in Dubai, so good I had two
I asked if we could film the open kitchen ( many clashes with Chefs when Duty Manager in Hotels has taught me to keep out of their Fiefdom and always ask permission! They laughed and said it was not a problem and explained how in the redesign of the restaurant during the Pandemic they had created an open kitchen with glass windows so people could see the Magic being created by these highly talented individuals. Sadly I was so interested to see what they were doing I screwed up the recording and did not realise to the next day when I checked our nights work and sent it to the Philippines for editing, sorry Chef!
Thang's cocktail- "Star of India" and below his red wine in the bar
Thang checks out his glass of Malbec
One of the wonderful things about Indego ( and there were so many to choose from ) is once they were assured I was seated comfortably they left us alone to chat, drink, and interact with the staff in the spacious bar for over an hour. Probably as long as we spent eating! It was very relaxing ( Thang and I probably only meet twice a year since he moved to Dubai and he commented after how much he enjoyed the evening. My thanks to him for all the photos and video and fact checking the blog today and adding details I missed. These days I cannot be bothered with Trip advisor or happy sheets written with the waiter hovering over you. The problem is in Marriott, as Thang explained, good comments about named staff win prizes. My feedback is here in the blog and vlog- take it or leave it!
I have left the industry for many years now ( although the Manager suggested I return as a consultant in Dubai to pass on my years of experience . I told him I had turned down a role at the Jumeriah Academy when it started in 2000! I left the Trip advisor review and comment card to Thang. He kindly shared them with me today:
Finally my favourite moment of the night- as we left the Chef waved and said something like "Thanks for coming, see you again"
I think the moral of the story is you can have a great Celebrity Chef ( like Chef Vineet) who is involved in the design, menu planning, training and will occasionally cook , but he cannot be there every night. I saw the next day on the social media that he was cooking at the British Pavilion at Expo 2020 in the run up to today's British National day celebrations which are being attended by Prince William. What Chef Vineet has put in place at Indego is an incredible team , who work together so well ( Bar, kitchen, reception, restaurant and toilet cleaners) to ensure every moment of truth is superb . Then the vision on the website is delivered:
"Chef Vineet welcomes guests to experience his vision of India on a plate, and discover the venue's interiors and design pieces that have been handpicked to create the photogenic restaurant visage."
Special thanks to the team at Indego and to Thang
If you want to see the restaurant for yourself you have two choices:
1. Click the link below and watch the Vlog! Do not forget to like and subscribe because I have to pay for dinner ( no freebies allowed!)
2. Go and visit but make sure you book and follow the rules:
NB - NO DANCING!!
So how much did it cost - with our 40% staff discount the total bill was 462 AED which is about 46 Bd or 92 GBP for two persons.
If you would like to find out more about Chef Vineet's incredible career and to see why in 2021, Vineet was appointed as culinary Ambassador for GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign click the link below:
If anyone wants to buy me his recipe books I just added them to my Birthday list!
- Vineet Bhatia - Rasoi : New
Indian Kitchen, 2009, ISBN 978-1906650193
- Vineet Bhatia -My Sweet Kitchen,
2016, ISBN 978-0995543102
To book your table contact:
Indego By VineetGrosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Al Emreef Street, Dubai Marina, Dubai
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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