There is a select elite group of fine-dining Indian restaurants in this country, and since we love Indian food, we’ve tried quite a few of them. We were very excited to try out Bukhara since we heard so many things about it, and let me tell you– it really is worth all the praise! It’s located at Kempinski Ajman and has been there for the past 17 years, so its very well known.

The staff greeted us at the entrance of the restaurant and quickly seated us. The decor of the restaurant is absolutely lovely– you feel like you’ve been taken, not only to India but to another era of an olden India. It’s so charming and there are many copper tones to the decorations, its like a little Indian village in the midst of a 5-star hotel. The waiters brought out the menu, which is written on a wooden slab.

We asked for their recommendations and they gave us their suggestions. The menu goes straight to mains, which is part of the concept of Bukhara.

Since my little Khalifa is too small to try the spices in Indian food, we ordered plain rice and yogurt for him, which they brought out quite fast.

When our mains came, we were in awe! You know those memes that you see on Instagram about how people look when their food comes? Yeah, we could’ve easily have been made into one of those. They brought out the most beautifully presented 2-pound lobster that we’ve ever seen! This, my friends, is the Tandoori Lobster that Bukhara specializes in.

We love seafood and especially prawns and lobster, so we have tried many different variations on its preparation but this was different from any other lobster we’ve ever had. It was cooked in a traditional tandoor oven, and then quickly transferred to direct heat where it was infused with cream and different spices.

The taste is absolutely incredible. It’s one of those dishes that you savor as you eat. You can really taste the smoky essence in the meat. The cream and spices are an amazing combination that I’ve never seen paired with lobster before. These pictures don’t do justice to how great the dish was, you just have to go and try it for yourself.

The portion is very generous and they were right about it being good enough for two people. We were full before we even came close to finishing the dish (mind you, we didn’t fill ourselves up on appetizers), but its a sin to let such a beautiful dish go to waste, so we took our time and ate slowly, enjoying every bite of it!

Now, along side the Tandoori Lobster, comes and herb-infused Naan bread as well as a deliciously creamy lentil curry.

We didn’t know that the lobster would be such a filling dish, so we also ordered a chicken dish as well, the Murgh Tandoori. We each had a bit of it during the dinner, but took it to go since we were so full from the lobster. The taste of that was also really good– its a bit on the spicy side, but very delicious and well-seasoned. The chicken is cooked very well and my husband enjoyed it all by himself later that night, so I know he really liked it!

By the time we were done with our meal, we were so stuffed. We didn’t have much room for dessert, although my husband did try the Ras Malai, which is a cottage cheese dumpling thats comes in a sweetened milk with a hint of saffron and slivers of pistachios. He loved it!

Now, Bukhara is incredible. It’s definitely a must-try if you like Indian food, and even if you don’t, seriously, go there for the lobster. No words that I type could possibly describe how good it is!

Ratings (0-5): 

• Staff/Service: 5
• Cleanliness: 5
• Food: 5
• Value for money: 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.87 

Worth Trying?: Yes! And it’s worth every penny!

For more information, call Bukhara at +971 (0) 6 714 5555.