Chef, restaurateur, cookbook writer and film-maker, Vikas Khanna is surely one of the most famous chefs working in Dubai today. The one-time James Beard award nominee, award-winning author and poet held a Michelin star for many years in New York before opening his restaurant, Kinara, in Jebel Ali near the Palm in 2019.
Khanna's signature style combines traditional Indian techniques with inventive twists, and has solidified his reputation as one of the most famous Indian chefs in the world. At Kinara, his style comes to the fore once again, as the menu features a number of the signature dishes that made him famous, with a strong focus on the heat and smoke of the tandoor oven, as well as the distinctive spicing for which Indian cuisine is renowned.
Signature dishes include a Shakarkandi chaat of sandalwood smoked sweet potato, cumin labneh and strawberry and ginger dressing, sesame crusted scallops with coconut mango sauce, and a dal makhani of slow-cooked black lentils with tomato and fenugreek butter. The tandoor at Kinara is front and centre on the menu too - it's used for dishes like tandoori chicken salad, tandoori lemon salmon and lamb chops, as well as for rotis and naans.
There are a small handful of biryani dishes on the menu too, including tarka dum vegetable biryani and lamb kofta biryani. Desserts include Kinara ice creams made in-house, coconut rice kheer with pomegranate poached pears, and saffron rose pudding with rose petal jam and banana caramel sauce.
As for drinks, the menu features Indian craft beers and wines, as well as those from further afield, and a selection of cocktails.