Taking up residence at luxury hotel Emirates Palace, Martabaan is a fine-dining Indian restaurant that serves a blend of traditional and contemporary recipes. The restaurant is the brainchild of celebrated chef Hemant Oberoi, who was the first Indian chef nominated to the World Gourmet Club. Oberoi is well known across the globe for his innovative recipes, and things are much as you’d expect at Martabaan.
The restaurant sits inside a grand dining room with double-height ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that are framed by gold-plated arches and boast views of the Arabian Gulf and the Emirates Palace Marina. The restaurant follows a colour palette of burnt orange and pea green, while cosy curved banquette seating makes it well suited to group dining. Tables for two mean it also works for date night, while patterned scatter cushions and vibrant artworks on the wall add some character.
Martabaan’s menu seeks to remind diners of long forgotten traditional Indian recipes, while giving them appropriate updates. Dishes you will find here include the likes of Varqui crab and Dum ki Nalli (slow-braised lamb shank). India is always the inspiration from Martabaan’s tempting dessert menu, which includes intriguing dishes such as masala chai crème brulee.
For pre- or post-dinner drinks, Martabaan is also home to an attractive bar called ‘Tikka Le’ that operates in a dedicated space, away from the restaurant’s main dining room. The drinking den serves a menu of signature cocktails and is also a great spot for reception drinks should you want to make use of Martabaan’s elegantly appointed private dining rooms.
Oberoi has acted as the grand chef of the Taj Group of Hotels for over four decades now and he also operates a number of his own restaurants across glamorous locations such as Mubai, Singapore and San Diego. If you dine at Martabaan, you can also enjoy the fact that you’re tasting the same food tried by several famous faces, with Oberoi counting the likes of Barack Obama, the Duke of Edinburgh and Bill Clinton among those he has catered for.