Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi — Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi is, on paper, everything you want in a high-end Indian restaurant. Hemant Oberoi, the man himself, is culinary royalty. You expect fireworks—layers of spices, textures that dance, aromas that seduce. What you don’t expect, though, is a restaurant that feels like a dentist’s waiting room lit by a thousand suns. Seriously, the lighting in there is so bright it makes the Sahara at noon look positively dusky. It’s not a restaurant. It’s an interrogation room.

And what’s with the layout? Four booths awkwardly facing the corners, like they’ve been sent there to think about what they’ve done. Meanwhile, in the middle of the room, there’s a massive table for ten, just sitting there, empty, as if it’s expecting some kind of royal entourage that never arrives.

Then came the food. We started with Prawns on the Rocks, which sounds intriguing until it lands in front of you. Six or seven prawns, nice enough, but plopped on a big white plate with all the fanfare of a deflated balloon. Imagine going to a Rolling Stones concert, and Mick Jagger shows up, sings “Satisfaction” for two minutes, then buggers off. That’s what this was. Where’s the rest?

My lamb shank? Tasty, sure. But it was as if they’d sourced the smallest lamb in the world. This was no shank. This was a polite nod to a shank. You’ve got to wonder if the poor lamb was put out of its misery too soon, because there was barely enough meat on it to feed a small pigeon, let alone a hungry diner.

And then, the pièce de résistance. The service. Or rather, the lack of it. They handed us a dessert menu, then proceeded to disappear into the ether. Maybe we were invisible. Maybe we weren’t the VIPs they were saving all their attention for. Either way, no one came back. No dessert, no coffee, no goodbye. Just a fading memory of what could have been.

Martabaan is trying to be something it’s not. It’s trying to be a destination restaurant in a five-star hotel, but the truth is, I’ve had better Indian meals in dodgy Brick Lane joints, sitting under a flickering light, with sticky tables. The difference is, those meals had heart, soul, and a clear understanding of what they were supposed to be. Here? It’s all style, no substance, and even the style is...

A special evening calls for a special place to celebrate. Thoroughly spoilt by my boys on my birthday and it had to be Martabaan- the new upper end Indian restaurant by celebrity chef Hemant Oberoi. The word literally means a ceramic jar, traditionally used to preserve pickles in India - reminded me of the huge ones my grandmother used to have. The restaurant describes itself as a contemporary classic Indian dining destination. We started with cocktails- Clover Club- gin, raspberry and egg white- not too sweet- and no! no eggy flavour! We decided on the diamond set menu- bit like a taster menu- so that we would get to taste a viriety of stuff. Starting with an amouse bouche of dahi bhalla- lentil dumpling in yogurt- for the uninitiated, followed by the Kochumba and coconut soup. Delicately coconutty with a peppery after taste- yumm! This was followed by chicken tikka marinated in three lemons. The flavours kept coming in layers and kept getting bigger- as the spiciness and heat levels were ramped up a tad. Kakoti cigars- ground meat in a dosa wrap was next. Followed by can can chicken with rice- chicken in a pickly sauce. The mains were chicken biriyani- served in a glass pot- especially made in India for this restaurant - so that the layering of the biriyani can be seen from outside. Meat served in a small Martabaan as the restaurant name suggests. Dessert- what can I say! Where else will you get edible gold with your food? Overall, a fantastic layering of tastes and flavours, spicy but not overpoweringly so, contemporary and traditional flavours blending in a perfect harmony! What could be better? Definitely the decor and ambience. Does not convey the image of a contemporary classic Indian restaurant. Does not have the luxurious feel of an upper end restaurant either. The place is way too brightly lit- but not in a nice cafe style way either. Almost as if the old restaurant was renovated overnight!

It is pricey and for special celebrations only. Will I go back there? Definitely! The food and service was...

Martabaan is an exquisite fine dining venue at Emirates palace which offers food with a touch of class. On the eve of my wife's birthday, we visited Martabaan for a family dinner. As you enter, you pass through a long passage with a bar and kitchen on your left and the place opens up into a wide space inviting you to different sitting experiences. The ambience is quite eye catching and relaxing with radiant colours and soothing lighting arrangement very pleasant to your eyes. The soft background music adds to the tranquility. The interiors have a rich and antique look and the colours used are absolutely stunning. You cannot miss to notice that the interior decoration is inflenced by big paintings on the walls. The high ceilings gives it a majestic look. We were greeted by Ganesh with a complimentary appetizer. Ganesh was very courteous to explain the menu and also make suggestions. Manager Manish was very attentive and ensured that we were comfortable. In starters we ordered Nazakat which was chicken tikka pieces on a nan pizza with lots of cheese and Achaari kumbh brochette was stuffed grilled mushrooms. In the main course, we ordered Allepy prawns curry and Tariwala murg. In dessert, Masala chai creme brulee was delicious. In mocktails, blue blah blah blue, passion for fashion and peach therapy were very refreshing. All the items were prepared from fresh ingredients with a perfect balance of all flavours. We were delighted by Martabaan's gesture when they presented a small complimentary chocolate cake to celebrate the occasion. Martabaan is indeed a place to celebrate your special moments with family...