Pincode by Kunal Kapur review: Vegetarians will be spoilt for choice at this Indian restaurant in Abu Dhabi

Former MasterChef India judge offers feast of flavours at The Galleria Al Maryah Island venue

The restaurant serves an array of Indian chaat, streetfood typified by its crunchy, sweet-and-spicy flavours. Photo: Pincode by Kunal Kapur

Many restaurants promise to take diners on a culinary journey. Pincode by Kunal Kapur helps you to map out the route using a menu of dishes from across India, whether you are in the mood for Mumbai street food, looking for a taste of Tamil Nadu or simply want to gorge on some Gujarati flavours.

Serving up such a vast and diverse nation on a plate may seem like a bold direction for an Indian restaurant – many outlets in the UAE are split between northern and southern cuisines – but it put Kapur on the road to Abu Dhabi, where his latest Pincode outlet opened last month. The brand’s arrival in the capital, with the restaurant nestled inside The Galleria Al Maryah Island, expands its reach in the country, where it had already been established at Dubai Hills Mall.

Creating dishes that represent cities and states across India has been a recipe for success for Kapur, who is also known for his role as a judge on MasterChef India. That vision is spelt out clearly on the menu, with annotations below each dish explaining its roots, as well as its ingredients and allergens. That focus on where food comes from is also behind the name of the brand, with pincodes in India referring to specific streets or areas.

“A pincode is the identity of a place,” says Raju Sunkari, operations manager at the Abu Dhabi restaurant. “On our menu, there are dishes that resemble a place – if you look at dhokla chaat, the first thing that comes to mind is Gujarat. That is how the menu is prepared.

“Most of the time, you will find north Indian restaurants or south Indian restaurants. Here, it is not north and it is not south, it is a mix of everything. We have got dishes that are Tamilian taste, we have dishes that are eastern. It is a mix.”

Where to sit and what to expect

Travelling to this particular Pincode takes diners to Level Three of The Galleria, which is bright and bustling with shoppers on the evening we visit. There are tables near the entrance of the restaurant that allow single diners to remain connected to the buzz of the mall, but this is also a place that caters to families and couples, with quieter areas further inside. There is a terrace, too, decorated with broad-leafed plants, which is ideal for the cooler months, with little risk of street noise interrupting diners having a chat. Or a chaat.

The array of carpets, cushions, dark wood panelling, animal artwork and chessboard tables may seem like dizzyingly diverse decor, but it is all unmistakably Indian. The rich complexity of the country is a central thread woven throughout the restaurant, tying it all together.

The menu

While it is tempting to seek out the dishes you know best – butter chicken, anyone? – it is more fun to be bold and allow the learned staff to be your culinary tour guides. But for those who are not quite ready to travel to India right from the starters, the chaat hummus (Dh40) will allow you to keep one foot planted firmly in the Arabian Peninsula.

The hummus, infused with amchur chutney and garnished with pomegranate seeds, is surrounded by a wall of papdi, offering a fun twist on an Arabic favourite. However, the generous portion means I am forced to retreat having only scooped about half the hummus from the plate; it is definitely a dish for sharing.

Undeterred, I focus my attention on the next plate – the potato spiral chaat (Dh40), a restaurant favourite. The menu describes it as “spiral magic” belonging to the streets of Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Indore, but for this evening at least I claim sole ownership of it. The delicate, crispy potato, held together by a skewer, is topped lavishly with sweet curd and chutney, making it utterly moreish.

It is not exactly clean eating – dollops of curd and chutney rain down on the plate as I shovel potato into my mouth – but there is something deeply satisfying about licking your fingers before moving on to the next small plates. For those, the menu-map takes us first to coastal trade routes, with Afghani paneer tikka (Dh58) celebrating India’s links to the Middle East and Africa. The pieces of paneer, delectably soft, hide berries and nuts inside that offer a burst of sweetness to make this a surprising and enjoyable dish.

We then turn north-east to the border with Nepal, represented by veg kothay momos (Dh55). These firm half-fried, half-steamed, half-moon dumplings deliver a delightful change in texture and are served with a chilli paste that is fiery orange, but does not pack the sort of heat that would require a visit from Civil Defence.

Not that I’m unduly concerned by the spice levels – which is something I tell Sunkari proudly, when he asks. That confidence comes, in part, due to the presence of a glass filled with a mocktail (Dh40) inspired by the southern state of Tamil Nadu and poured over a hefty chunk of ice. The sweet mixture could soothe any throat, while it also serves as an intoxicating centrepiece due to the glittering flecks of gold that swirl inside.

No sooner have the small plates been pushed aside, than a couple of mains are added to the feast. Dal pakwan (Dh55), inspired by the ancient Indus Valley civilisation, combines crispy bread that is best broken into shards and laid out to form a mosaic, before decorating it with scoops of flavourful chutney and dal.

There is still time for a sojourn to Kashmir, with slow-cooked dhaba-style lamb curry (Dh78). It is inspired by the cafes that line motorways in the region, but I stick to the slow lane and savour each bite of the soft lamb, smothered in a sauce flavoured with Kashmiri chillies. It’s a rich dish to end with, and I find myself polishing off the last of the dal pakwan, using the mellower flavour as a palette cleanser before dessert.

That comes in the form of Pincode’s artful take on a tiramisu (Dh40), which combines the feted Italian dessert and India’s ras malai, served in a martini glass. The cocoa powder dusted on top forms a P, allowing the restaurant to leave its signature at the end of an engrossing feast.

Standout dish

The paneer, with its buried treasure of berries and nuts, is an unexpected delight. But top billing goes to the potato spiral chaat, which is fun, flavourful and truly delicious. I gobbled up the crispy potato like Pac-Man on a cheat day.

Price point and contact information

Chaat is Dh40, while small plates range from Dh40 to Dh55 and curries will set you back Dh78. Biryanis cost between Dh75 to Dh88, and mocktails cost Dh40.

Pincode in Abu Dhabi is open from Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 10pm, and from Friday to Saturday, 10am to midnight. Reservations can be made by calling 02 234 0111.

This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant