Did you know that the world’s largest pepper mill can be found in an Indian restaurant in Dubai? Yep, this very tall pepper mill sits proudly inside a restaurant called, you guessed it, the Peppermill, that prides itself in serving colonial-Indian era cuisine.
The Location and First Impressions:
This fine dining restaurant is located in the most unexpected place: tucked away in the corner of a two-story mall, next to a supermarket. “Are you sure?” ask my colleagues upon learning that Peppermill is situated besides Lulu Hypermarket in Al Barsha. However, once you step inside the restaurant you will be instantly transported back in time, and you’ll forget all about the supermarket.
We arrive for lunch on a weekday, without prior reservations. A charming lady welcomes us with a bright smile, and as she leads us to one of the cabins, we walk through history basked in the soft glow of the golden lights: the dark wooden floor, ottomans wrapped in colorful fabric, pictures of nawabs and rajas of India, pretty candle holders and other antique artifacts, and ceiling fans.
There are two options when it comes to the seating arrangements: the regular chairs and tables in the main dining area, and cabins draped with curtains, providing some sort of privacy. We immediately choose the cabin, and here are pictures to show you why:
How could we not feel like royalty dining in a setting like that?
The Food and Drinks
What is a colonial-Indian era cuisine? From the restaurant’s website:
“The British Raj was in awe of the amazing spices that India had to offer, specifically the pepper, which was grown on the coast of Malabar and was considered as the master spice. During the various invasions of India, with each new ruler and with each new invader, Indian cuisine changed. You can taste the hints of all these flavors in our cuisine at Peppermill. Sometimes if feels a bit Turkish, and there are some spices which invoke memories of the Greeks. There are hints of French, Portuguese, Arabic, and of course, British flavors in all the dishes that we serve here at Peppermill.”
Colorful condiments: delicate onion slices, sweet and sour papaya slivers, lemon pickle, and yogurt-mint dip.
The staff is knowledgeable about the food that they serve, and this truly helps us in deciding what to order. We are impressed that the waiter assigned to our table knows the ingredients used in each dish. Once our orders are taken, complimentary papad is served. The thin, crispy crackers keep us occupied while the chef prepares our meal.
For starters, we order Dhum Corn, simmered tender corn-on-the-cob with a hint of butter. AED 15
Murg Malai Kebab, chicken marinated with cashewnuts, yoghurt and green chillies cooked in tandoor oven. This is pretty mild and did not succeed in tickling our taste buds. AED 45
Badshah’s Delight. Chicken breast stuffed with almonds, apricots, cheddar cheese, bell peppers and spices braised in curry sauce. This is what the waiter suggests when I ask him to recommend something that doesn’t contain turmeric. I like this the most. It’s creamy, mildly spiced, with melt-in-your-mouth tender chicken pieces. However, now that I’m checking their website out, I notice that the Badshah’s Delight looks entirely different! I now wonder if the picture above is actually malai makkhani. AED 45
Murgh Biryani. Boneless pieces of chicken infused with spices and herbs steamed to perfection with long grain basmati rice, saffron and topped with onions and fresh mint. I do not eat this, but the Hyderabadi husband said it’s good. AED 48
We also order garlic and butter naan, which arrive on our table warm and fresh from the tandoor. My mouth is watering just thinking about these soft heavenly bread! AED 8 each.
For drinks we order banana-strawberry lassi and saffron-rose lassi. Both are really good, and I highly recommend them. However, remember that they’re heavy and if you drink them before the food arrives, you won’t be able to eat anything. AED 14 each.
Shahi Tukra. Toasted raisin brioche topped with saffron pistachio ice cream and pistachio biscotti. The presentation is really impressive! I’ve never eaten a shahi tukra with ice cream before, and this combo is really interesting. This dessert is too sweet, and I think that two to three people can easily share a serving of this. AED 18
Desi Tiramisu. Coffee flavoured Ras Malai layered with vanilla mascarponeand dusted cocoa powder. I love this! As expected with tiramisu, this is bitter-sweet in just the right way. I enjoy it so much that I forget to photograph it. The picture above is taken off Peppermill’s Facebook page. AED 32
The World’s Largest Pepper Mill:
The world’s biggest pepper mill, standing tall at 13.5 metres. Behind it are around 75-odd pepper mills from across the world gracing a wall of the restaurant.
Overall Experience:
If you are looking for a place to experience Indian cuisine for the first time, want to try something mild yet flavorful curries and kababs, or have friends and visitors you want to impress, Peppermill is the restaurant. The friendly staff will gladly tell you a bit about the place or the huge pepper mill, and will even offer to take your pictures!
You can also read Geordie Armani’s review of Peppermill here.
Peppermill Restaurant
First floor, Lulu Hypermarket Al Barsha
Dubai
Phone: +971-4-3549166
Subhan’Allah, the place is sooo wow and colours are soo vibrant.
. Lol you sure you’d badshah’s delight? 
Desi Tiramisu looks heavenly! *droools*
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If a Hyderabadi says some other biryani is good,then it MUST be goood
I’m sure next time you visit them, you’ll get some sort of VIP treatment if they read this review
Oh anddd nadiaaaa bajiiii do you knowwww few days before I’d made shahi tukde and I got an order from one of my uncles to make it in his dawat. Alhamdulilah
Fee Aman illah
Oh MashaAllah! Congrats on the successful shahi tukdey. You should definitely start sharing your awesome recipes online! I’ve only made shahi tukdey twice, and they never quite come out the way I like them to be
Oh I clearly remember that it was Badshah’s Delight. It’s not like I can forget about a meal with such a fancy name
Sadly, no VIP treatment for writing about restaurants in blogs. The most they do is send a thank you email (unless, of course, they invite you for a free meal so that you could write about them … that’s a different story). But in this case, I’m just giving my honest opinion for those who are looking for this restaurant’s review.
Don’t forget to let me know how the dawat went
Nadia, your pics are awesome, as in… And you never fail to make us jealous about the foods and the ambiance… Do you really have to do that – that often, huh? The place looks classy, haha and private. And if you say the foods taste excellent, wow, that’s a spectacular dining experience.
I can imagine it’s expensive, haha. Foods that come with history are usually pricey… It means that the chef musn’t just know how to cook supreme dishes. He must also have culture and a sense of history.
And you say the foods in Peppermill contain centuries of conquests and wars? And I thought before that wars were for appending lands to the empire and spreading faith far beyond the reaches of the kingdom? They must really be about spices, cooking and recipes, come to think of it… Yeah, that was how Philippines was discovered by Villalobos and Magellan, right? It’s about peppers & such… lols .
What’s with the tumeric, why do you avoid it… And biryani is usually good, my dear…
That’s one Arabic or Indian cooking that I know to be good. (Of course, my knowledge of your cuisines is practically little.. ) But biryani is usually good, Masood is right… ^^
A side story… even in the Phils, there are expensive restaurants that pride themselves on the intricacy or originality of their peppermills – the device or the ways and methods they grind the pepper, haha. You should see how they make a thorough ritual out of it – as though refinement were really about the pepper and the business of grinding, shaking and pouring it, lols.
But that one, it seems to me like it’s some place… Yes, it looks like a royalty setting from this end…
Hello ‘San! The place should be classy since they classify themselves as “fine dining”. Honestly, they’ve done a really nice job. Actually, it’s not so pricey. And even if it were, this was a free lunch courtesy of our company
Regarding turmeric. Well, I have these ceramic braces on that will turn a horrendous neon yellow if I consume food with turmeric, so yeah, no turmeric for me for a year.
Pepper was the “black gold” and I suppose people bartered other precious things for these small black spices. I wish there would also be a Filipino fine dining restaurant here in Dubai.
ah, the place looks fine, indeed. and somebody is getting free expensive lunch, huh? ^^ the yellow is neon? need it be neon? tough luck, indeed.
yes, i’ve heard of the “black gold.” pepper is actually the top product in our local village in the last 10 years? it’s one of the reasons why many people stopped planting rice – so they could plant black gold, as in…
ah, no filipino-owned fine dining resto in dubai? really? anyway, just dropping by to let you know that they have restored my site, yehey! some news, eh?
That’s right: not just a mild, innocent yellow but a bright, neon yellow! That’s why I’m avoiding turmeric like a plague
Considering how rice is the staple food in the Philippines, I’m wondering how long those farmers can plant the black gold.
Oh, congratulations on the restored site!!! Now be careful about posting pictures
bright neon yellow, hehe.
oh, the farmers find it hard. the situation has pushed many to go abroad as ofw… ^^
ahaha, thanks always for your concern and for the reminder, of course. i’ll be more careful, indeed. thanks.
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always a pleasure to land on your page. another very interesting post….i so want to taste the desi tiramisu yum!!! and i really like the idea of cabins with drapes…btw this is my third post of the day about food
loved this
Hey MJ! Oh, I am already day dreaming about this desi tiramisu. Maybe I’ll research and try to recreate this
Are you still abroad? That reminds me, I am planning to go through your pictures tonight
Thanks so much for the review, Nadia. I’ve been meaning to try this place for AGES! I know you listed prices but would you see the bill came to 100 aed per person or perhaps more?
You are most welcome! We were around 8 people and the bill came up to AED 650. I’d say it’s around 80-85 per person.
Great post! I’ve been there a few times and it’s always been a pleasure.
Did you know Peppermill is owned by an FiA member… Shafeena?
Oh really? Wow, mashaAllah. I didn’t know Shafeena owns this awesome place
Thanks, Devina! Hope you had a great weekend.
It looks so posh! I realllllly need to visit that corner of the world ASAP, insha’Allah!
Yes, you do need to visit us asap!
the restaurant looks cozy and luxurious like it is a 5-star place and it’s food temptating. the Shahi Tukra made me look dreamy with drooling saliva. if only I have Aladdin’s lamp, I’d sure be there in the blink of an eye (which means before the saliva hits the floor) to enjoy it… LOL.
oops…the food is tempting, not temptating…ghee…sorry..!
Ati, you are so funny!
I’d wanted to bring the dining area home with me so I can eat all my meals in style, then I realized it would lose all it’s luxurious appeal if I see it everyday
Hey Nadia, great post. Many thanks
Sam Malik
The PR Professionals
Thanks, Sam!
Nadia, did I ever tell you that you write great reviews?!! You should submit your work to your local newspaper!
That tiramisu looks delicious
Yes, you have, ‘liya! You are very generous with your comments, thank you so much. You make my day
The tiramisu is excellent.
it looks so cool – time to explore all of these on my next visit iA
Your PepperMill visit is on us, inshaAllah
the 3rd last picture is so good! Mazey mazey ! I first thought the post is going to be about paper mill. LOL. I was like woa, so damn good paper mill. then I re read the title and it made sense
Haha, maybe you should stop getting up at 2 am with those food cravings (referring to your pasta adventure)