Veg out: It's in Vogue this October

World Vegetarian Day is tomorrow. And all of October is vegetarian awareness month, by the way. So, restaurants across Dubai, wisening up to the trend, are going all out to woo the herbivores in town

Poor vegetarians. More often than not, they're doomed. Why? Well, for one, at most Indian restaurants, there's no more variety than aloo, paneer, mattar, mushroom, capsicum and gobhi. Dessert is fair game, but before that, you're not usually in for the ride of your life. This past week, at Jodhpur at Al Murooj Rotana though, we sampled some dishes (from its new menu; the first change since the restaurant opened nine months ago) that were indicative of a change sweeping through vegetarian cuisine. Jodhpur may well be a beacon of hope for vegetarians. Here's what we liked best:
Kale chaat: A version of the more familiar crispy spinach chaat, it is the perfect temperature, served with pomegranate and cubed watermelon pieces. The crunch comes from the deep fried kale, and the liquid nitrogen treatment meted out to the cooled yoghurt and feta. The garnish of micro greens is not the only aspect of this appetiser that slams it into repeat-order category. As Chef Pradeep Khullar says, a good chaat is meant to hit all your taste buds - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. That's what you get here. There's also a well-seasoned macaron chaat with a layer of hung yoghurt and lime powder at the centre. But we were after the new menu, not yummy palate cleansers. (Kale patta chaat chatpata tarbooz, feta curd for Dh70).
Desi pesto kebab: Everyone's familiar with hara-bhara kebabs. But this one has the hara-bhara dhaniya only on the outside. Inside is raisin malai (not to be confused with rasmalai), which is cream cheese with raisins. The most wonderful part: popcorn chutney! (Desi pesto kabab, parmesan chips, popcorn chutney for Dh105).
Tandoori matra kulcha: Maida can't be helped in this. A mouthful of dehydrated peas and onion masala - such a feast! You've got to make even the cynics try it - the ones digging into beef short ribs with aam papad glaze. Non-vegetarians, too, will love the kick and the just-right masala and mirchi balance. Eaten with chutney. (Tandoori matra kulcha with imli foam, Dh75).

 Designed by Rajendran. Curated by Milrina Martis (KT intern) and Nivriti Butalia