The Great Kabab Factory, Dubai

I still remember the first visit to the Great Kabab Factory in Delhi about 10 years back. The concept was novel, the food was delicious and the service was impeccable. Since then they have opened new outlets in Greater Delhi and all our sojourns to these places were fantastic experiences. So when we heard and read about GKF in Dubai, the brain cells processing food taste became active and we were looking for an opportunity to sample the overseas fare.

So we did a fair bit of review and then off we went to Dubai Mall on a Saturday evening. Let me explain the concept at GKF. Basically it’s a sit down Buffet that means food is served on an unlimited basis at a pace and sequence of your desire. So a typical offering would be six types of Kababs (Non Veg or Veg and you need to choose your stream upfront!!). Two types of Dal, a vegetable and Indian Breads would be served. There would be a Biryani and the evening would end with a dessert. In the beginning there would be some salad too. Soft beverages and water is charged separately. A meal for one costs about 125 AED.

We were served the following:

Salad : Lettuce, Pineapples, Cucumber with a tangy mustard dressing. This was good and we had a repeat at the end of the meal.
Kababs : First to arrive was the Galouti Kabab. This is made of Mutton Mince that would almost melt in your mouth. It was served hot and was delicious. I was not impressed with the Ulti Tawa ke Paratha(wheat flour dough pancake roasted with oil on a reversed flat pan). The taste was insipid and nothing to talk about.
Then arrived the Chicken Kabad which was napped in good Indian spices and this was nothing to talk about. The meat was not smooth and rather fibrous.
The third on the agenda was I suspect hammour napped in coriander and mint sauced and deep fried. This fish was exquisite.
` Next in line was a Garlic Chicken Boti. Small cubes of chicken breast marinated with Garlic, Yoghurt and other spices and then grilled. This was unimpressive too. I reckon the marination was not properly completed and therefore the chicken was not soft.
The fifth was a Mutton Burra which means marinated mutton chops grilled in a tandoor (An Indian oven). The mutton was not well done and was tough.
The sixth was a Chicken Seekh Kabab that was again insipid and underdone.
Breads: The variety of Breads that were served was:
1. I have already talked about the Ulti Tawa ke Paratha.
2. There was some Nan which was not bad.
3. The Sheermal was a disaster. I have never seen such terrible Sheernal being served in a restaurant leave alone our previous GKF experiences. (A special type of Kashmiri Roti, Sheermal is special sweet bread prepared using yeast. It is made of wheat flour, sugar, butter and milk, flavored with saffron. This bread is about 20 cm in diameter, 2 cm thick, and the crust is covered with sesame seeds. It is usually baked in traditional tandoor.) It was oily, and had no taste whatsoever.
4. The Saunf (Fennel) flavoured Bakarkhani (a Sheermal derivative-popular in Dhaka) was good. The first piece was hot and fabulous. The repeat was cold and underdone!!
Dal : The two lentil dishes were good. One was a Yellow Dal while the other was a traditional Dal Makhni.
Biryani : The first time I was served only rice and that was cold. On pointing out the flaw, the waiter had to get a proper refill with pieces of meat too. This was unpardonable.
Dessert: There was a choice of Mung Dal Halwa, Firni and Gulab Jamun. The Firni had not set properly and was not creamy. The Mung Dal Halwa was passable.


In the beginning as soon as we entered the restaurants a smart alec waiter tried to veer us toward this notice board where the menu is written and the concept explained. I did not like the way we were greeted in the sense that he should have politely explained us his objective for taking us in front of the board and then done the deed. Assuming that people are unaware, uneducated and unintelligent is not a good sign. Things can be done better. Perhaps when one sits down you could come to the table and explain the whole deal.


The ambience left much to be desired but I give the benefit of doubt since this was part of a food court. But then your charges are un-food court like and I would demand and expect a more cosy atmosphere.


Food needs to improve a lot especially compared to our Delhi experiences. Quality sometimes comes at a price but then when you pay that price you must get that quality. My overall score with the baggage of my older GKF experiences would be a 6 out of 10. If I remove the baggage I would add another 0.5 to the rating. Will I take a guest to this place for a meal? In the current circumstances it’s a No. If you are willing to pay and try out this place please do go ahead at your own risk. The bottom line has to change before I venture back here. Sphere: Related Content