Ever since I can remember, I never took comfort from sweets. My parents tried everything: jellybeans, super sweet cookies, chocolate eggs (the old Kinder ones with the cool surprises, not the Kinder Joy from now) and many other home-made inventions, but nothing really stuck. Besides chocolate. I like a good dark chocolate and can't say no to a chocolate fondant, but that's where my love affair with sweets stops. 



Somehow, my preferred choice for comfort has always gravitated towards savoury: chips, popcorn, pizza, pasta with tomato sauce and lots of mozzarella, Dutch fries (the thick ones, served with garlic mayo!!).  Since I relocated to Dubai, my pool of choices became larger, including Szechuan noodles, fried rice and shawarma (the chicken one only).



But the day came when change just inevitably happened. My pool of choices got suddenly drained, my life-long preferences vanished, what I found comfort in was no longer comforting. And it's all because of a bowl of chicken peshawari....and another one of chicken handi....and maybe some chicken tikka here and there.



I used to live quite far from all the Ravis in Dubai, therefore never visited. Imagine, been living in Dubai for 16 months and never eaten in Ravi, such a waste of time. Anyway, December 2012 came and I relocated to a neighbourhood closer to the Ravi of my choice (after I've eaten in 4 of their locations, I can honestly say that this one, at the end of Satwa Road, close to the round about, is the best for me). Of course, I didn't know back then that I will spend many nights at this eatery, sharing laughs, gossip and stories over bowls and bowls of food. 



So January 2013, a colleague of mine from work calls me up and invites me to take part in his "Wednesday ritual" - haircut in Satwa, followed by dinner at Ravi. I was so thrilled, I couldn't wait. Who knew that an almost bald guy's haircut can take more than 15 minutes? Unbelievable!

 

Eventually, we sit down and him, being the specialist in navigating through Ravi's menu, ordered chicken achar, chicken jalfraizi, chicken tikka, lamb chops and freshly baked rotis. I was excited and nervous like a girl waiting for her first kiss. While waiting for the food, I stopped talking and started taking the atmosphere in. Metal tables, plastic chairs. A box of tissues, plastic cups, plastic plates and bowls. Mix of people - Pakistani, Filipinos, Westerners from everywhere, taxi drivers, business men, families, girls - , all smiling and merrily munching their food. The waiters, all speaking limited English but compensating through great speed of service, were running around the busy terrace, carrying trays of steaming hot rotis, chai, daal and others.



Our food finally came and it was out of this world! The chicken achar is spicy and sour in the same time. Boneless chicken, a mix of spices exploding in your mouth and roti - nothing more needed, nothing else matters. Until chicken jalfraizi. Onions, green peppers, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, chicken thighs and coriander. Love, love, love. I was not really into the lamb chops, but the chicken tikka was cool - crispy skin, moist inside, a bit fatty, exactly like a chicken leg should be.



Since this time, I visited Ravi so many times, I stopped counting. What started as a mid-week ritual, became a "three times per week" one. I am going there so often that the waiters know me and my order by heart. I sit down, I don't get a menu anymore but I do get my food (my fix), I smile, I ask them about their health, I get my coffee, I pay, I leave. I got so many people hooked to Ravi, it's amazing how a food you didn't know for your whole life shifts your perception on a culture, on flavours, on your knowledge.



Throughout my visits, I got to try most of their menu: paratha, cheese naan, butter naan, daal, soup, keema fry, vegetable kofta, chicken peshawari, chicken handi, biryani, mutton green masala, aloo palak special and more I can't remember. Some I didn't like, but most of them I did. But still, the most comforting ones (for me), the ones I come back for every time, the ones that warm my soul are chicken peshawari (chicken thighs, green chilli, red chilli powder, some drops of lemon I guess, coriander - it's not as spicy as the rest of the dishes, but it packs many punches of flavour and it is my absolute favourite dish!!!), chicken handi (boneless chicken pieces, yoghurt  cream, black pepper, green chilli, tomatoes and many other ingredients - you don't want to share this with anyone! What I do (when I'm dining alone)? i break the whole roti into small pieces, throw them in the chicken handi bowl, and then dip my spoon in there, while reading my book. Not classy at all, but who cares?) and the chicken leg tikka.

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​I am a sucker for restaurants in low-key locations, the "hidden gems" of Dubai, and I try to avoid restaurants that promise you tantalizing tastes and out-of-this-world flavours, at an out-of-this-world charge. Ravi has been a favourite of many residents and travelers since its inception many years ago (1975 if I'm correct) and I'm quite sure that it will not change in the future. People come here for a no-fuss no-frills dining experience and that's what they get...no flashy cars, no blasting music, no fancy service or complicated menu. Just good food. 



For me, Ravi is more than a food institution in Dubai, it's a place where I go because it makes me happy. I don't really give a toss about how other people feel about Ravi, but I feel good there.

 

So yes, comfort food, we all know about it, we all have our own. Girls have chocolate, ice cream, maybe junk food once in a while...I have chicken peshawari and roti.... and, if I really feel under the weather, an add-on of chicken handi will always do the trick!

 



P.S.: up until now, this has been the most difficult write-up. I wanted to make justice to Ravi, it is a place I thoroughly enjoy, time and time again, and that carries many good memories. I don't know if I succeeded. I doubt it. I think it is impossible to put into words the joy I have when I go there and the feeling when I eat their food. I didn't manage to express 100 % of why I like their food, but I hope I got close. I'm going to get some food now!