Looking for a taste of authentic Karnataka cuisine in Dubai? Join Arva on this week’s edition of Cheap Eats on Dubai 92 as she introduces Sri Krishna Bhavan. This South Indian restaurant specializes in the flavors of Karnataka, including specialty dishes from Mangalore.
What’s This Week’s Cheap Eat?
This week on Dubai’s favourite radio station, Dubai 92, Arva introduced us to Sri Krishna Bhavan in Karama. This South Indian restaurant stands out by specializing in the flavors of Karnataka. The menu may appear eclectic, featuring Indo-Chinese dishes alongside traditional Indian ones, but we recommend sticking to their traditional Karnataka dishes.
The dish to try here is a one that hails from Karnataka called Goli Bajje. These piping hot deep-fried globes are surprisingly creamy on the inside and best dunked into a savory coconut chutney. Another specialty dish here which you won’t find at most other South Indian restaurants is a rice flour bread called Akki roti.
Sri Krishna Bhavan keeps its prices affordable with most dishes priced under 20 dirhams and despite being super busy on the weekends, their servers go out of their way to get you a table and serve you with a smile.
Find Sri Krishna Bhavan on Google Maps here.
What Their Goli Bajje Looks Like
Here’s our Instagram reel showcasing their Goli Bajje.
View this post on Instagram
Tune In
Tune in to the segment using this audio recap or check out the transcript below.
Transcript
Jono:
It’s Dubai 92! It’s Jono here and the Big Breakfast. As always, on Wednesday we tantalize our taste buds with Arva from Frying Pan Adventures, and this week, we are off to beautiful Karama today for a delightful couple of dishes with Arva.
Arva, how are you? Happy Wednesday!
Arva:
Happy Wednesday to you too. Yes, we are off to Karama and it’s to a place that our fantastic Instagram community has been raving about for a long time and I finally went there with my family this weekend. So thank you to everyone who follows us on Instagram and gives us recommendations. You know that meal was all thanks to the people who recommended it and it’s a place called Sri Krishna Bhavan which is a little bit different than the other South Indian restaurants in the area because this place specializes in food from the state of Karnataka. So they actually have some specialty dishes from Mangalore that you wouldn’t find in other restaurants.
Jono:
Right, so what did you order when you were there? Because the menu is, I mean it’s eclectic, there’s even Manchurian dishes on there as well, so there’s like almost an Indo-Chinese dish in there as well, it seems like it’s a bit of a mishmash. What did you go for?
Arva:
No, no, you know, it’s an authentic Indian restaurant when they have like 20 pages of the full menu with that Indian Chinese section. You kind of have to have that there. So then it’s going to be totally authentic. That’s normal! But the stuff that we had, of course, we had to get dosa because that’s just what you have to get. I won’t say that they’re the best in dosa. I think you’ve got to stick to their dishes from Karnataka. So we got this dish called Goli Bajje, which I’m sure I’m pronouncing wrong, but they’re basically like deep fried balls of dough, they’re sort of this really caramelized brown on the outside. But when you bite into them, they’re completely creamy on the inside and I don’t know how they get that texture because it’s basically made out of flour. So you would expect it to become spongy, but it’s not, it’s creamy on the inside!
Jono:
So when you bite inside, is there a, what are you using on the side here? Is there a nice dip that you’re going with that or is it just on its own?
Arva:
Yeah, it’s got a slight sweetness to it, but you dip it into a savory coconut chutney, so it’s absolutely delicious. So what you do is the first bite, you just kind of peel away a little layer of the outside skin and then you expose the creaminess on the inside and then you scoop up the coconut chutney and it is so delicious just like that!
Jono:
What’s the price point here? How much is this going to set us back?
Arva:
You know, all the dishes there, there’s nothing really that would set you back more than around 20 dirhams. I’m trying to figure out the price of this specific dish, but really all the stuff we got per person, nothing would be more than 20 dirhams. Unless like my dad, you decided to get the thali, which is like a feast. And then you end up spending around 28 dirhams or maximum 30 dirhams. So really nothing is going to break the bank. And they are so packed on the weekends. I mean, it’s a small, small place. And that kitchen is just flying out dishes! You would think that they would be stressed, they would be annoyed, they would just be like hustling people out of there, but they do not! They actually really take service seriously and they were serving with a smile and they just had a can-do attitude. It’s like, you need a table? Alright, we’re gonna make this happen! And they just, you know, they just kind of work with people and we love that.
Jono:
Well, I love these small places that you just think it doesn’t look like much from the outside. Then you go in and you’re like, oh, my goodness, the food is incredible! The reviews don’t lie either. It’s got so many five-star reviews online. So I think it’s definitely one to check out. So again, give us the name once more and where we can find it.
Arva:
Shri Krishna Bhavan in Karama, make sure you get the Goli Bajje and the Akki roti which is a rice flour bread and you’re not going to find these dishes in other South Indian restaurants in Karama.
Jono:
And remember if you want to recommend something to Arva you can do that on Frying Pan Adventures. Check out her Instagram page and see some absolutely amazing places where you can go and experience, dine around in Dubai as well. Arva, as always, thank you for tantalizing our taste buds on a Wednesday.
Arva:
Thank you so much. Have a scrumptious week ahead!
Check out Where to Find the Best Dates In Dubai here!
Arva Ahmed is the co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company, and a celebrated food explorer known for uncovering Dubai’s hidden culinary gems. Her expertise in the city’s diverse food scene has been featured in prominent publications such as CNN, Khaleej Times, BBC Travel, The Sun, The Independent and countless more. She also hosts Ditch the Silver on YouTube. Through her immersive tours and storytelling, Arva brings Dubai’s rich flavors and vibrant cultures to life.
