Aappa Kadai in Dubai Marine adds spice to life

You could quite easily stroll past Simran's Aappa Kadai in Dubai Marina without even noticing it. The restaurant looks pretty nondescript from the outside and even once you've settled at a table and are scanning through the lengthy menu, there's little to suggest that, providing you choose carefully, you could be in for a real treat. Aappa Kadai specialises in south Indian food, so it makes sense to veer towards the more traditional dishes, rather than opting for an item from the Chinese fusion section. However, my friend did order chicken tikka for her starter (found under tandoori and north Indian) and while I chided her for being unadventurous, when it arrived I ended up eating not only my words, but plenty of her chicken, too. The pieces of meat were both nicely charred and properly juicy and judging by their softness and gentle heat, had spent plenty of time sitting in a tangy, mildly spiced yogurt marinade. The aappams at Aappa Kadai are something special. To begin with, I tried the egg masala aappam ("plain aappam laced with a mix of beaten eggs and chettinad masala") and was instantly enamoured by the bowl-shaped pancake (made from coconut and fermented rice batter) that was brought to the table. It was thin, crisp and filled with tiny air bubbles on the outside, with an inside layer made up of spiced egg, chopped coriander and curry leaves. We tore off strips, dunked it into little pots of plain yogurt and marvelled at the cost (Dh4) of this little number. Kadalal (black channa) curry proved to be another hit; a bubbling bowl of soft, chewy black chickpeas wrapped in a dark, rich, coconut gravy that was thick with tomatoes, onions and curry leaves and contained just enough chilli to cause tongues to tingle. We soaked up the sauce with yet more aappam (plain this time and just Dh1.50 each), which proved to be the perfect vehicle for doing so. A huge portion of egg kothu parotta all but finished us off. The turmeric-yellow scramble of soft, sliced onion, shredded omelette and crispy, buttery, chopped parotta bread, all mixed together with spices and the occasional fried curry leaf, wasn't a light or particularly pretty dish by any means, but it was a filling, comforting one. Mango fish curry was the only dish that struck a dud note and even that wasn't all bad. The first mouthful of the tangy, slightly sour sauce was very nice. However, the aftertaste was overwhelmingly fishy - too fishy - and this, combined with the pungent smell of the large hunks of fish, put us off. It would be a bit of a stretch to call the service at Aappa Kadai charming. However, it is efficient enough and when the total cost of a very tasty - not to mention substantial - meal for two people comes to Dh65, there really is very little to complain about. The National