One of the perks of being in the lifestyle media business is that every so often you get invited to a meal at a superb restaurant hosted by its equally superb star chef. So when the opportunity to lunch at Junoon (which translates to \u2018passion\u2019 in Hindi) with\u00a0Vikas Khanna in attendance presented itself, we leapt at the chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not your average fish\u00a0tikka\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n When the original Junoon in New York first opened its doors in 2010 it\u00a0quickly earned itself a Michelin star for its contemporary and elegant approach to a cuisine type that had yet to be given the \u2018haute\u2019 treatment on that side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n Curry row in Manhattan certainly wields some charm but…<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n this (Junoon’s\u00a0Patalia lounge in NYC) is something else<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Given the restaurant’s\u00a0numerous accolades and its notable\u00a0popularity with patrons from the GCC\u00a0region,\u00a0when owner Rajesh Bhardwaj decided to export\u00a0the brand to Dubai in 2015\u00a0Junoon was embraced enthusiastically by the UAE\u2019s dining public.\u00a0<\/p>\n Housed in the venerable\u00a0Shangri-La on SZR,\u00a0Junoon Dubai\u00a0vies with Tresind for first place amongst this city\u2019s most outstanding Indian fine dining restaurants. Considering how seriously this city\u00a0takes both its Indian food and its fine dining, that\u2019s no easy feat.<\/p>\n Junoon is also known in Dubai\u00a0for its fantastic\u00a0cock-and-mock-tails, including this formidable-looking pineapple-based concoction<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n But no matter how good the food in Junoon is (and it is indeed\u00a0very, very good), the warm reception the restaurant received here was undeniably made that much warmer thanks to its crush-worthy consulting chef, Vikas Khanna.<\/p>\n The Amritsar-born 44 year-old bachelor, who bears a strong resemblance to a young Richard Gere, has in the past been named one of People\u2019s 50 Sexiest Men Alive as well as New York\u2019s Hottest Chef. But it\u2019s probably his role as a permanent judge on MasterChef India for the past four years that\u2019s grown his (largely female) fan base so aggressively \u2013 just Google \u201cVikas Khanna\u201d and the search engine will prompt \u201cVikas Khanna love life\u201d; \u201cVikas Khanna dating\u201d; \u201cVikas Khanna married\u201d, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n Slathering himself in chocolate like that… no wonder his fangirls are beside themselves<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Thankfully the extremely earnest and sweet Khanna appears to be oblivious to the effect his good looks have on the opposite sex.\u00a0<\/p>\n But enough about his looks \u2013 there\u2019s more to the man that.<\/p>\n There\u2019s his inspiring backstory: born with misaligned legs, he couldn\u2019t walk until he was two or run until his early teens. As a result of being ridiculed by his peers (children can be so cruel…) he spent his days learning to cook at his grandmother\u2019s side. His passion for food led him to start up his own catering business selling bread and chickpea masala at the age of 17. Fast-forward past however many years spent in classic Western culinary training in India and traversing the subcontinent to soak up its many\u00a0rich culinary traditions in\u00a0dhabas<\/em>, street-side stalls and home kitchens, he lands in New York. And then (following\u00a0lots of hard work, obvs) his career skyrockets\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s all so Slumdog Millionaire<\/em>, except for realz.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vikas’ biji<\/em> nourished\u00a0his love of cooking<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n There\u2019s also his approach to the food of his homeland, which updates\u00a0the very best of India’s\u00a0traditional flavours and methods\u00a0with elements\u00a0of modernity. \u201cThere are so many dimensions to food,” Khanna told us. “Cooking at this level is an opportunity to experience so much more than just turmeric and salt.\u201d<\/p>\n The thalis at Junoon, both\u00a0veg and non-veg, are delish<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For example, there’s\u00a0his molecular reinterpretation of\u00a0ras malai<\/em>, a dessert\u00a0we gobbled down with alacrity. Ras malai usually comes\u00a0in the form of patties of\u00a0buffalo curd or cream\u00a0soaked in more\u00a0cream and sugar syrup\u00a0and flavoured with cardamom. Khanna\u00a0transformed it\u00a0into something that resembled an egg yolk in a shot glass \u2013 a format that some less adventurous\u00a0diners in Dubai\u00a0eyed with dismay.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI had to literally\u00a0beg one woman the other evening to try it. When she finally did, her eyes lit up and she said, \u2018this tastes like my childhood!\u2019\u201d Poetically he added, \u201cFood at a restaurant has to break your heart and touch your memories.\u201d<\/p>\n Pardon our less than stellar photography skills. Also, liquid nitrogen seems to be a favourite at Junoon, no?<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n When we asked him about just how he managed to obtain that delicate texture while retaining such a familiar taste, he explained, \u201cIt\u2019s actually quite simple. We use something like a sous vide and agar in the mixture and it reacts with chloride to form a membrane and it seals everything inside it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sounds rather complex to us, but we assure you the results are simply delicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n But modern methods are not the focal point at Junoon, because if there\u2019s one thing that Khanna cherishes, it’s heritage. In fact, he\u2019s in the process of establishing The Museum of Culinary History in his homeland.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been collecting cooking implements dating from the pre-industrialisation of agriculture. Items from when everything was done communally \u2013 in a village, a family would make dough and take it to the baker to make the bread since they didn\u2019t have a home oven. That doesn\u2019t happen any more \u2013 the communal spirit of cooking is disappearing so I\u2019m trying to preserve the memory of that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Khanna brought along some very old, very heavy cooking implements to the restaurant in Dubai. Guess he doesn’t pack light.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Apart from that huge undertaking, Khanna is a busy, busy man. We already mentioned his gig as a judge on MasterChef India. He\u2019s also\u00a0penned seven books and his latest work, Utsav<\/em>, is set to launch in mid-May. A culinary epic of Indian festivals and rituals, the opus covers some 70-plus festivals across India and includes 1,000 recipes. And apparently, some of the print is in gold. Yes, that\u2019s right. Gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"C38Ce11548Bb696331A24C781Ff081A3\"](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/c38ce11548bb696331a24c781ff081a3_160427_204853.jpg?mtime=20160427204853\")
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