When Ananda opened in 2008 it brought a new level of Indian dining to Ireland. A sister property to the popular Jaipur restaurants, owner Asheesh Dewan is known as a purveyor of quality and spotted a niche in Dundrum Town Centre for something ground-breaking and special.
Former head chef Sunil Ghai cemented Ananda’s success before moving on to open the hugely popular Pickle. In 2018, newcomer Karan Mittal took over as head chef, fresh from stints in the Oberoi group via Aroqa in New York. Combining classic training with contemporary flair, his style of bold, exciting cooking quickly won him fans.
Offering experimental, high-end Indian cooking with tradition running through it, Ananda’s vast menu reads superbly with great variety and innovation across a broad selection of fish, meat and vegetarian choices. Forget regular Indian food as you know it: here chicken korma becomes Mughlai korma, a dish of stuffed chicken with rose petals, wild mushrooms and pistachios, in a rich saffron and cardamom sauce.
Prime Irish produce features heavily, highlighting a commitment to pushing boundaries while marrying Indian and Irish tastes. Maybe you’ll choose St Tola goat’s cheese Chakri, or seared Kilkeel scallops with Denis Harford’s cauliflower korma and Goan chorizo, or how about mustard-crusted Bengali monkfish starring Kilmore Quay monkfish tail with coconut kedgeree and patty pan squash?
Dinner is a treat, with so much choice. Quality and innovation are centre stage and most dishes present something new to try, with detail top of the agenda. Knock-out condiments (apple chutney perhaps) with great popadoms start off each meal, and everything from the excellent naan breads and rice to Karan’s sublime spicing show serious care and skill. Some dishes are richer than expected and the portions are filing, so prepare to be surprised, challenged and delighted.
The dark, moody dining room is especially nice at night time and this Dublin restaurants extremely popular with shoppers for its early bird offering. Service is attentive, provided by helpful and professional staff, with children made feel very welcome in what feels like quite a grown-up room. A small bar area to the side of the large dining room is a nice spot for pre-dinner drinks. There’s a great selection of drinks, including cocktails and Ananda is justifiably popular for special occasions.
* Also at: Jaipur Dalkey, Co.Dublin; Jaipur Malahide, Co.Dublin; Chakra by Jaipur, Greystones.
