Pan-Indian · Abu Dhabi
All of India, not just the north.
North Indian and Mughlai, South Indian, Bengali, Gujarati, Rajasthani and Hyderabadi, cooked by specialists in each.
The Royal Orchid Group began in Abu Dhabi in 1985 with Kwality, the city's veteran Indian restaurant, and our head office still sits at ADGM on Al Maryah Island. Pan-Indian catering here is run directly rather than handed off: Gaurav Varma, our Chief Executive Officer, looks after Abu Dhabi enquiries himself.
Most Indian catering in Abu Dhabi is North Indian with a dosa counter bolted on. That is fine until your guest list is actually Indian, at which point half the room is eating someone else's regional food. We cook pan-Indian properly because the group now runs Kababs & Kurries, Chhappan Bhog and Bombay Canteen alongside the catering division, forty years after Kwality started it.
The regions
What pan-Indian actually covers here.
- North Indian and Punjabi: tandoor, dal, slow-cooked curries and breads fired on site.
- Mughlai and Hyderabadi: dum biryani cooked sealed, kebabs, korma and haleem-style slow cooking.
- South Indian: dosa, uttapam and appam with stew, from a live counter.
- Bengali and eastern: fish preparations and the sweets that go with them.
- Gujarati and Rajasthani: dhokla, farsan and the full pure-vegetarian thali tradition.
- Street food and chaat from the chowk, assembled live.
- Mithai and plated desserts from Chhappan Bhog, holder of the 2019 Guinness World Record for the largest display of sweets.
Why it matters
A guest list is not one region.
A Gujarati wedding, a Bengali reception and a Hyderabadi dinner want different food, and a single North Indian buffet serves none of them properly. Because the catalogue is regional rather than generic, we can weight a menu towards the families in the room instead of averaging them.
It also means the vegetarian side of the menu is real. Gujarati and Rajasthani cooking is vegetarian by tradition, not by subtraction, which is why pure-vegetarian events built from that catalogue do not taste like a compromise.
Dietary
Jain, pure-veg and vegan on a separate line.
Jain menus carry no onion, no garlic and no root. Pure-vegetarian and fully plant-based vegan menus are cooked on a separate line rather than adapted from the main service, and every dish on the buffet is labelled in text as well as by colour dot.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- Do you cater South Indian food in Abu Dhabi?
- Yes, including a live South Indian counter serving dosa, uttapam and appam with stew. It counts as one live station.
- Can you cater a Gujarati or Rajasthani vegetarian menu in Abu Dhabi?
- Yes. Those regional catalogues are pure-vegetarian by tradition, and Jain versions with no onion, garlic or root are cooked on a separate line.
- Do you cook biryani on dum?
- Yes. Dum biryani is cooked sealed and opened at the counter rather than mixed after cooking.
- Can you cater Bengali or Hyderabadi food for a wedding in Abu Dhabi?
- Yes. The catalogue is regional, so a menu can be weighted towards the families in the room rather than defaulting to a generic North Indian buffet.
- Who handles regional Indian catering enquiries in Abu Dhabi?
- Gaurav Varma, our Chief Executive Officer, looks after Abu Dhabi directly from the head office at ADGM on Al Maryah Island.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- CuisinesIndian catering in Abu DhabiIndian caterers in Abu Dhabi since 1985. Dum biryani, live tandoor and chaat, curries and Indian sweets for home parties and weddings, from AED 140 per head.
- CuisinesJain & vegan cateringJain and vegan catering in Abu Dhabi, cooked on a separate line. No onion, no garlic, no root, and fully plant-based menus for weddings, festivals and corporate events.
- CuisinesPan-Asian cateringPan-Asian catering in Abu Dhabi: Japanese, Chinese, Burmese, Mongolian and Thai, from award-winning restaurant kitchens. Khao suey, live wok and sushi.
- CateringWedding catering in Abu DhabiWedding catering in Abu Dhabi since 1985. Mehndi, sangeet and reception menus from AED 140 per head, for 20 to 3,500 guests. Compose yours online.
Ready when you are
Compose your menu, course by course.
No commitment and no phone call. Choose every course yourself in about two minutes, then send it over and we'll take it from there.