Lavang: Downtown Dubai’s New Culinary Star Blends Indian Flair with Modern Elegance

By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait

Located in the heart of Downtown Dubai, Lavang offers a sophisticated and elegant dining experience. The chic new restaurant near the iconic Burj Khalifa, is redefining Indian cuisine with a bold contemporary twist – and it’s quickly becoming one of the city’s most talked-about dining destinations.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Diviya Kalra, who draws inspiration from her father, the legendary Chef and entrepreneur Ashok Kalra, whose four-decade culinary legacy includes the iconic Mughal Mahal in Kuwait. Named after the Hindi word for ‘clove’ — Lavang is more than just a name, it symbolizes warmth, depth, and a quiet strength, like the spice itself, a constant in Diviya’s life and cooking memories. “Lavang is a love letter to my father, to the culture that raised me, and to a new era of Indian dining defined by elegance,” explains Founder, Diviya Kalra.

Diviya’s journey to Lavang was not just a professional one, but a deeply personal and emotional one. It began long before Lavang took shape on paper, with a barefoot little girl in her father’s restaurant kitchen, entranced by the scent of cloves, cardamom, and gravies simmered with care and purpose. In a home where food was both a livelihood and a love language, she learned that cuisine could stir both appetites and emotions.

Her father – a pioneering restaurateur in Kuwait – wasn’t just a chef but a quiet force who stirred hearts as often as he stirred pots. The kitchen was Diviya’s playground and the dining room was her first classroom. It was there she absorbed the unspoken lessons of hospitality, resilience, and grace, watching stories unfold across linen-draped tables and learning that every dish carried meaning far beyond its ingredients.

Though her formal education would later take her to Canada, her most formative schooling happened in the gentle chaos of evening service, where she shadowed her father through the rhythm of a bustling dining room. There, she discovered that flavor and feeling are inseparable – that food, at its finest, evokes memory, comfort, and belonging.

Today, as the Founder of Lavang, Diviya reclaims that legacy and reimagines it through a modern lens. With entrepreneurial vision and instinctive elegance, she has shaped Lavang into a deeply personal expression of her heritage. It is a space where the rich soul of Indian cuisine meets contemporary artistry, quiet luxury whispers rather than shouts, and every detail – from the spice blend to the ambiance – is crafted with intent. “While my dad was heavily involved in the menu and focused on traditional dishes I focused on fusion dishes and plating, the interiors are 100% me,” gushes the Indian beauty.

The interiors exude understated luxury with a 12-meter tall ceiling adorned with elegant chandeliers, gold accents and bespoke tableware from Turkey. Every element has been chosen to reflect the essence of hospitality – gracious, refined, and deeply personal.

Working in close collaboration with Chef Ashok Kalra and Diviya Kalra, Executive Chef Chetan leads Lavang’s culinary direction, shaping a menu that pays homage to the rich diversity of Indian cuisine while reinterpreting it for contemporary palates. Each dish is crafted with restraint and artistry, maintaining a deep respect for traditional roots while embracing modern techniques and presentation. The restaurant’s offerings promise more than just taste – they tell stories of culture, lineage, and thoughtful evolution. At Lavang, food is not simply cooked – it is composed.

Guests can look forward to delicate starters such as the crisp pani puri with chilled tamarind water—a coastal homage turned into a fine-dining starter or the Jalebi Chaat where Jalebis meet tangy chaat for a savory delightful flavor. For the salads guest can try the Malai Caesar’s which is Chicken Malai tikka served on a creamy Caesar’s salad or the Wild Sea.

Fresh seafood with greens, citrus dressing, and sea-inspired flavors. For mains, diners can savor the Mangalorean Crab a Juicy crab with a rich Mangalorean spice-infused sauce or from the grill the Chicken Tikka Trio which is a Vibrant chicken tikka marinated in methi, bell pepper, onion, malai and tandoori flavors.

Set in Downtown Dubai, Lavang finds its natural home in a city that celebrates ambition, tradition, cosmopolitan flair, and cultural depth. Here, at this global crossroads, Divya Kalra brings to life not just a restaurant but a feeling of a homecoming. Whether you come seeking comfort in familiar flavours, or the thrill of discovering something entirely new, Lavang invites you to experience the joy of food as it was always meant to be:deeply personal, artfully crafted, and beautifully shared. At Lavang, every plate carries a memory, every spice tells a story, and every guest is welcomed like family.

By Hermoine Macura-Noble
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.