Until now, I’d only had a brush with Onam through friends and the occasional glimpse of pookalam designs online. Associating it with tradition, colour and the aroma of sambar bubbling away somewhere close. I’d always wanted to experience the Sadhya in its full glory, so the minute I heard about the Onam Sadhya happening across Accor’s Dubai Deira and Gold District hotels, I knew I had to try it.
For those unfamiliar, Onam is Kerala’s harvest festival, marked by ten days of festivities and the Sadhya is the sprawling vegetarian feast served during the celebration.
Onam Sadhya at Accor
Twenty-six traditional dishes served on a banana leaf, eaten wholeheartedly with your hands, is not an everyday affair in Dubai but it is the centrepiece of the celebration in Accor Hotels. We were greeted with servers in traditional attire and banana leaves spread across all tables. In almost the blink of an eye, the leaves were brimming with food, with servers adding to it in quick succession.
The Food
For me, it was a first-time experience of having so many flavours lined up in one meal. From the crunch of savoury banana chips followed by the jaggery-coated sharkara varatti, the sharp tang of inji puli, the coolness of yoghurt-based kichadi, the comforting sambar poured over matta rice and the rasam that came with its own fiery punch. The variety was staggering.
The servers were kind enough to guide me through each dish, explaining names I’d never heard before and pointing out how to eat them in sequence. It made the whole experience less intimidating and far more enjoyable. I found myself genuinely surprised at how harmonious the flavours were. Spicy, tangy, crispy and sweet, all sitting together on a single plate, or rather, a leaf.
Just when I thought I couldn’t take another bite, the meal ended on a high note with not one but two desserts. First came the parippu payasam, thick and nutty, followed by the palada payasam, smooth and milk-based. Eating with my hands felt unusual at first but it quickly became part of the joy.
The Verdict
What struck me most was how open the whole experience felt. In a city like Dubai, festivals don’t stay contained, they spill into the streets, into conversations, into the lives of people who might have never celebrated them before. That’s what makes the Onam Sadhya here special. It isn’t just for Malayali families marking the harvest, it’s for colleagues, neighbours and friends who are curious about a tradition they’ve only seen online.
The setting adds its own charm. With the hotels set around Dubai Creek and the Gold Souk, it’s easy to let the meal stretch into a day out with a stroll through the markets or an abra ride across the water. The Sadhya runs daily until 30th September across five Accor hotels, with the option to get a takeaway box. I would emphatically recommend trying it.
Details:
Dates: Daily till 30 September 2025
Participating Hotels: Novotel Dubai Gold District, Mercure Dubai Deira, Mercure Dubai Gold District, Ibis Styles Dubai Deira & Adagio, Dubai Deira
Price: AED 49
For bookings, call +971 55 473 5384 or +971 50 281 9413
