By Hotel Ivory Tower Editorial | Published: July 2025 | Bengaluru, Karnataka

The three signature dishes worth ordering at Ebony, the Pan-Indian multi-cuisine restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre, 84 MG Road, Bangalore, are Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab, the menu's anchor Northwest Frontier dish; Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken, made with imported sun-blushed Italian tomatoes; and Arcot Mutton Chops, a South Indian Mudaliar preparation finished on a tawa with ghee. Each dish has been on the menu long enough for the kitchen to have refined it across decades of nightly service since 1993.

Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab: char-grilled chicken thigh in a creamy cashew-and-cheese marinade, the menu's own anchor for Northwest Frontier cuisine
Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken: built on a makhni gravy of imported sun-blushed Italian tomatoes, which gives the dish a richer, less-acidic profile than standard preparations
Arcot Mutton Chops: slow-cooked lamb chops in a simple Arcot Mudaliar spice mix, finished on a tawa with rich ghee
Dahi Ka Kebab: the highest-selling vegetarian starter, built on hung curd, cheese, and herbs, pan-finished to a thin golden crust
All three anchor dishes have been on the Ebony menu for years; the kitchen has been operating since 1993

What to Order at Ebony on a First Visit: Three Dishes That Cover the Kitchen's Range

For a first-time visitor to Ebony, three dishes give the most complete read of what the kitchen is built around. Each one anchors a different regional tradition on the menu, and together they cover the kitchen's range across North Indian and South Indian techniques.

The three dishes are Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab, Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken, and Arcot Mutton Chops. For a vegetarian first-time table, Dahi Ka Kebab plays the same role the Malai Kebab plays for non-vegetarians: a starter that opens the meal on the kitchen's strongest technical foot.

The recommended ordering sequence for a first visit: a tandoor-led starter (Malai Kebab or Dahi Ka Kebab), a classic gravy main (Butter Chicken), and a regional specialty main (Arcot Mutton Chops). Add Ebony's Lachha Paratha and Malaidar Dal Makhani to round out the table.

Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab: Northwest Frontier Cuisine at Its Best

Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab is the dish the Ebony menu itself labels "Northwest Frontier Cuisine at its best." It is built on succulent morsels of chicken thigh marinated in a creamy cashew paste with cheese and spices, then char-grilled in a traditional tandoor.

The marinade is dairy-rich without being heavy, the spicing is aromatic without being aggressive, and the tandoor delivers char without drying the meat. More cream makes the marinade gummy. More spice masks the chicken. Holding the kebab too long produces a dry exterior that contradicts the dish's whole point. The Ebony version reads soft and fragrant, with the cashew paste and cheese carrying the body and the tandoor adding a faint smoke without compromising the texture.

The Malai Kebab pairs naturally with Ebony's mint chutney and a Lachha Paratha, with the bread absorbing the marinade that drips from the kebab.

Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken: Built on Imported Sun-Blushed Italian Tomatoes

Butter chicken is the most widely travelled Indian dish in the world. The Ebony version is, in the kitchen's own quiet phrasing, probably the best butter chicken in Bangalore. The dish reads the way the dish is supposed to read: silky, aromatic, faintly smoky from the tandoor finish on the chicken, with a gravy that carries the butter and cream without tipping into sweetness or weight.

The operational detail that makes the difference is the tomato base. The Ebony menu describes the makhni gravy as made from imported sun-blushed Italian tomatoes. Sun-blushed Italian tomatoes carry a deeper, sweeter body than standard table tomatoes, with lower acidity and a more concentrated tomato flavour. The result is a butter chicken where the tomato note runs through the entire dish rather than sitting underneath the cream and butter finish.

Most Bangalore butter chicken pulls toward sweet or toward heavy. The Ebony version pulls toward richness without sweetness and depth without weight, and finishes with the kind of gravy that makes a Garlic Naan the only correct accompaniment.

Arcot Mutton Chops: Ebony's South Indian Heritage Plate

Arcot Mutton Chops is a South Indian preparation from the Mudaliar community of Tamil Nadu, served as slow-cooked lamb chops in a simple Arcot Mudaliar spice mix, finished on a tawa with rich ghee. The dish's origin lies in the Mudaliar community's home cooking, where lamb chops were prepared with a tight spice mix, ghee for richness, and slow-cooking until the meat surrendered without falling apart. The technique was originally designed to make travel food, with the masala layered onto the meat to be flavourful enough to season rice on its own.

The Ebony version carries that template forward. The chops arrive moist and pink at the centre, with the masala providing warmth without aggressive heat, and the tawa finish in ghee giving the exterior a faint crisp. The dish is meaningfully different from the Northwest Frontier kebabs at Ebony, since it depends on slow-cooked tenderness and on a single distinctive spice mix rather than the multi-stage marinades that define the kebab section.

For a first-time visitor, Arcot Mutton Chops demonstrates the breadth of the Pan-Indian menu beyond the recognisable North Indian register. It pairs unexpectedly well with Malabar Paratha or steamed rice.

Dahi Ka Kebab: The Highest-Selling Vegetarian Starter at Ebony

Dahi Ka Kebab is the highest-selling vegetarian starter on the Ebony menu. It is built on fresh sweet-and-sour hung curd, cheese, and herbs, shaped into delicate medallions and pan-finished until the exterior holds a thin golden crust around a soft, almost molten interior.

The technical character of the dish is precision. The hung curd has to be drained to exactly the right consistency, the cheese binds without overpowering, and the cooking temperature is what holds the whole dish together. Drain the curd less and the kebab collapses. More cheese and the dairy turns rubbery. Too long on the heat and the inside firms up, which contradicts the dish's whole point.

The Ebony version reads soft and luscious, with the curd carrying a gentle tang against the richness of the cheese, and the herbs adding a clean green note. The kebab pairs naturally with Ebony's mint chutney and works as the strongest opener on the vegetarian side of any mixed-preference table.

What Else to Order Alongside the Signature Dishes at Ebony

For a complete table, the three signature dishes work best when surrounded by the kitchen's broader strengths.

Dal: Malaidar Dal Makhani, the kitchen's signature 11-hour overnight-cooked dal, slow-cooked over coal until the black urad dal breaks down to a velvety smooth consistency.

Bread: Lachha Paratha with the kormas and chops, Garlic Naan with the Butter Chicken, or Cheese and Achari Naan for the pickling-spice register alongside the kebabs.

Rice: Safed Chaawal or Double Zeera Rice.

Dessert: Chocolate Moksha, the baked couverture chocolate fondant served with salted caramel ice cream, or House Special Tender Coconut Souffle.

Where Ebony Is Located and How to Book

Ebony is on the 13th floor of Barton Centre, 84 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bangalore 560001, with full lift access. The address is 5 minutes from MG Road Metro Station on the Purple Line. Reservations are taken by phone or through the Ebony page on the Hotel Ivory Tower website. For groups over 10, calling ahead is recommended to pre-order main courses and flag dietary requirements. Guests staying at Hotel Ivory Tower receive 20% off all in-house F&B during their stay, applicable at Ebony, ASEAN On The Edge, and The 13th Floor.

Frequently Asked Questions: What to Order at Ebony, MG Road Bangalore

What are the signature dishes at Ebony in Bangalore?
The anchor signature dishes at Ebony are Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab, Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken, and Arcot Mutton Chops. Each anchors a different regional tradition: Northwest Frontier, classic North Indian, and South Indian respectively. Each has been refined across decades of nightly service since the restaurant opened in 1993.

What makes Ebony's Butter Chicken different?
Ebony's Ultimate Butter Chicken is built on a makhni gravy made from imported sun-blushed Italian tomatoes. The imported tomato base produces a deeper, sweeter, less-acidic gravy than standard preparations, giving the dish a rounder, fuller flavour profile. This sourcing detail is the operational reason the dish reads differently from most Bangalore butter chicken.

What is the Malai Kebab at Ebony?
Ebony's Signature Malai Kebab is a Northwest Frontier kebab built on chicken thigh marinated in a creamy cashew paste with cheese and spices, then char-grilled in a traditional tandoor. The Ebony menu labels it Northwest Frontier Cuisine at its best. The kebab's character comes from the restraint of the marinade and the tandoor technique rather than aggressive spicing.

What are Arcot Mutton Chops?
Arcot Mutton Chops is a South Indian preparation from the Mudaliar community of Tamil Nadu, served as slow-cooked lamb chops in a simple Arcot Mudaliar spice mix, finished on a tawa with rich ghee. It demonstrates the breadth of Ebony's Pan-Indian menu beyond the North Indian section and pairs naturally with Malabar Paratha or steamed rice.

What is the best vegetarian dish at Ebony?
Dahi Ka Kebab is the highest-selling vegetarian starter at Ebony. It is built on fresh hung curd, cheese, and herbs, shaped into delicate medallions and pan-finished until the exterior holds a thin golden crust around a soft interior. It is the strongest opener on the vegetarian side of any mixed-preference table.

What else should I order alongside the signature dishes at Ebony?
Add Malaidar Dal Makhani (11-hour overnight coal cook), Lachha Paratha or Garlic Naan, and one of the desserts: Chocolate Moksha (baked couverture chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream) or House Special Tender Coconut Souffle.

How do I book a table at Ebony on MG Road?
Reservations are taken by phone or through the Ebony page on the Hotel Ivory Tower website. For groups over 10, calling ahead is recommended. Hotel Ivory Tower guests receive 20% off all in-house F&B at Ebony during their stay.

Sources

Hotel Ivory Tower / Ebony — menu documentation, January 2026 preview edition: ivorytowerhotel.com
Ebony restaurant page: ivorytowerhotel.com/ebony

What Should You Order at Ebony, MG Road Bangalore? The Signature Dishes Guide