There's just one major problem facing anyone seeking a leisure break in Dubai, and that is just how to do anything like justice to the dazzling array of possibilities readily available in the space of one too-short break.

We all know about the plush beach clubs and the ritzy hotels, the astonishingly luxurious malls and the seeming infinity of theme parks of many different kinds.

But in fact that hardly even skims the surface of the leisure offer available in a desert oasis which somehow manages to outshine many of the premier attractions of Europe or the USA in every important regard …. and that's equally true when it comes to cuisine.

In the UK we like to think we have some of the finest Asian restaurants, and in cities as diverse as Glasgow, London and Bradford you are certainly never spoiled for choice.

However Dubai's scintillating offer arguably takes the whole experience several notches higher – particularly when the dining element of that special night out is intertwined with, say, a visit to any one of several top of the range nightclubs, or then again it could be a late afternoon tiffin at some fabulous exemplar of subcontinental cuisine after a leisurely stroll around one of Dubai's sensational soukhs.

The milieu in which these restaurants operate is extraordinary, by any standards, and it follows that humdrum dining offers simply aren’t going to happen - they couldn’t survive in such a dynamic and demanding environment.

Indian restaurants in Dubai are fantastic, benefiting as they do from the relative proximity of India to the Gulf and the strong historic cultural ties (going back millennia) between Arab lands and the subcontinent - hence the wonderful Indian continental spin given to Islamic staples such as pilaf or kebab,, even before classics of Hindi cuisine (and too many other variants to mention) are considered.

But while it certainly isn’t in doubt that Dubai can boast some of the best Indian restaurants anywhere, it appears from customer reviews there is a sharp divergence of opinion about which really are the best.

Without naming names (but just Google “top ten Dubai Indian restaurants” for an instant glance at some of the best known) some are alternately damned as too pricy for what’s on offer, while others are slated as being merely ordinary.

There’s an edge to some of the comments missing from, say, UK online reviews of British restaurants, because many of the commentators are lifelong aficianodos of Indian cuisine at its most fulsome (it has a far more expansive repertoire than typically seen on any UK bill of fare).

One online reviewer even urges readers to travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in order to experience the joys of Haveli, “the best Indian restaurant in the Gulf” - and equally insistently orders them to ask for Murgh Malai Kabab, Murgh Handi and Gosht Shahi Korma.

Others are just as enthusiastic about Dubai “big names” such as Asha’s, reckoned a trifle dear but “worth every dirham” by one magazine review ... but slated by an online reviewer who wasn’t impressed at all.

Scout about online and you will also find people urging diners to sample high quality street food - some of which is reputedly “better” (perhaps as in “more authentic”) than some supposedly top notch restaurant fare - and telling you exactly where you should look.

Regardless of the accuracy of any of these comments (which are obviously highly subjective) the thing that comes over most strongly is the passion local diners have for their top Indian restaurants.

It is clearly a diverse and vibrant scene in which a really great meal can literally make the holiday - particularly, as noted, if it is part of an excursion which includes some other top attraction.

With all that in mind it clearly pays to read what people are saying about the “best” restaurants before making a booking.

There are plenty to choose from, and there can be no doubt most of them have something truly special to offer.