Zaica - Restaurant Review

 

Zaica offering Peshwari or the North West Frontier cuisine mentions 'fine dining' in their tag. So expecting silverware and fine linen, i stepped in one hot sultry afternoon and was taken in with the cool and pleasant ambiance. We made our way to one of the tables in one of their rooms designed for convenient and easy dining experiences and noticed that they did not mean fine dining in the conventional sense. But, but... dont judge yet: They have a game room with Xbox and equipped with comfortable looking chairs (the fancy kinds with speakers embedded in the head rest and the like) for restless kids and adults alike who would like to unwind after or prior a meal.

They brought us bowls of Tomato Dhania Shorba and Yakhni Shorba. The Yakhni Shorba was so-so but the Tomato Dhania Shorba was well received. As appetizers, we were served the regular papads and an assortment of chutneys and dahi papdi chaat. Nothing to write home about, but pleasant at the same time.

The vegetarian appetizers were unanimously the best dishes of the day. The beetroot tikkis, the Gul Gul Fom ki Paneer (Bite sized Paneer on mini skewers and sandwiching mashed peas and some other veggies) and Bhutiyan Di Seek were some of the best dishes of the day. 

The non veg starters kicked off with the Murg Til Tikka which is a unique combination of chicken and sesame seeds, the Murg Malai Methi and Fish Fry.

We got down to business and served helpings of the Chicken Dum Biryani and the Mutton Rogan Josh. The mutton rogan josh was yum and the biriyani was good as well. Other dishes served at the buffet counter were the Paneer Methi Malai, the Veg Makhanwala, Naulakhi Sabzi/Dal Peshawari and the Chicken Tikka Masala. Veg Pulao was also an option for the vegetarians. Assorted breads were also an option for the roti fan.

For dessert, there were hot gulab jamuns doing the rounds along with strawberry cake and ice cream. I did not try any of them but the guys who did were saying the gulab jamuns were hot and tasted alright once they cooled a bit.
 

Zaica is a good option if you are ordering lunch for a group when at work or doing a business lunch or even when quickly catching up with friends. The care they have taken to make sure the vegetarian dishes are memorable is commendable. Zaica's location is another huge plus: on Cathedral Road, opposite to Chola Sheraton.

Ambiance: 6.5/10
Taste: 6.5/10
Portions: 7/10

Price: 7.5/10

P.S: Apologize for the funny pictures, the lighting was quite dim and i had a case of shaky hands that day :P