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Zaika
1 Kensington High Street
W8 5NP
tel: 020 7795 6533
write
you own review and comments on Zaika
Now in the far more open location of Kensington
High Street, Zaika does not fail to impress. The room is large with,
the lighting soft and images of the gods around. The service was
quick and courteous.
Papads were 'fine' and the pickles were distinctly
good, especially the tomato stuff done South Indian style. I had
chicken sheek with capsicum - so fresh my colleague believed it
to be raw. On the side of the plate was a cold pad of onions and
pots, blending superbly with the meat. James had cold tomato soup
to start which he found ok. I had chicken again for the main which
was one of the freshest pieces of chicken I have ever eaten. It
was served with a simple salad, slightly burnt and cooked with tamarind:
it rocked. James had summat for his main,
and after I had dessert.
The desert was billed as strawberry kulfi and I
longed to see a pink triangle loaded with flavour. Kulfi has been
of pistachio flavour, plain milky, mango but never strawberry. It
sounded a fab addition to the kulfi family. What I got was ordinary
milky kulfi with strawberries cut in to it and some strawberry sauce
in it. It was kulfi trying to be ice-cream, in a cocktail glasses
thanks. It did not taste milky and did not look like kulfi. 'Strawberry
kulfi' has a distinct meaning and I was mislead by the menu.
It was the saunf at the door, the digestive, aniseed
and fennel seeds eaten after the meal that showed how far Zaika
has to go. They were what could be purchased at any simple little
restaurant anywhere. The place was quite full with families and
groups of friends having a laid back Sunday lunch.
It came to £40 with 2 beers ( at 3.50 a glass
let me tell you ) which isn't bad for what Zaika aims to be. Next
time I'll go off the set menu and see where it leads.
The Delhi Gourmet
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