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Magic morsels

Foreign eateries might be the flavour of the season with people showing a special fondness for numerous international cuisines. But the good old Mughlai cuisine continues to be popular as ever. No new cuisine has been able to dent the popularity of the age-old favourite.

Little wonder then there is an addition of a new Mughlai delicacy in the heart of the Capital at Yashwant Place. Located not too far away from the famous Chanakya cinema which has closed its shutters, Zaffarani Zaika provides a new reason to head to Chanakyapuri. This 60-cover first floor eatery provides the best of ambience to complement the taste of authentic Indian delicacies. All the usual suspects like biryani, kofta, kabab and korma are there.

What is different is the variety, what is special is the taste. Zaffarani Zaika prides itself on its Shahjehani shikhampur, rightly so for this blend of galouti and shammi kabab simply melts in the mouth. It is served with chutnies and to add to the experience is the ulta tawa parantha.

Also special is the parcha kabab which, according to the restaurant manager, is gaining so much popularity that many diners come to Zaika just to taste it.

You can begin your meal with sips of strawberry and mango crush or minty-pineapple juice with peppermint topped with Sprite and as you wait for the main course you can nibble at khasta sticks. Once the main course starts, there are new tasteful bites with every dish. Order for murgh parcha kabab — it has come directly from the nawab’s kitchen, basically slices of chicken breast marinated with rich almond paste and shahi zeera and cooked in an open grill — it starts melting as soon as you put it in the mouth.

Zaffrani murgh malai, as the name suggests, is boneless chicken marinated with cream and cooked in tandoor for 15-20 minutes. Besides non-vegetarian kababs, the restaurant offers some tasty vegetarian kababs also like Kandhari kabab, malai kabab and subz kabab. One more dish which has a delicious lingering taste is paneer romani pasanda — assorted vegetables rolled in slices of paneer and served with raita and sauce. The menu has a lot to offer, like dilli ka korma, Hyderabadi gosht biryani, dum murgh biryani, sabz biryani and so on.

In the desserts section, they serve Zaffrani phirnee, badaam chaney ki kheer, kulfi and shahi gulab jamun, etc. The pick of the lot is badaam chaney ki kheer.

All these delicacies are prepared under the watchful eyes of the chief chef Feroze Ahmed, who has some 18 years of experience behind him with many years of international experience the best of hotels. Incidentally, he has also worked with World Resorts Limited owned by late Bollywood actor Feroze Khan. According to the chef, Khan Sahab’s favourite dish was the murgh parcha kabab. The restaurant serves some the best brands of liqour as well. The taste of the food seems even better when at the end you realise that the prices donot burn a hole in your pocket.

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