A delicious course of Indian cuisine.
Journey:
We were invited by Natasha for a bloggers meet.
Ambiance:
Shubh Zaika is located at the corner of Century Plaza. You are welcome with a grand chandelier at the entrance with a live chaat counter designed the way you find them on the streets back in India with intricate artwork.
The interiors are beautiful with a contrast of blue and white which gave the place an elegant look. It is also perfect to have a photo-shoot. The seating had a classic touch to it with the diwans in a bench style.
Our only problem was the AC not being cool enough, so with the heated temperatures outside and being warm inside as well did not feel so great.
Rating: 7.5 Golden Nuggets
Bite Board
Passion Fruit Mojito [AED 26]: One of our staple drinks. It had the right balance of sweetness and the passion-fruit flavor to it.
Pani Puri [AED 16]: These were presented in a shot style,, but they were oh so good! The spicy flavor and the crisp puri were a match made in heaven. We truly savored these.
Dahi Puri [AED 18]: Another one of our favorite chaat, puris topped with yogurt and spices. It is usually on the sweeter side but after the spicy pani puris these were a treat to gobble up that calmed our taste-buds.
Dahi Galouti [AED 36]: Soft kebabs made of hung yogurt, placed on a bed of naan discs served along with the mint dip. We found them to be a bit bland on its own but pairing them with the dip and it tasted much better.
Cheese Corn Seekh [AED 32]: Who can say no to cheese? A nice combination of corn and cheese presented on a sheekh tray with charcoal in it to keep the kebabs warm for long.
Mutton Seekh Kebab Rolls [AED 32]: A nice change to the usual kebabs. These cane in wraps with mint chutney drizzled on top. The meat was cooked well and the wrap was a success.
Lamb Shank [AED 65]: We found the gravy to be too salty for our taste-buds, while the meat was tender and slid off the bone. A few corrections and this would be a hit among the meat eaters.
Chicken Mulhtani Masala [AED 35]: This dish is not meant for everyone unless you prefer eating sweet gravies which sadly we don’t, so this was a miss for us. It is basically a variation to your regular butter chicken, so for those who adore the dish can give this a shot.
We would suggest to go for the vegetarian dishes in the mains since that had more flavor spice wise which is what we prefer.
Nawabi Pulao [AED 18]: Saffron flavored basmati rice tossed with veggies and raisins. Keeping aside the raisins the rice was cooked well and was a perfect companion for the dhaba daal.
Dhaba Daal: The chana daal had the spicy flavors we were looking for and was a star dish among everyone.
On another note, kudos to the chef and his team for a wonderful presentation with all the dishes.
Gulab Jamun: This was the black jamun with the sugar syrup. The jamuns had a bit of a hard texture, so a little tweaking to get the right texture and this would have been another favorite of ours.
Ras Malai: This was the highlight of the lunch. Soft pieces of malai with saffron flavored milk. It had the right amount of sweetness to it and was a favorite for all.
Service:
We found the service to be a bit slow when we were the only group but the staff was friendly and accommodating.
Cash Outflow:
The prices are just right based on the locality. They are listed on Zomato Gold as well so that will not make a hole in the wallet.
Location:
Circling Back:
We will be back for thsoe cheese corn kebabs.