Adding to the vegan revelry, comes Zaairah, in Salt Lake, bang opposite City Centre 1. It is hidden behind a huge pillar of the upcoming Metro Station and offers a fine dining restaurant on the ground floor and a lounge on the first floor. They have reconstructed the vegetarian items into pop eats, making it a delectable vegan journey.
There is valet parking available. Once inside, there is a staircase right beside the door, which takes you to the lounge area. The lounge area is decked up with wall fittings and ornate lamps. Some of the tables have been setup separately so as to give a private dining feel. Main course items are not available in the lounge area, only starters and other nibbles.
The ground floor fine dining restaurant has a soothing ambiance, pipped music being played to keep you company. This restaurant was just 2 days old when we visited and the waiters seemed not too acquainted with the items on the menu.
There are several tables laid down with chairs and some with sofas. There are 2 private dining rooms for groups also, apt for a small gathering. Hanging lamps on the table give a damp and comfy look to the place.
The menu consists of Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai and Italian cuisines. The mexican dishes include Mexican rice, tacos, nachos and the like. They also boast of good mocktails and desserts too.
We went for their signature items;
Khichdi Arancini: Dried khichdi deep fried and served with papad and salsa sauce. Without the salsa sauce, the fried khichdi was quite dry. It tasted good overall.
Tater Tots: Potato and cheese filled stuffing inside a long cutlet, served with mayonnaise dip and sweet chilli sauce. This was indeed good. It was not crispy, rather gooey I must say. It tasted heavenly with the sweet chilli sauce.
Nachos Desperado: Age old nachos dish, served with kidney beans, jalapenos, olives and cheese. This was a nascent dish, nothing extra-ordinary, just to keep you munching.
Mexican chilli bean rice with potato tempeh dumpling: This elongated dish name was so huge that made the waiter baffled. I asked to reach out to the chef to know what’s in it. Then came a dish, 40 mins late, mexican rice with veggies and a piece of garlic bread. Seems the potato tempeh dumpling was missing. I am not sure if we had the same dish, but whatever it was, the rice was cooked perfectly and tasted lovely with the veggies, zucchini, capsicum and broccoli.
For the mocktails, we had Watermelon Mojito, Spicy Chilli Guava and Ginger Rock Salt Lemonade. The mocktails tasted really good, although they were not fresh juice based, but tasted really good. I would suggest the watermelon mojito and spicy chilli guava, that is, if you are in for these fruits.
The guys have done a great job in doing up the place, especially keeping the vegetarian crowd in mind. The younger generation can have shisha upstairs whereas those looking for simple dining can have delectable meals downstairs. The staff is new and over-enthusiastic and will go all-in serving you. The service can be ramped up, especially for the foreign cuisines, like Thai and Mexican. Thai food was not available on a Sunday, so that needs to be checked. The staff must be thorough with the menu items, since you cannot call up the chef every time for explaining the menu. These are small suggestions, not critic in any way, which can help the restaurant go further and beyond. Overall, the restaurant is a huge addition to the vegetarian list of Kolkata.
Special mention about their presentation. It is just superb.
Restaurant Zomato Link ⇓⇓⇓
An Insatiable Foodie 