{"id":1561,"date":"2015-04-22T10:02:52","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T09:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/wp\/?p=1561"},"modified":"2018-03-26T14:39:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T13:39:30","slug":"the-new-zaika","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing22.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/the-new-zaika\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Zaika, Kensington &#8211; restaurant review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"text-element body\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-4-3 image-review alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/zaika-door.jpg\" alt=\"The New Zaika\" width=\"303\" height=\"210\" \/><\/span><span class=\"text-element body\">The name Zaika means \u2018fine flavour\u2019 in a South Indian dialect, and this restaurant has been known for that since its opening in 1997, although now the owners, chef and managers have all changed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a Grade II listed former bank building which would be described as having \u201cmany original features, with a striking dining room\u201d if you saw it in an estate agent\u2019s window. It was built when Kensington was being developed in the 1850s. It\u2019s smartly located in Kensington, opposite that corner of Hyde Park known as Kensington Gardens. It\u2019s an attractive building of brick and stone in the very Victorian late-gothic style. It was originally built for the London and County Bank to the design of celebrated architect Alfred Williams, who also worked on Harrods.<\/p>\n<p>I knew that there had been a degree of refurbishing and I was expecting the dreaded \u2018modernisation\u2019. Those original features were beautiful and iconic of the era but, thankfully, here they remain. High ceilings and double-height windows, lots of carved stone and those glorious wooden panels. The major change from the Zaika of old is the bar which is long and impressive but perfectly in keeping with the subtle tone of the restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>This new Zaika is part of the renowned Tamarind Group so diners can expect food and service that reflect the ethos of quality found in Tamarind restaurant in Mayfair, which was the first Indian restaurant to be awarded a Michelin Star. The food here is authentic, imaginative and served in traditional fashion. I know it\u2019s down to personal taste but when I eat Indian food I prefer to have dishes presented separately so each person can serve themselves.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-4-3 image-review aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/zaika-prawns.jpg\" alt=\"The New Zaika prawn\" width=\"387\" height=\"214\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The food here is described as \u2018creative and contemporary cuisine from the Awadhi traditions of Northern India\u2019. Awadhi is heavily influenced by the Mughal and Nawabi kitchens, and that means the chance of rich dishes with silky sauces or slow-cooked preparations with aromatic spices. The opulence of the restaurant reminds one of the long-gone days of the Raj and feasts fit for Rajahs and Ranis.<\/p>\n<p>This cold Wednesday evening found Zaika filled with diners, many of whom were evidently regulars. That\u2019s quite an achievement for any restaurant in a neighbourhood of fine-dining options. Candles burned in the hearth, brass reflected warm light, woodwork made a mellow backdrop \u2026and, less poetically, it was very cosy.<\/p>\n<p>Yakhni Shorba was my guest\u2019s choice of starter. This was a soup that I had not come across before. Lamb stock was the base but it didn\u2019t have that unpleasant \u2018lamby\u2019 greasiness that encourages many cooks to avoid using it. This was a light broth with the very essence of lamb, as well as vegetables. This is a must-try.<\/p>\n<p>Jhinga Shimla-Mirch &#8211; grilled tiger prawns marinated with pureed red-pepper and spices &#8211; was an absolute triumph. I am lucky enough to visit the best of restaurants and I have enjoyed stunning meals but I consider these prawns to be outstanding; they deserve to be cited as a signature dish. Succulent, well-spiced and substantial, these were grilled to a delicate perfection.<\/p>\n<p>Gosht Dum Biryani was my guest\u2019s main dish: Goat biryani served in its individual metal pot and sealed with a puff pastry crust. This is a classic dish and it\u2019s marvellous when done well. It\u2019s that enticing combination of flavourful rice and meat. The archetypal Indian one-pot meal and a manly portion too &#8211; and done very well at Zaika. A dish, the remains of which, one would like to have taken home!<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"text-element body\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-4-3 image-review alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/zaika-biryani.jpg\" alt=\"The New Zaika Biryani\" width=\"329\" height=\"252\" \/><\/span><span class=\"text-element body\">Murgh Handi Lazeez, Chicken tikka simmered in a sauce of browned garlic, tomato, cream and spices, was my choice of main dish. This is \u2018comfort on a plate\u2019 and offered everything that I expect from a \u2018gravy\u2019 dish.\u00a0 The flavour was vibrant and the sauce was moreish. Some naan bread for dipping is the essential accompaniment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Nimboo Tart, Lime tart served with white chocolate ice cream, is the ideal end to any Indian meal.\u00a0 One might assume that citrus tarts are a French patisserie confection but remember how popular limes are in India and Indian cooking. The clean sharpness of this tart is refreshing, enabling the diner to enjoy just another bite &#8211; proving that there is always room for dessert.<br \/>\nZaika has already garnered a creditable reputation. The restaurant is stunning and classy but the food is the element that will encourage many return visits. Regulars will enjoy the comfortable familiarity and first-timers will appreciate a glimpse of a gentler age. Everyone will find the food memorable and delicious.<\/p>\n<p>Zaika of Kensington<br \/>\n1 Kensington High Street<br \/>\nLondon<br \/>\nW8 5NP<br \/>\nUnited Kingdom<\/p>\n<p>Phone: +44 (0)20 7795 6533<br \/>\nFax: +44 (0)20 7434 1479<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.zaikaofkensington.com\/\">Visit Zaika here<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Restaurant review by Chrissie Walker \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The name Zaika means \u2018fine flavour\u2019 in a South Indian dialect, and this restaurant has been known for that since its opening in 1997, although now the owners, chef and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,7],"tags":[58,73,217,8,1918],"class_list":["post-1561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asian","category-restaurants","tag-curry","tag-indian","tag-kensington","tag-london","tag-zaika"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The New Zaika, Kensington - restaurant review - Mostly Food and Cocktails<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The New Zaika, Kensington - restaurant review - Mostly Food and Cocktails\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The name Zaika means \u2018fine flavour\u2019 in a South Indian dialect, and this restaurant has been known for that since its opening in 1997, although now the owners, chef and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/testing22.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/the-new-zaika\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mostly Food and Cocktails\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-22T09:02:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-26T13:39:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/zaika-door.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chrissie Walker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mostlyfood1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mostlyfood1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chrissie Walker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/testing22.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/the-new-zaika\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/testing22.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/the-new-zaika\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chrissie Walker\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/testing22.mostlyfood.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/d16aed8a57c37c1412a0fd0b6b71cc9b\"},\"headline\":\"The New Zaika, Kensington &#8211; 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