After an onslaught of trying progressive Indian cuisines like Farzi Cafe and Tresind, I could swear I almost forgot what true Indian food tastes like until I arrived at Zafran Indian Bistro for a wonderful Blogger Managed Event by Doin Dubai.
This branch has been given a face lift and now boasts some great interiors!
To start off our night, we were offered roasted and fried papads with a lot of sweet and savoury chutneys. Of this, I really enjoyed the pineapple one, and the one made with watermelon rinds. Talk about making the best use of produce!
We then tried their watermelon-feta amuse bouche that was vibrant in colour and just burst in the mouth. We were then informed that Zafran doesn’t include any preservatives to their food. No wonder their food hits so close to home.
We then were offered starters, which comprised of:
- Dahee Kebab
A delicious dish; this dahee kebab had cold yoghurt wrapped in a crispy shell. Genius.
2. Aloo Tikkia
Before you shut this down as a been there, ate that:
a) Look at that. It’s making me drool profusely.
b) It’s tangy, it’s got a slight spicy tinge and makes a wonderful combination with the chickpeas.
c) Try it. And thank me later.
3. Kebabs
The non vegetarian kebab platter comprised of chicken malai tikka, chicken tikka, bhatti chicken and Rampuri seekh kebab. The chicken malai tikka and chicken tikka tasted wonderful; but if you truly want to try something true to Zafran’s wholesome food, try the bhatti chicken and Rampuri seekh kebab (which is slightly spicy, mind you.) Both are succulent and on point.
The vegetarian platter is also quite interesting, with its creamy paneer, tandoori aloo and an exceptional tandoori broccoli.
For the main course, I suggest you opt for the palak paneer and aloo masala, both done exceedingly well and sporting an excellent fragrance. For those who prefer something meatier and heavier, the rogan josh is worth a try although I’ve had better. Another option was the prawn coconut curry, which in my opinion was a little too thick in consistency.
Here’s a look of only part of our spread:
There’s no bae without bae-ryani, haha.
The chicken was exceptionally cooked, without it being smelly. Often when I go to other Indian restaurants, they get the chicken wrong in their biryanis.. The one at Zafran just melted in the mouth.
A fun experience is to try to see the family naan being made. It is MASSIVE. (And shaped like a heart <3 )
To close our meal, we indulged in the dessert platter. I highly recommend the gulab jamun and the ras malai out of the options on there, but since you have a little of everything; I can’t really complain. 😉
A huge kudos to the staff that hosted us like we were family (And in my case, a dribbling baby because I dropped my napkin like a billion times and there was always someone to pick it up.) Mr. Gaurav, the Restaurant Manager cares deeply about the Zafran brand and this just shines through. At the end of our meal, we all received a lovely spice box as a keepsake. Zafran truly brings you home – to India.
LOCATION
1st level next to Fitness First, Mirdiff City Centre
Zafran has always been a good outlet, it was endorsed and originally opened with the backing of Atul Kocchar of UK Michelin star fame (Benares was awared in UK).
Wow, I had no idea! Good to know, thanks Geordie Armani!