With its Thai, lebanese, Mexican and Mediterranean spread, Zamozza-World Kitchen and Ba ris ideal for those who care for authenticity, says Shrabasti Mallik
The Victorian-era inspired design with arched windows and sparkling chandeliers was still getting the finishing touch. We walked down the well-lit narrow pathway decorated with mirrors on both sides to reach a room that was reminiscent of those fairy tale glass houses, the ones we thought never existed in reality.
With an obvious European influence around us, we wondered if we were in for a big European feast at Zamozza-World Kitchen and Bar, the recent addition to the Connaught Place’s expanding list of restro-lounges. But Vidur Kanodia, the owner of Zamozza, informed us that as the name suggests, the place boasts of food from across the globe. “We decided to set up a place where people can have the best of some selected cuisines from across the world,” he said. So there was Thai, Italian, Mexican, Swiss, Portuguese, Turkish and lebanese on the menu.
The main purpose of setting up Zamozza in the heart of the city was to cater to the Connaught Place crowd who, according to chef Chandra Shekhar, “are confused of what to eat.” After many years of experience in the kitchen he has come to understand that when a family or group of people (read friends or business associates) go to any place to eat, they have no option but to have what they are offered. “Every person has different tastes and it is difficult for most cuisine-based restaurants to fulfill them. That is why we set up Zamozza so that no one has to compromise on their choice of food,” the chef said.
He offered to take us through the various cuisines that the place offers. For starters, we expected something crisp and fried but what the chef served us something fruity and fresh — perfect for the season. The lychee wonton was no less than a burst of flavours with the sweetness of lychee and crunchiness of coriander. The mix of green onion, bean sprouts, coriander and the fruit was topped on a thin, crispy base. The chef told us that he uses Thai lychees for the wontons. Every dish is served here on wooden platters.
Next on our table was the lebanese mezze platter with an assortment of accompaniments — hummus, pickled vegetables, muhammara and fattoush salad. The platter came with veg falafel, cheese fatayer and grilled paneer. So there was an Indian twist to mezze here. We were also served a fish starter with fish marinated in mustard and garlic paste and grilled over low flame. It was accompanied with garlic aioli (a paste made of garlic sauce, egg white and sunflower).
Tangy crispy vegetables — assorted veggies like broccoli, baby corn and potato, deep fried and tossed in lemon and honey, with a hint of chilli and garlic, was something that no one can resist. It came with a strong flavour of garlic.
We avoided looking at an extensive menu, instead we asked the chef to serve us his signature dishes for the main course. He served us chicken quesadillas — a popular Mexican delicacy. Tortillas stuffed with chicken, tossed in Habanero and Chipotle chilli were served with guacamole (an avocado-based dip), sour cream, roasted tomato sauce and pico de gallo (a Mexican salsa prepared with chopped onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and coriander).
If dining out for you is all about gorging on pizzas with the generous topping of cheese, then you must try pizzas here. The thin crust pizza that the chef put in front of us was ‘simple’ but the best. Pizza bread with a base pizza sauce, topped with chicken tossed in barbeque sauce was oven baked to perfection. The base sauce gave this pizza an interesting flavour. “It is made with Roma Italian tomatoes which we import,” explained the chef. The chef also served us saffron ravioli. The dumpling stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach was covered with saffron sauce.
One can also try their dim sums and peri peri chicken. There are also a range of cool and refreshing drinks (alcohol and non-alcoholic) that one can choose from. The chef insisted that we try his signature Thai chicken red curry. With strong lemon grass flavour to it, the curry went very well with the steamed rice. “The tanginess of the Thai curry comes from the kaffir lime which we import,” he said.
For dessert we chose the chocolate truffle but the chef suggested that we try their waffles instead. The chef joined us as we indulged in the freshly baked waffles, served to us with four dips — butter, honey, blueberry paste and chocolate sauce — and ice cream. “I have had many customers who did not like the waffles but they could not give me a reason to not like this. I guess people are apprehensive in trying everything that is new,” said the chef, who is looking forward to people taking a liking to the dish.