Zambar is a refreshing change from most south Indian restaurants
Zambar is a refreshing change from most south Indian restaurants
Lunch on board a houseboat? In Delhi? That was the last thing I was expecting as I headed towards Zambar, a newly opened south Indian restaurant in Gurgaon. The one thing that was on my mind on that extremely muggy Saturday afternoon was the thought of coastal cuisine.
A Chettinad crab dosa
Culled from four states
But all said and done, I was not prepared for a houseboat, and definitely not one inside a mall! I walked into the restaurant, past heavy silk-clad female attendants (the males though, stuck to the very corporate suits and not mundus), only to find myself walking towards a houseboat. But sadly, it wasn't placed on water (later I was informed that it was because the water source was not working).
Zambar is a take-off from the word sambar, and serves dishes from four states of south Indiau00a0-- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Quite some revelation
Corporate chef Bakshish Dean, who has earlier had a long association with The Park, was to take me through the meal. We decided on bite-sized portions (the chef was full after a nine-course food tasting session and I felt I could do with a taste of just about everything). We started with an appetiser sampler, picking out from the veg and non-veg menus.
And that's when the second surprise struck. "The fish egg vada is pretty good," I tell the chef. "Fish egg?" He's a little startled. "That's actually banana flower vada, a Tamil Nadu preparation," he says, laughing. My turn to be startled. The Udupi egg roast, a Mangalorean delicacy that followed was nothing spectacular and the chicken chukka (a Chettinad dish) was again not soft enough. But the spicy curry leaf prawns, a speciality of Karakudi near Madurai, just melted in my mouth and were cooked just right.
For the main course, we tried Malabar prawn curry which was tasty but the chicken chettinadu was just perfect, with the aroma and the spices just right. The tawa snapper flamb ufffd (the only fusion item on the menu), however, despite being a visual delight was disappointing and the fish was actually bitter. We tried some veechu parota which isn't really known much outside south India. It was crisp and delicious. The keema potato curry was so yummy that it actually made me reach for a second helping. Another interesting item on the menu was the kal dosa, which is more like an uttapam, and looked like a pancake.
Sweets from heaven
For desserts, I completely gave into the cravings of my sweet tooth, and happily digged into sweet Pongal and coconut jaggery pudding. Heaven, that's where I was at that moment.
Zambar
Food: Tasty
Service: Attentive
Ambience: Good
At: Third Floor, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
Timings: Noon to 11.30 pm
Ring: 0124-4655639
Meal for two: Rs 1,000 plus taxes
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