Zamozza - Marryam H Reshii

Atmospherics: It has much going for it, location-wise. On the ground floor of a building on Janpath, right next door to Shiv Sagar (same owner), it is down a narrow alley within the building itself. So the ceiling is a blaze of lights, at the end of which is a yellow door. Inside, the large, expansive restaurant has its own courtyard that doubles up as the smoking section. Service is attentive and in the short time it has been in operation, Zamozza seems to have cornered a bunch of regular customers, all of whom I have seen on each of my visits. In the day-time, the offices nearby patronize it; in the evenings, families come from far and near. Its kitchen has a line-up of people with impeccable backgrounds from western, oriental and Middle Eastern restaurants, which is why you should expect the best from this menu.

Table talk: The one dish that I go to Zamozza for over and over again is the wontons with litchis, bean sprouts and coriander leaves (Rs 315). The so-called wontons are just a fried white flour base that adds a crunchy texture. On top of it is a bunch of bean sprouts and cilantro leaves, over which are two strips of litchis. To contrast with the sweet fleshiness of the litchis is a squeeze of lime juice. Whoever created this dish is a master, for it has all the flavours and textures you could want, besides being fairly light. The other great dish is the Thai chicken skewers (Rs 345). Because the meat from the thigh is used, the satay has a pleasant succulence to it, enhanced by the hint of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf and the peanut sauce. The third starter that I am partial to is the bulghur and lamb mince kibbeh (Rs 365). They are baked rather than deep-fried, so they’re healthier than their country cousins, even as the trademark pine nuts form their centre. Seabass pil pil (Rs 725) is in the best tradition of Mediterranean cooking, with a saffron scented sauce with cherry tomatoes, caperberries and olives.

Plus and minus: They need to try harder on their Indianized Mexican food. Chicken nahm prik has been Indianized too, “because of guests’ requests”. How can one argue with that!