THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Zaika

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Zaika Restaurant Review:

Vineet Bhatia, once star chef at the Star of India, opened Zaika with a blast of hype hard to justify---but on the whole it does so. The décor is cool with elegantly displayed artefacts and fine pastel-coloured fabrics softening modern austerity. White cloths, large napkins, and tableware look well, but tables are small for main dishes in pots for sharing. Service is sophisticated, its expertise extending to proper handling of wines from the short, intelligent list. In the sensibly short menu the acclaimed speciality is tandoori home-smoked salmon with mustard and dill: the skin is satisfyingly crisp, the flesh just hints at rareness. Notable, too, is lamb biryani cooked in a pot sealed with crisp, perfectly browned pastry. But duck breast in peppery tomato sauce proves yet again that in all Asia only the Chinese can make a delicacy of duck. Excellent vegetables include a south Indian stir-fry more exciting than it sounds, while dal tadka, a yellow lentil and turmeric stew with garlic and cumin seed is even more exciting. Outstanding details include mango chutney with roasted onion seeds, and pudina paratha, bread delicately flavoured with mint. Coffee is the real thing. The set jugalbandi menu for at least two is £20 or £28 with wine. Set dinner £30.