The Delhi Gourmet

24th March

""Now in the far more open location of Kensington High Street, Zaika does not fail to impress. The room is large with, the lighting soft and images of the gods around. The service was quick and courteous.

Papads were 'fine' and the pickles were distinctly good, especially the tomato stuff done South Indian style. I had chicken sheek with capsicum - so fresh my colleague believed it to be raw. On the side of the plate was a cold pad of onions and pots, blending superbly with the meat. James had cold tomato soup to start which he found ok. I had chicken again for the main which was one of the freshest pieces of chicken I have ever eaten. It was served with a simple salad, slightly burnt and cooked with tamarind: it rocked. James had summat for his main, and after I had dessert.

The desert was billed as strawberry kulfi and I longed to see a pink triangle loaded with flavour. Kulfi has been of pistachio flavour, plain milky, mango but never strawberry. It sounded a fab addition to the kulfi family. What I got was ordinary milky kulfi with strawberries cut in to it and some strawberry sauce in it. It was kulfi trying to be ice-cream, in a cocktail glasses thanks. It did not taste milky and did not look like kulfi. 'Strawberry kulfi' has a distinct meaning and I was mislead by the menu.

It was the saunf at the door, the digestive, aniseed and fennel seeds eaten after the meal that showed how far Zaika has to go. They were what could be purchased at any simple little restaurant anywhere. The place was quite full with families and groups of friends having a laid back Sunday lunch.

It came to ?40 with 2 beers ( at 3.50 a glass let me tell you ) which isn't bad for what Zaika aims to be. Next time I'll go off the set menu and see where it leads.""

Stefan Howarth - July

24th March

""Zaika is one of the first Indian restaurants to have been awarded a Michelin star. The other being Tamarind. Zaika's interior is well thought out. There is a raised bar area next to the entrance which has an unusually high sided reception desk. The d?cor gives a cool and relaxed feeling. The walls are draped with a few sumptuous fabrics and there are two or three tasteful stone statues of various mythical Hindu deities. The ceiling is high but there is a clear Perspex artificial daylight ceiling suspended above the main restaurant. This is fortunately off in the evenings. The building must be listed as the doorways are arched by carved ornate stone - Lucky Zaika.

"The wine list is far too long for an Indian restaurant and in my opinion this just shows that no knowledge or thought was put towards the list. What ever effort has gone into compiling, selecting and stocking all those wines would have been much better used by the chef and the wine waiter to compile a choice and select list to satisfy a varied pallet and pocket.

"The menu is interesting and a substantial step away from the stereotypical mega-choice Curry Mahal. While the usual favourites are present they are disguised behind interesting alternative ingredients and titles. The chef proves his skills are more than just creative by using the ingredients he lists, generously to produce strong and distinctive flavours. The starters are presented on a variety of different serving platters in a conservative but attractive way. The main courses arrive already served on your dinner plates, just like in one of those English restaurants - ini't!

The service was a little slow and while formal and polite it did seem to lack warmth until I pointed out that I was not an American.""