Zouq is a very interesting name that means Taste.
Situated at the far end of FC road, this place is not hard to miss. Painted in white n blue, this place packs a punch with its artistic outdoors and keenly decorated indoors. As you enter you are met with beautiful frames adorning the wall, shelves bearing jars of turmeric, chilli n indian spices. There is another wall bearing various artistic plates. The white background adds an ethereal look to the surroundings.
As we sat, we noticed the spices preserved in glass built inside each table. That added an extra touch of Indianness to our dining experience.
We started with the chicken clear soup that had muted flavours, yet was flavourfully fantastic. It was a delicious opening to our lunch. Next came the starters, the murg Lebanese and the murg kandhari. The lebanese dip with the kebabs was a high voltage pairing. The kebabs melted in our mouth while the dip accentuated the flavours of every morsel.
To wet our palates with some refreshing drinks on the hot August afternoon, we ordered for the colourful raspberry mojito, the azure blue curacao and the good old ice tea. While the raspberry mojito was a little sweet, the ice tea was refreshing. The blue curacao tasted and looked temptingly delicious.
For the main we tried the chicken peshawari , the chicken afgani and the rogan gosht. The chicken peshawari tasted fantastic and the flavours were spot on. The chicken afgani was made of a kaju paste that tasted sweet. For all those who dislike spicy food should go in for this one. The rogan gosht had a thin gravy, the meat was tender, however, we wouldn’t go as far as saying its was the best rogan gosht we have tried so far .
Finally to tickle our taste buds further, we were served the peshawari biryani which was a spicier and a richer version of the regular biryani. It has a kesari taste and the rich spices made it a brain numbing affair.
To end this food journey on a sweet note we ordered the qubani ka meetha and the caramel custard.
Qubani ka meetha is a dessert made of apricot puree and is served with ice cream. It was a little too sweet, however, the flavours were unique, something we had not tried before.
The caramel custard was a visual delight, however, the flavour did not compel us to try any more. We thought it should have been creamier with more of caramel.
Although the dishes were a little hit and miss, the ingredients were top quality and packed full of flavor. We would definitely go back for the murg Lebanese and the chicken soup, the beautiful ambience and the great service.
Food: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Overall rating: 3.5/5
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