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Charles Campion's rating
Reader rating
Description: Thanks to Sanjay Dwivedi's "amazing" and "refined" cuisine, this is still one of London's top "innovative" Indians; the ex-banking hall setting (opposite Kensington Gardens) can sometimes seem a touch "austere", but most reporters say it's "lovely".
Food: 
Service: 
Ambience:
Phone: 020 7795 6533
Website: http://www.zaika-restaurant.co.uk
Open: Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 12.00 - 14.45 Dinner: Monday - Saturday: 18.00 - 22.45 Sunday: 18.00 - 21.45
Dress code: Suits and floral rugger shirts
Good for: Good food, Ambience.
Payment options: No Diners Club
This review was first published in September 2000
A few catwalk lengths from South Kensington, you'll find what is probably London's finest Indian restaurant. If it were London's finest Italian, French or Modern British restaurant, then its Fulham Road location, slick service and comfortable dining-room would ensure that it was jam-packed each and every lunchtime. But because it's an Indian restaurant, it is wildly busy in the evenings and an oasis of calm at lunch.
Indian restaurants have never done good lunch business. Perhaps we worry too much about the digestibility of a high-fat, highly spiced, 'traditional' curry; but that is not the kind of food you get at Zaika.
The food here is as delicate and sophisticated as anything served in the most pretentious of French eateries. The spicing is subtle throughout and by no means heavy-handed. Think of it as an unrivalled opportunity to eat some world-class food without finding that the restaurant is booked up months in advance. Vineet Bhatia is chef at Zaika and this autumn he is cooking better than ever. He has settled into the restaurant and his signature dishes (like the tandoori smoked salmon critics have raved about in the past) continue to delight. Now some of the other dishes are climbing the popularity ratings to rival them.
From the starters try the jhinga khichdi (£5.95). This is a splendid rice cake and a kind of second cousin to a risotto. It has a brilliant texture and is served with a giant prawn in a crisp coat on top. Or try the kala murg (£5.50) - chicken breast marinated in mild spices, including black pepper, and then grilled. It is served with milk fritters and saffron and cardamom yoghurt; it is very juicy, very tasty, very good. Or there's a new twist on our old friend the samosa - the malaimosa (£5.20). This is a samosa filled with goat's cheese and smoked cashew nuts and served with a ravishing pear and clove chutney. It's worth noting that none of these starters is wildly chilli hot, or indeed wildly expensive, which makes them the perfect lunchtime choice.
Main-course dishes are equally thought-provoking. Try the tikhe machli (£13.50), a meaty fillet of sea bass pan-fried and served with a 'couscous' made from upma (a favourite cereal in southern India). The saucing is stunning, with the sharpness of green mangoes and the richness of turmeric. Or how about murghabi pasanda (£12.50)? This is a dish made with duck breast seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and served with a mango and lentil raita. If you do yearn for something more substantial, try the gilafi dum biryani (£11.75). This is a lamb and rice dish which has been sealed into a pot with a pastry lid and slow-cooked until all is melting. It is exceedingly delicious, and comes with a cooling yoghurt raita to add contrast.
The standard of cooking here is first-rate. Where else could you eat dishes cooked by one of London's top dozen or so chefs and still pay under £15 for each of them? Why have we got this blind spot when it comes to associating excellence with Indian food? So when you're looking for somewhere comfortable, stylish and that bit different for a spot of lunch between fashion shows, try to forget that Zaika is an Indian restaurant. Think of it as the place for original food at bargain prices; a comfortable restaurant with slick service and a rather good wine list.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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