National Vegetarian Week at Zaika
If you're a regular reader of my Eat Drink London section, then you'll have heard me harping on about being a vegetarian and trying to get some good meat-free meals in this town. The vegetarian food gods (a.k.a PR people) heard my cries and invited me to try a tasting menu at Zaika of Kensington to celebrate National Vegetarian Week. This is a week of exploring and enjoying the joys of a delicious vegetarian and cruelty-free diet.
On Kensington High Street, Zaika is as swishy as swish can be, a beautiful large dining room with wooden panels and framed pictures of nineteenth century India. The service here is absolutely five-star; straight away we were treated like royalty, and welcomed by no less than three different members of staff. We were offered cocktails (went for Winter Berries, a rum and fruit affair, and a gin mojito - pictured above), and then we were talked through what we could expect. We'd be having a set menu that had been specially put together for National Vegetarian Week, but one that features Zaika's best vegetarian options. Each course would come with a different wine to complement the dishes, and our waiter was an absolute expert - asking us what kinds of wine we preferred and making pairings based on both the flavours and our preferences.
We started with poppadoms and an amazing beetroot chutney - so good! Next up (below) was Papdi Chaat - spiced chickpeas with wheat crisps, yoghurt, blueberries and tamarind chutney. Served with tandoori broccoli and Aloo Tikki - a potato cake with coriander. The chickpeas were packed with flavour, but the broccoli blew my mind! I've never heard of anything other than meat cooked in a tandoori oven, and this humble vegetable was turned into a crunchy morsel of deliciousness with the spiciest kick I've ever had.
The next plate had a mixed sprout and potato skewer with mint and ginger chutney, served with grilled paneer in a pickled marinade. As if this wasn't enough, out came the 'main' section - truffle naan bread (seriously... Whoever invented this, you are the naan king!), Aloo Gobi - slow cooked potatoes and cauliflower, saffron rice, Dal Makhni - black lentils cooked over a two day period, and what looks like the most unappetising dish ever (below) - but is Palak Paneer - paneer cooked in onion-tomato masala and covered in garlic spinach puree. It's actually very good, and super garlicky. Everything was so moreish, really flavoursome but not overwhelming, and thankfully not too hot. I can't deal with overly-hot spice.
With each of these courses I had different white wines - all very dry and crisp as I'm not into reds. Obviously, prosecco would be my first choice every time, but I enjoyed trying some whites that I wouldn't normally go for. They went with each course perfectly. The final dish was Classic Kulfi (below), Indian ice-cream, that's definitely very creamy! We were served pistachio and mango with delicate purees of banana, berries and mango. So pretty! But I was definitely losing light by this stage, and the restaurant was in cosy, candlelit mode. This came with a dessert wine with orange and honey notes that I enjoyed sipping long after the kulfi plates were taken away.
Zaika offers a a very similar vegetarian set menu for £55 per person (and a meat one, booo!), and they told me that they can be very accommodating in terms of dietary requirements. They often have vegan diners, for example, and people wanting dishes adapted in certain ways. They also do takeaways for the lucky people of Kensington - can you imagine having truffle naan and such fancy curry at home on your lap? Maybe the beautifully presented dishes are more for dinner parties. This is truly the perfect way to explore vegetarian food all year round, with India being the home of really exquisite and traditional vegetarian dishes, and Zaika being a truly luxurious and hospitable place. Definitely the best Indian food in London, and some of the best service in any restaurant in London. I'll be back!
Zaika gave me a free meal, but I can assure you all broccoli and chickpea enthusiasm is my own.