ZeeZain (Indian) – Kensington, London

FtL readers may recall that ZeeZain restaurant just recently opened last month in the busy restaurant district of South Kensington.

We’re extremely excited, therefore, to be the first to present a review of this new Indian eatery, located just around the corner to the Natural History Museum, and offering a succinctly modern menu.

The place itself also has a modern feel to it, with 12 outdoor tables intended for the introduction of shisha, along with a total indoor seating capacity of 60, which includes a basement room for 20 – to be completed in 2-3 weeks time – that can also be hired for private occasions.

The interior decor is quite impressive, with the owner having successfully restored the building’s original 200-year-old wooden beams, as well as the original brick work.

While an alcohol bar is located therein, the restaurant says it’ll soon be introducing mocktails to its drinks menu.

Otherwise, not only is the meat said to be HMC-sourced, but the owner will generously offer up the room downstairs for Muslims wanting to observe their prayers, subject to availability.

Tandoori Mixed Grill of The Day (subject to availability on the day), £17.95

Gorgeously pink and succulent, just as we like our lamb chops!

It’s always nice to see some thought put into the presentation of any mixed grill. This Tandoori Mixed Grill of The Day will be subject to the selection of meats available on the day. What we were served were kebabs, chicken tikka, paneer and lamb chops.

In this order, the finely spiced kebabs, though beautifully soft and tender, with a hint of smokiness in the background, were screaming out to be properly charred and broiled.

As for the paneer, then this had an interestingly light achar flavour, was relatively soft, had a nicely charred exterior, but ultimately lacked depth.

The weakest of the bunch was the chicken which, despite some good charring, scarcely had any seasoning or spice to it.

The strongest, however, were easily the French-cut lamb chops. As delicate as you’d want; tenderly pink on the inside; beautifully marinated in a semi-dry yoghurt marinade; and wonderfully broiled; the heat from these gently lingered on the palate.

To be honest, you might want to just consider the Tandoori Lamb Chops for £12.50 over this mixed grill.

Chicken Tikka Wrap – coriander sauce, £5.95

The subtly spiced, soft and succulent chicken, with the crispiness of the char lending a touch of smokiness, was simply covered in some ketchup and mayo, before being wrapped up in freshly made, warm bread, and presented with a bowl of subtly sweet yoghurt mixed with cumin seeds.

Had together, this was an honest wrap, without being anything spectacular.

Paneer Cottage Cheese Tikka Wrap – cashew nut, corn chick peas chat, £5.95

The Paneer Cottage Cheese Tikka Wrap had a nice firmness to it and some heat; but again came alive with the accompanying yoghurt dip.

Lamb Biryani – pomegranate & yoghurt mint raita, £14.95

If only restaurants could do their biryanis half as good as ZeeZain’s. The difference here was that theirs came out tasting so fresh and full of flavour, while wondrously enhanced by the yoghurt mint and pomegranate raita.

The combination of the tender lamb, which itself was properly marinated, thereby adding that extra depth, and masala-coated rice made this such an incredible bowl of pleasurable goodness. Our dish of the review!

Chicken Biryani – pomegranate & yoghurt mint raita, £14.95

The Chicken Biryani wasn’t as concentrated in its spiciness as its cousin, but it was still a very tasty eat in its own right.

Chicken Butter Masala £10.95

When you order a classic butter chicken, you expect it to be well balanced, at the very least, and nothing less than silkily buttery.

ZeeZain’s version, however, while the chicken was gorgeously tender and the consistency good, was tomato-based to such an extent that it culminated in a bizarre tangy aftertaste, which one Lion said was “a little sickening by the end of it all”. This needs to be revisited.

Sarson Paneer & Fresh Spinach Curry £9.95

It’s true that the spinach in this attractively vibrant green curry was beautifully ground down, rich, buttery, and fresh tasting, but its biggest shortcoming was its apparent lack of spices. What this needed was something extra to really give it a lift.

Nevertheless, the ginger strips did compensate somewhat in this regard, with pieces of paneer lending some much needed texture.

Kashmiri Lamb Shank Rogan Josh – served with pilau rice, £18.95

This Kashmiri Lamb Shank Rogan Josh certainly gave the Lamb Biryani a run for its money.

While the curry base was well balanced, with its mellow spicy sweetness superbly offset by the heat of the garam masala, the lamb shank wasn’t quite falling off the bone as we would have hoped for. Instead, it was tender and chewy in places, and quite fatty in others. Overall, a soothingly good dish.

Dum Aloo new potatoes Bengali £3.95

Skin-on new potatoes covered in a strong, spicy masala is what made this Dum Aloo dish such a tremendous little side dish.

In fact, this was so good, that we reckon this could stand on its own merit as a starter. A must try!

Dal Maharani (black lentils) £5.50

If looks good kill, this Dal Maharani would succeed. In spite of its thick, creamy consistency however, it lacked any real flavour and spice, which was a big let down.

Garlic & Coriander NaanPlain NaanRoti

Garlic & Coriander Naan £3.00

Fantastic naans that were extremely crispy, with satisfying crunchy bits to em.

Plain Naan £3.00

Again, perfectly done; except that the plain is the same price as the garlic and coriander!

Roti £2.50

Same roti used for the aforementioned wraps. Made fresh and quite good.

Ghulab Jamon £4.95

This Ghulab Jamon dessert actually came out warmed through to the point that the syrup was fairly hot, though not in an unpleasant way.

Soft and well saturated, the balls were a satisfying end to the review.

Fruit Salad £4.95

Not sure about this Fruit Salad. The melons were hard and unappealing, and the mango slices just that, slices. Save your money or opt for the above.

Lassi £4.50 salty (left) and sweet (right)

These lassis need some serious TLC if they’re going to be taken seriously.

While these were of a decent enough consistency, the sweet was barely so, lacking in flavour, while its salty counterpart was entirely weak and insipid.

Masala Chai Pot £8.95

This rich, silky-creamy Masala Chai was perfectly balanced, with the cardamom coming through tenderly, and the sweetness just right.

What a way to end the night! Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommended.