The second Blogger’s Managed Event of the month, organized by Monica Kapila of Doindubai brought me and a bunch of bloggers to this beautiful and chic Indian restaurant– Zafran Indian Bistro. As it was my first time at Zafran, I came without any expectations. But the food and the decor of Zafran completely won me over.
Located in the Level 1 of Mirdif City Centre, Zafran Indian Bistro boasts of a beautiful, trendy and modern decor. Once, you are inside the restaurant, you will not even realize that you are in a mall.
The restaurant is very spacious and well lit. It also offers a private dining space. Zafran has recently revamped it’s interiors and menu.
After arriving at Zafran, we were offered a Rose and Lime based fizzy mocktail as our welcome drink. The drink not only looked pretty, it tasted great too.
An Indian meal is incomplete without condiments like Pickles and Poppadums. It is usually served first, before the start of a meal. At Zafran, we were served crisp Poppadums with a variety of amazing chutneys like-Pineapple chutney, Beetroot chutney, Papaya Chutney, Watermelon rind chutney and the usual Mint and Tamrind chutney.
As the Amuse Bouche, we were served a divine tasting cube of watermelon stuffed with feta.
At Zafran, each and every dish is freshly made in-house, without using any preservatives and artificial food coloring. You can expect a high quality meal that just tastes like what you make at home.
We tried a lot of dishes from starters to main course and desserts.
Starters
Dahee Kebab were deep fried yogurt and coriander dumplings that were soft and had a melt-in-the-mouth quality to it. This starter was a huge favorite among all the bloggers.
Aloo Tikkia is a popular Indian street food staple. Pan fried potato cutlets were served on a bed of chickpea masala. It was spicy and tasty. A definite must-try at Zafran.
Papdi Chaat was another winner, that was made with flour pastries and spiced mashed potato. It was topped with sweet yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney.
Vegetarian Kebab Platter consisted of Tandoori aloo, Tarkari paneer tikka and Tandoori broccoli. Each and every kebab was grilled to perfection and had well balanced flavors. I especially liked the Tandoori aloo.
Kebab Platter had a variety of succulent non vegetarian kebabs. My non vegetarian blogger friends relished it.
Main Course
While the non vegetarians were served Prawn coconut curry and Rogan Josh. We vegetarians were offered Palak paneer, Aloo masala and Dal makhani. The palak paneer had perfectly seasoned spinach gravy with soft paneer cubes. It made a super combo with the Indian bread. I generally, never bother to order Aloo masala at a restaurant, as it is a basic dish. But the Aloo masala at Zafran was gently spiced and full of flavor and taste. The Dal makhani was rich, creamy and absolutely delicious. Totally recommend it.
Our main course dishes were served along with freshly baked Indian bread/butter and garlic Naan.
Family Naan is a giant sized naan, that can easily feed six people. We had the pleasure of witnessing the making of this naan in Zafran’s tandoor through the glass windows of their open kitchen. I love to watch my food being prepared. It is shaped like a heart.
The Vegetable Biryani had a melange of seasonal veggies that was cooked in saffron basmati rice and flavored with Indian spices. The biryani was packed with fresh Indian flavors, that had us asking for more. There was Chicken Biryani for the non vegetarians. The Anaar Raita that was served with the biryani, made a splendid combination.
Desserts
Dessert Platter consisted of a selection of desserts like Kulfi, Gulab Jamun, Gajar Halwa and Rasmalai. The portion size was good. Except the Kulfi, I liked all the desserts. I felt that the Kulfi had an overpowering flavor and taste of saffron.
The team of Zafran gave us a spice box as a keepsake. The spice box contained most of the popular spices that can be used in Indian cooking. Such an useful giveaway, can’t wait to use it in my cooking.
Overall, I had a great experience at Zafran. The food, the service, the atmosphere and the ambience is fabulous. Definitely, recommend the Zafran Indian Bistro to everyone.
For Reservations or deliveries at the Mirdif city Centre branch call: 04 284 0987
BME by http://www.doindubai.com
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