Zara Bar Be Que

It’s good to have foot soldiers. I have a few. They look out for good eating places (mainly because they are all foodies, too) and once they see something interesting, they tell me about it. Last week, my foodie-comrade-in-arms, Amol, told me about a place called Zara in IP Extension. My ears picked up for two reasons – one, it was in my neighbourhood, and two, it served Awadhi food.

First, let me give you the address — Zara Bar-Be-Que, Shop no 15, DDA Market, Opposite Mayur Public School, IP Extension (Phone: 8826055316, 8826055125 and 7042410982). If you turn left towards IP Extension from the main Mother Dairy plant, take the first turn left. When you come to the end of the road, you’ll see Deshbandhu Apartments in front of you. Duck, because many of your college teachers may be living there, and turn right. After a bit you’ll see a busy shopping plaza to your right. Zara is right there – there’s a big sign on top of the shop.

It’s a neat little place, with an open kitchen, where food is cooked to order, and a tandoor on one side. Tables and chairs are set out in the open for those who wish to eat there. Zara delivers food, too, for a minimum order of Rs.250 and in the neighbourhood. It opens at 6 p.m. Every day.

Amol had told me that the food is served in handis. I found a line of earthenware pots in front, drying in the open. I don’t know about you, but the sight of the handis at once makes me hungry. So I looked at the menu, and asked for a plate of mutton rogan josh (Rs.180), handi mutton biryani (Rs.180, with three pieces) and murgh handi korma (Rs.150). They very kindly added some butter naans to my order when they saw my interest in food.

I like the way they served the biryani. It’s almost cooked and kept ready, but put in a sealed handi and steamed for a bit when you place an order. The biryani is then garnished with mint leaves, browned onions and ginger slivers. The rice had been cooked with green chillies, which gave it a nicely piquant taste. The mutton pieces were tender – and plenty. If you are, however, looking for zero oil-biryani, this is not the place for you.

I enjoyed the food immensely. The rogan josh was dark and different from its Kashmiri cousin. It had been cooked with onions, bay leaves, black cardamoms, tomatoes as well as yoghurt, and flavoured with Kashmiri red chillies. The chicken korma was excellent – the meat pieces were large but tender, and the gravy had been nicely flavoured and textured with khus khus, cashew paste and chirnoji (charoli nuts).

The restaurant opened some three months ago. It is run by Bade Mian Aijaz Ahmed, who trained under Chef Qureshi (of Dum Pukht fame) years ago. His sons, including Chef Mannan, who has now returned from Dubai, run the place. So you find Awadhi influences in the food, of course, but traces of other cuisines that the chefs must have picked up during their travels. On the menu, for instance, is chicken Madras, which I must try out! Kababs and tikkas are also being added to their menu...   http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/food-spot-the-magical-handi/article7089234.ece