Zaiqa of an Elegant Era
Pradeep Khosla is a force to reckon with in Hyderabad’s F&B circles. The tall and strapping Khosla, earlier executive chef at Taj Krishna, moved on to the Tuli group of hotels, before joining as CEO and corporate chef at Food Krafters & Services, promoted by technocrat Khalil Ahmed, to open their flagship restaurant called Zaiqa E Hyderabad in Banjara Hills.
So, when I landed an invite to review Zaiqa which also happens to be in my neighbourhood, I was all agog, although it was a while (owing to extenuating personal reasons) before I could bring myself there.
Interestingly, the restaurant’s name is a fallout of the hugely popular annual Zaiqa E Ramzan which Food Krafters have been curating during Ramzan for two years in a row since 2014. “The name kind of stuck for the restaurant as well, as Zaiqa had its own unique brand recall for Hyderabadis,” informs Khosla.
First things first. The decor of Zaiqa E Hyderabad is not the usual opulent kind associated with restaurants serving royal cuisines, you know the heavy, plush types with velvet upholstery etc? While an antique car greets you at the entrance, the decor indoors is minimalist and modern. A glass facade on one entire side of the restaurant contributes to natural light, and the elegant antique lamps, jharokha on one wall with sepia frames of vignettes of the Nizams, add to the right exotic Hyderabadi touch, without being heavy-duty. Also, the wide wooden tables are created for more elbow space and the ambience is one of relaxed informality.
Hyderabadi cuisine, in a commercially popular context, is increasingly being referred to biryani and haleem and therefore most restaurants have worked around these two players. It is a handful of restaurants which try to recreate the cuisine of yore, which was the result of an evolution of various influences, Turkish, Arabic, Mughal, besides the local Telengana and Marathwada culinary strains.
At Zaiqa, the recipes have been honed after painstaking research and at least two of the cooks working in the kitchen are direct descendants of the royal khansaamas who served the Nizam of Hyderabad.
without further ado, lets move on to the food. Chef Khosla starts me off with a bowl of hearty Marag. Marag is a thin mutton stew or shorba as they say which is often served at Hyderabadi weddings with breads like sheermal or dil naan. The version at Zaiqa which I savoured was in one word, delectably perfect. Simmered twice over a slow fire, and with all the goodness of milk, yoghurt, almonds and saffron, blending perfectly with the just-right-cooked mutton with bone, can it be anything other than divine?
A Bowl of Hearty, Aromatic Lamb Marag
Next up is my favourite, Shikampuri Kebabs. Shikampuri, which literally means ‘belly full’ is mince kebabs filled with hung yoghurt, onion and a host of spices. This version was a bit coarse textured and chef Khosla explained that the mince was hand-pounded instead of being run in a food processor and there lies the difference. I loved these ones even better, though they were not as smooth as the
Shikampuri kebabs
Haleem is on my table next and here I may insert a honest confession: I am not a great fan of haleem. But wait a minute, the garnish of crisply fried onions-cashews-mint leaves tempts me to prod the haleem and give it a try at least , and am I hooked! Creamy, melt-in-the mouth, flavorful and aromatic, I just cannot bring myself to stop at one spoonful and find myself digging quite greedily into the bowl.
Although I am quite stuffed after the haleem, I just have to try a bite of the two other Hyderabadi gems, which find their way to my table: Lagan ka Murgh and Dum ka Murgh. While Lagan ka Murgh comes with a red-hued gravy, (Continental influence with ingredients like Worchestershire sauce and tomato sauce in the original Nizami recipe), Dum ka Murgh is creamier and ina milder shade of offwhite, thanks to the poppy seed and cashew paste.
The rich and robust Lagan ki Murgh
Dum ka Murgh follows and I can only take a tentative morsel of the gravy, which is creamier thanks to the cashew nut-poppy seed paste.
Biryani being the essence of a good Hyderabadi restaurant, I am loath to try a spoonful and I like the non greasy, aromatic taste of it. I find the mirchi ka salan quite distinct, lots more thick textured and brownish instead of the yellow color (thanks to adding turmeric) of the ubiquitous version..and this has a slightly sweet aftertaste too.
“We give at least 100 gm of meat for every portion of mutton biryani, so that our customers dont feel short changed,” Khosla sets the record straight.
Desserts time and I get a sampler of all four choices: Gajar ka Rishta (a close cousin of Gajar ka Halwa), Khubani ka Meetha, Double Ka Meetha and Badaam ka Kund. while all of these are well-made, I find the last-named the most delicious. The halwa is nutty and packed with almonds and hot and absolutely comfort food with its divine aroma of ghee!
