My compliments to the Brains of the Operation
Originally published in Citylife
SKYWAY Pete's diner on Florida's west coast. Breakfast for our hungover holiday crew. Out of bravado I eschew coffee and toast and order brains on hominy grits.
My own brains must have been lightly scrambled. Pete's widow Carole, who ran the joint, comes round to check on my customer satisfaction.
Hey, little feller, how's it going? We don't get many orders for that stuff these days. Wouldn't touch it myself!
That was a decade ago and nary a brain has passed my lips since. Even Gail Trimble's doesn't make me salivate.
The memory (grey matter on wallpaper paste) came flooding back when I espied sheep's brains on the Zouk menu - a list whose culinary voyage takes in the Indian sub-continent, Arabia and North Africa where all parts of the sheep are fit for the pan.
Stylish newcomer
My dining companion, Fatima, whose name belies her trim frame, forbade me ordering this pan-fried variation, called Magaz.
On the evidence of the meal we had at the stylish newcomer, their treatment of brains might have been real food for thought.
After award-winning success in Bradford, Peter Bashir's Zouk Manchester opened recently with a flourish - a baby elephant (not on the menu), fire-eaters, stilt walkers and the deputy mayor all featured.
It is next door to Nando's and the smart new Rice but doesn't feel like a chain offering. The 200-cover dining room is cathdedral-high with a mezzanine floor not for those with vertigo. It doesn't feel like a tea room but it is certainly a grill, as flames spurt in the high octane open kitchen.
The buzz extends to the staff. Our waitress, from Budapest so no stranger to spice, was delightful and I truly believed the front of house manager when he told us we had indeed ordered all his favourite dishes.
We shared fishy starters. After recent fishy disappointments in Asian restaurants (and not just Gurkha Grill), it's a relief to report these were spot on.
Tandoori haddock with pomegranate seeds was tempting but, surprisingly, Fatima had never tasted scallops. Time to come out of her shell, then!
These were firm, delicate and sweet - as were king prawns that had been marinated in olive oil and crushed cumin and coriander seed. Accompanying citrus and coconut chutney was zingy fresh (starters £6.50 and £5.50 respectively).
Affordable
A more interesting beer list would enhance Zouk, but the simple wine list is well chosen and affordable. The tasty Terrazas Chilean chardonnay at top whack £22 offered up some stout oak to cope with spice.
I insisted some kind of sheep dish was essential. Lamb Nihari (£8.95) is a Lahore speciality. Long-braised large hunks in a rich herby, spicy stew, mopped up with a naan that came in an approachable size. Not those vast blankets of dough spreadeagled on frames you get at Zouk rivals Akbars and EastzEast.
It was comforting in a spicy lamb shank kind of way. Chicken Haleem (£7.95) was more disconcerting.
It matched thin slivers of chicken with four kinds of lentils and cracked wheat in a sort of savoury porridge, yet didn't feel a million miles away from that Chinese soup where chicken and sweetcorn gloop together.
Next time, and there will definitely will be one - we'll test out the grilled meats. Hand cut chips accompany many of these. The whole operation is eclectic.
Why Zouk as a name, for example. Zouk, in my book, is a Creole music style. And I didn't get the tea thing. Yet it all seems to work. Zouk it and see!
By Neil Sowerby
Content © Zouk Tea Bar and Grill | 01274 258 025 | Sitemap | Web Design Leeds by Deepblue Digital