Manchester Confidential Review
Originally published in Manchester Confidential
What do baby elephants, drunken journalists and fire eaters have in common? It's not a trick question I promise. The answer dear readers, is that they were all present (and in some cases correct) at the launch of new Asian eatery Zouk. As part of an ongoing quest to source fabulous food for the Manchester Confidential massive, our Gordo and the Editor happened upon this new venue whilst ambling down Oxford Road one chilly February eve. In my imagination Gordo was suddenly distracted and enticed toward the Quadrangle (in the style of Pepé Le Pew) by an exotic waft of Tandoori chicken livers. This probably is the literal truth.
The opening (by all accounts a fabulous affair) with the aforementioned fire eaters, a DJ shipped in from Morocco and live Indian cookery demonstrations certainly spell out the intent and ambition of owner Amjad Bashir with Zouk.
No low key, soft opening for him and there's something admirable about that. The venue itself is the embodiment of a contemporary Indian restaurant. Cool, airy and spacious, with a mezzanine floor overlooking the huge open plan kitchen. It's an inviting space if you like it big.
I visited on Sunday evening, was greeted warmly and efficiently by the host and taken to my seat with a prime view overlooking the kitchen. The range on the menu is broad - perhaps owing to the diverse nationalities working in their kitchen. The menu takes you on an exotic journey from Lahore to Nepal, on to Delhi and across the Indian Ocean into Arabia. It certainly makes for interesting reading.
Following much deliberation I ordered tandoori haddock (£3.95), chicken livers' (£3.50) and lamb chops' (£3.50). Mixed feelings abounded about these starters. The haddock was a punchy opener, succulent, flaky and the marinade spiced to perfection, but it came with a dipping sauce that seemed to have been made in a nuclear reactor and if added would've made the texture of the dish far too wet.
The lamb chops, trimmed and marinated in their secret recipe sauce before being delicately charred on the embers were very very good. You get three of these carnivorous treats but I could've devoured double that. The chicken livers were disappointing. Slightly overcooked and without enough spicy bite for my palette, I was under whelmed.
Mains stepped things up a gear.
My chicken karahi (£6.95) was rocking. The chicken was chunky and moist, but it was the sauce that really shone. Remember in Charlie and the Chocolate factory, when Violet Beauregarde eats gum which tastes like a roast dinner? Well, I imagine I had a similar sensory experience with this sauce. Coriander, ginger, chilli and cumin: each flavour distinct, but coming together in fiery and aromatic harmony.
My companion's black pepper lamb' (£8.95) worked as well. The lamb is cooked on the bone and whilst it cuffs you with a spicy blast of heat, it still lets the unctuous flavours from the marrow and meat shine through. Lemon rice (£1.95), fresh and light, and a crispy roti (£0.90) made excellent supporting acts. Food was enjoyed with ice cold Cobra (£2.50) -sometimes nothing but a crisp lager will do.
Desserts were revelatory, if schizophrenic given the Eastern leanings of the rest of the meal, but mix and match seems the way of the world at present. I'd ordinarily go for a typical offering like ras malai, but instead I ordered the rather less exotic strawberry tart (£3.95). This choice followed the discovery that their pastry chef hails from Brittany and I'm firmly of the opinion that you've never had short crust pastry unless it's been lovingly kneaded by a Frenchman. This was meltingly good; the perfect, buttery foil to the ripe strawberries and lush cream. C'est Magnifique! Mango cheesecake (£3.95) was also a success although my companion didn't finish it due to the huge portion size. I've seen smaller breeze-blocks than that wedge of dessert.
The service is attentive, with staff ultra keen to make a good impression. A minor gripe was the uninspiring chicken livers dish, but Zouk doesn't seem precious when it comes to constructive feedback. When asked about my starters, I told them exactly what I thought and rather than take the huff they went back to the kitchen and rustled up another plate, made more to my specification.
It's perhaps this lack of ego and their assured, modern interpretations on classic Asian cuisine that will make them a success in Manchester. Price points have been set at a recession friendly level and the quality of the ingredients doesn't seem to have been compromised. Reasons to be cheerful when the bill arrives.
Zouk has already proved its worth across the Pennines, winning awards from (amongst others) the Yorkshire Post and Metro. Let's hope they can capture the same form here. Zouk has made an impressive start.
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