In a NUtshell:
A classic, formal Dinner set up, seaview restaurant that serves some great traditional as well as global influenced indian food.
Address & other details: Ziya
Meal for 2: ₹2500 onwards
Cuisine type : vegetarian and non vegetarian
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I rate all the food items & then give a final overall rating which is a simple average of the individual item ratings. What the ratings stand for: 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Disaster
Short description- in case u r in a hurry:
I got to know of this restaurant from my friend naoshad who has always consistently suggested great places to eat out in mumbai. He mentioned how impressed he was with the raan and some other dishes.
The restaurant, by Michelin star chef Vineet Bhatia is located in the oberoi, Nariman Point. It has a sea view glass wall on one side.
The 4 tables next to the glass window are surely coveted.
The setting is formal. When I called to book, I was informed about the dress code for men ( no open shoes), western casual. Find that seriously odd for an Indian restaurant in india. So I wore a slip on closed shoe, sat on the chair, took those off and enjoyed my food barefoot ( the rebel in me was happy).
The restaurant interiors are very nice and dark. The lobby waiting area is beautifully done.
The guy serving us was cold initially but later warmed up.
Menu card had everything nicely explained.
Loved the food. Look forward to more.
Detailed description- in case u hv the time to njoy reading:
We started with Ziya platter. It had Tandoori prawn, Chilly garlic bhetki, Sesame lamb seekh & Maharani chicken tikka.
Three very good chutneys were served. The pink one was more like that super hot model in a movie who can’t act – the beetroot chutney looked most attractive but was least impressive. The green one was so good that we finished it till the last drop.
The Tandoori prawn was super fresh, had perfect texture, was slightly juicy, had optimum charred effect and a resultant smoky flavor. Loved it and rate it 4.5/5
Chilly garlic bhetki was excellent – flaky and somewhat juicy fish , spices and fish flavours constantly trying to outwit each other, perfect seasoning and great to taste. Rate it 4.5/5
Maharani chicken tikka was too good. Enjoyed the Smokey flavor and the ‘present but not overpowering’ spices. Very unusually, the flavour of the chicken also could be felt. Rate this 4.5/5
Sesame lamb seekh was actually the black lamb (read ‘sheep’) in the platter. It was very mildly juicy, was on the borderline of being hard / brittle though it tasted good. Rate it 3/5
For main course we ordered Seafood Konkani – Grilled chilean seabass , Curry leaf prawns, Dhokhla prawn pickle and sago crisps
Grilled chilean seabass was out of the world. The pleasure was almost erotic. A bite into the fish led to a burst of intense, thick, juices that was unparalleled. It was almost like drinking the juices!!!! Wow. Piece of art on the plate. Rate it 4.95/5
Curry leaf prawns were good. They were fresh n soft, imbibed the flavours of spices and curry leaves well. YUMM to taste. Rate it 4.25/5
Dhokhla prawn pickle was very interesting – it was pickled prawns in middle of layers of dhokhla. loved the sweetness and fermented feel of the dhokla. Pickled prawns were good but I’ve had more pungent and intense ones that I would prefer over this. Rate the dish 4.25/5
The plating was done with fish and prawns Topped with sago crisps. Those added visual appeal but were not good to eat.
We saw Aubergine parantha on the menu and it looked interesting. The parantha totally failed to impress. The sides were too thick and were lumps of maida. The mid part was too much maida and too little aubergine. I thought there might b a smokey flavor of aubergine but it was not there. It was just another parantha. Rate it 2.75/5
Kaali daal was outstanding. Thick, intense, not a smooth texture, no faltu cream on top, serious good stuff. Rate it 4.75/5
For dessert we had Nariyal rasmalai, Saffron tapioca pearls, Coconut kulfi , Tender coconut ribbons & Caramelised pineapple.
The most interesting part of the rasmalai was the rasgulla which was made Inhouse – it was in its purest form, a chunk of chhena turned into a rasgulla with thin ras, not overpowering sweet , yet sweet. Negative on brittleness quotient and 100% on softness quotient.
The reduced milk was beyond brilliance – creamy, thick, perfectly sweet.
Saffron tapioca pearls added texture.
Tender coconut ribbons were fun to munch on.
Coconut kulfi was as good as it cud get.
Caramelised pineapple was nice to munch on as it is and overall.
Overall loved the dish and the interplay of taste, texture.
Rate the dish 4.5/5
Overall rating of food at ziya averages out to
Wud love to revisit, to try out the numerous super interesting dishes on the menu.