An Indian Extravaganza at Zafran

It’s one thing to enjoy Indian food, and another to absolutely fall in love with it. This post is about the latter. Zafran Indian Bistro located at Mirdiff City Centre, takes Indian cuisine very seriously. Such that all their food is cooked with fresh ingredients of premium quality (which you can actually taste in their dishes), and top-notch flavors that take your taste buds to great heights with every bite.

Located in a large corner of the Central Galleria, Zafran is lined with flower edgings and wooden accents around the restaurant, and a combination of open dining spaces and a peacock blue hued family area within. Their interiors reflect a part modern, part conventional decor which falls perfectly in line with their fare.

We were there to sample their new menu, and their staff made sure we did just that, so much so that they encouraged us to try almost everything off their new menu on our visit. While we did try a lot, we ended up packing most of it in take away, because the food was too much to be eaten by 2, but too good to waste.

Papad & Dips

A classic starter in most Indian restaurants, this papad basket came with rice and lentil papads along with 6 different dips: Sweet tamarind and date, Spicy mint, Papaya, Beetroot, Pickle, and a very unique watermelon skin with fennel.

Drinks

For drinks, we decided to go with one of the bestsellers: Kashmir’s Dew and one from the new menu: Ginger Limeade.

While the former was sweeter, thanks to its strawberry, lemon and mint flavors, the latter offered a zing with its ginger, lime and soda blend. Both these drinks were great coolers that balanced out the heat in some of their spicy dishes, while also quenching our thirst between courses.

Zafran Yakhni Shorba

For the soup, we decided to split our portion into 2, just so that we could have enough to try, but not too much to fill us up even before the food arrived. Later, we were glad to know the half portion was the right decision.

Warm and comforting, the yakhni lamb broth comes with little pieces of mutton and potatoes that give it a hearty bite. Despite its cream content, which mingles beautifully with whole spices and coriander, it isn’t too creamy. In fact it is quite light and sets the perfect prelude for the rest of the meal.

Dahee Kebab

Our first starter were these deep fried yogurt balls, aptly titled Dahee Kebab. One bite into the dumplings led to a burst of creamy yogurt, which sadly lacked a punch. I’d rather they had more herbs and spices infused in the mix than being overly creamy and a little too rich.

Rawa Fish Fry

This was the highlight of our meal. Right from the crunchiness of the fried rava coating to the tenderness of the fish meat, this is something I could have over and over again. In fact, we are already planning our next visit for this.

Raan Zafran

Although I am not a meat person, and when given the choice I would have certainly opted for chicken, based on the staff’s recommendation and my partner’s preference, we opted for the Raan. Essentially a lamb leg, this came with braised meat, separated off the bone and cooked tandoor style with a host of spices. Very tender juicy, the meat did sort of melt with every bite. The portion of the meat and the side salad along with it, almost makes it like a meal in itself. I wouldn’t mind having this with some naan on the side.

Another seafood dish from their new menu starters that we could not try were the Ajwaini Prawns. However, these come highly recommended, and when I go back for the Rawa Fish Fry, this is something I will definitely be ordering along with it.

Dhabe Ka Murgh

Another recommended dish, this chicken preparation is not your regular butter chicken or tikka masala. It’s different. Cooked in a yogurt and onion based gravy, this curry has a unique earthy spiciness to it, one that comes from the use of whole spices. The boneless chicken perfectly complements this dish.
Pair this with rice, naan or paratha.

Gosht Kairi Ka Kheema

One of the few dishes I was really looking forward to was this kheema. Offering the classic lamb mince texture, one that’s enhanced with flavors of onions, tomatoes, coriander, chilli and turmeric, this dish has an additional twist in the form of raw mango. The sourness of the mango perfectly balances the density of the mince making it quite a burst of flavors in every bite.
Pair this with naan or paratha.

Aloo Bhukara Kofta

You didn’t really think it was going to end with meat right? Well, we sort of did. But again, we couldn’t miss out on these bestsellers, so we opted for the side portion of the vegetarian curries.
Very much like a cross between dum aloo and malai kofta, this gravy features potato dumplings mixed with plum and bell peppers. This balances the creaminess of the spuds with a crunch. The tomato and cashew gravy makes the perfect base for these koftas.
Pair this with rice, naan or paratha.

Home-style Bhindi Masala

I don’t know how many people order bhindi when dining out, but it’s something I will be ordering from now on. I have always known okra to be something that’s cooked at home – mom made – so the very fact that it’s name said ‘home-style’ made me wonder if it would really bring back that childhood taste that I constantly crave.
To put it simply, it did. Crunchy okra, stir-fried with all the basics of onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs made for the perfect no-nonsense mix. This one’s not fancy, but it’s better than a lot of other fancy things you’ll eat. This was comfort food for me.
Pair this with a plain roti or paratha.

Chicken Zafran Biryani

This biryani in one word: EPIC I love biryani. There’s no way I can go to a restaurant that prides on this dish and leave without trying it. So in line with the elaborate starters and curries we sampled, we decided to just go ahead and make this dinner a feast. Zafran is known for their biryani, and their Zafran Chicken Biryani is the most ordered item from their menu. And why not?

Cooked with long grain basmati flavored with their signature ingredient – saffron, this rice preparation features boneless marinated chicken. This chicken is further enhanced with whole spices including mace and cardamom, and finished with all those lovely garnishes.
A little on the spicy side (just the way we love it), this dum styled biryani came covered with dough. I love how the dough made it all the more authentic.

The chicken is tender all right, but what I loved the most about the meat is the fact that it absorbs the marinade right to the center. This means there’s no way you would find it too dry or bland from inside.
And with a portion that’s so generous it could easily suffice 2-3 people, this one deserves its place on every table. If you are a seafood fan, their prawn biryani is quite the bomb I have heard. That is definitely on my list on my next visit.

Mango Malai Kulfi

The best of both worlds, this dessert looked like a cake, featured fruit puree and was actually a kulfi! Made with cream and condensed milk, the kulfi layer had a distinct cardamom flavor, while the fruit puree made the mango layer a right complement to the former. The portion is quite good for two, especially if you have already had your fill of starters and mains.

Dessert Platter

If the previous dessert was the best of two worlds, this dessert platter had all the worlds combined on one plate. Featuring a bit of everything from their dessert menu, this platter started with gajar halwa. This in my honest opinion was just like home. The halwa was followed by their unique ras malai which was topped with a blackcurrant compote. It oozed out pistachio flavored milk in every bite. Although ras malai is my all-time favorite, this time around it was the flourless chocolate cake that quite literally took the cake. With a texture that’s almost like a fondant, this dark chocolate cake smooth, creamy and decadent. I am totally going to have the normal portion of this dessert on my next visit. Along with ras malai of course. Then there was another Indian classic – Zafran Phirni, that had a kheer like texture and a not too sweet, but very comforting taste. Finally we finished off with a few pieces of fresh cut kiwi and strawberry.

Zafran Indian Bistro

Location: East Walk, Level 1, Mirdif City Centre, Mirdif, Dubai
Contact: 04 2840987 | 056 1884739

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