There is nothing quite so satisfying at the end of a long day as a tasty curry and a freshly baked naan. At Zouk, you can get your curry fix seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Having recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, this Manchester restaurant is one of the city’s most popular dining spots and the perfect place to relax and indulge in the ultimate comfort food.
Here are a few of the restaurant’s favourite Indian and Pakistani curries from their extensive menu.
Butter Chicken
Originating in Delhi, Butter Chicken is a dish that our much-loved anglicised Chicken Tikka Masala evolved from. It’s Zouk’s most popular curry and they sell more Butter Chicken than any other dish on the menu. Like Chicken Tikka Masala this dish features char-grilled Chicken Tikka and a creamy tomato masala.
However, the sauce as the name suggests is slightly more buttery and includes honey, mild spices and ground cashew nuts. Be warned though it’s incredibly moreish!
Lamb Nihari
Zouk’s signature dish is their famous Lamb Nihari. Although it’s found more often on restaurant menus these days, it’s still rare to find an authentically cooked version of this delicious dish.
Generous portions of lamb fillet are slowly cooked in a stock that takes six hours to make. Its rich and gelatinous texture comes from the lamb bones used to make the stock.
The result is a gravy so rich in flavour you won’t want to share it! Zouk’s Lamb Nihari is served with a spice tray of fresh ginger, green chilli, fried onions, coriander, garam masala and lemon. Diners are advised to sprinkle on these additions to bring out all the flavours. It’s best eaten with a garlic naan for mopping up the juices.
Goan Fish Curry
If you have ever been to Goa, then you’ll know the long-haul flight is almost worth it for this dish alone! Fortunately, you can skip the flight and dig into it any time at Zouk.
Added to the menu because it is the owner Tayub’s favourite dish, this is one for seafood lovers to enjoy. It’s a warming aromatic curry with coconut, mustard and curry leaves. Although the fish can vary at Zouk they use delicious haddock that melts in the mouth with each bite.
Karahi
If you fancy a simple classic curry full of flavour Zouk’s karahis are hard to beat. Available in lamb or chicken this speciality hails from the North West region of Pakistan. You can order your karahi in medium or hot heat and the chefs will prepare it in sizzling woks in the restaurant’s theatre-style kitchen.
Lamb Shank Biryani
Almost as famed for their biryanis as the karahis’, this is another classic Zouk dish. The restaurant offers five different biryanis from chicken and lamb to vegetable and king prawn.
The Lamb Shank Biryani, however, is a bit of a showstopper. This generous dish is as satisfying to each as it is to look at. Served with a raita and naan bread crust it’s worth a try if you like rice dishes. Zouk cooks its biryanis in the traditional Sindhi style with layers of spices and fried onions infusing the meat and the rice.
King Prawn and Coconut Curry
A dish that just makes you feel happy. This is the restaurant’s best-selling seafood dish and it’s easy to see why. Large juicy king prawns are cooked in a sizzling creamy sauce of coconut, cream and spices. The result is a curry you will devour and it is perfect teamed with a simple basmati rice or mopped up with a pillowy tandoori roti.
Mutter Paneer
Zouk has a terrific selection of veggie and vegan dishes on the menu with over 10 main courses to choose from. One of the best veggie dishes on offer is their authentic mutter paneer. Indian paneer cheese cooked in a spicy tomato masala with peas. It’s a classic dish done well and like all the veggie and vegan curries is also available as a side dish.
Lunch Tiffin Delivery
If you can’t wait until the end of the day Zouk now offers a lunchtime delivery service of their popular tiffin. Based on the famous tiffin of Deli and Mumbai, the Zouk tiffin is an essential stainless-steel lunch box with four layers of delicious Indian food.
Every day there are meat, veggie and vegan tiffins to choose from and each tiffin costs £15. The tiffin box will contain a starter such as a samosa or bhaji, two different curries, pilau or boiled rice, salad and a roti. It’s tasty and filling and the menu changes every day. You can order your tiffin on their website, and it is delivered at your chosen time slot by e-trike.
At the end of the working day, their driver will collect your empty tiffins at a pre-arranged time and take them back to the restaurant to be washed and reused. It’s a great alternative to sandwiches for a team lunch and there’s no packaging or waste so it’s good for the environment too. Check their order page for more info and daily menus.
Al fresco dining
If you are choosing to dine with summer around the corner, their fabulous outdoor terrace is worth mentioning. It’s open daily from 8am to midnight for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just coffee and cake. The terrace is an oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Road. Adorned with flowers and fairy lights it looks sensational both day and night.
This being Manchester you don’t need to worry too much about getting caught in the rain. The Zouk terrace has an electric roof that is quickly put in place when the inevitable Manchester showers arrive. It also has heaters and blankets for when the temperature drops in the evening.
Get in touch
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill is based at The Quadrangle, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5QS, telephone 0161 2331 090 or visit the website here.
