Where taste is served with style

Food fest

Situated in the heart of the city, Zerruco at Hotel Ashok is a perfect example of being opulent, yet subtle and of course, flavoursome. Spread across 7,000 square feet, the place known for its continental and Mediterranean food, has a beautiful al fresco dining space, but thanks to the humid weather, we were forced to opt for the air conditioned indoor.

A quick read through their menu and introductions from their manager and chef gave us a fair idea about the brainchild of Aashish Begwani and Sourabh Chandna, which opened its door to public in 2013. And after two years of operation, they recently launched a new menu which we were eager to taste. So without wasting any more minutes, we placed our first order — the drinks — ‘Gentleman’ (a mix of whiskey, lemongrass, maple syrup and Angostura bitters); ‘The Axe’ (tequila, coriander, honey, pineapple, Angostura bitters and Martini Rosso); and ‘Bourbon Berry’ (a concoction of Bourbon whiskey, Cointreau, raspberry and lemon).

Each drink was refreshing and was bursting with flavours which were beautifully blended. We especially loved ‘Gentleman’ because of the lemongrass essence it had. Such a wonderful start made us look forward to our food, and soon we were served with the ‘Beetroot Goat Cheese Salad with Caramalised Walnuts’. Sprinkled with rocket leaves, the salad was as beautiful and healthy as it could get. The walnuts and accompanying soup sticks added the perfect crunch to the salad and instantly brought a smile on our faces.

Next in line was ‘Lebanese Chicken Shawarma with pickled vegetables’. The perfectly cooked garlicky chicken rolled into fresh pita breads was a riot of flavours. Fresh, with perfect seasoning, the Middle Eastern dish, which was served along with hung curd as dip, was a winner. We were then suggested to try ‘Calzone Etna’, and we were blown away by the recommendation.

The oven-baked folded pizza came in loaded with Ricotta cheese, spinach, Mozzarella and Parmesan. Big in portion, the calzone was served with a side salad, which balanced the dish. We took our sweet time to savour the cheese-oozing bag of flavours (literally), before we dug our spoons into ‘Prawn Valencia Paella’. Served with a scoop of garlic aioli, the Spanish rice-dish, which was flavoured with saffron and smoked paprika, had a hearty topping of perfectly-cooked prawns.

We also tasted the ‘Chef Special Non-Veg Mezze Platter’ which was a serving of various meaty delights along with five to six dips including hummus, tzatziki and baba ganoush served with pita pockets. It was an interesting assortment of flavours, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Finally, sticking to our rulebook, we reserved the best for the last because the ‘Chocolate Marquise with Mascarpone Cheese’ could have had no competition. Having 70 per cent cocoa, the rich chocolate dessert just melted in our mouths, leaving us with a lingering taste and a sweet memory of the place.