One more Mughal

And we hope Zaffarani Zaika's first outlet in town is the last!

And we hope Zaffarani Zaika's first outlet in town is the last!

You can get away with just about everything in Dilli, except of course, serving mediocre Mughal fare. The erstwhile Shahjahanabad can't stand that, but we guess the guys at Zaffarani Zaika forgot. A meal at this new Mughlai joint not only disappoints, but also makes you regret walking in at the first place. Other nibble scribbles
follow.



Food
Usual Mughlai suspects like biryani, kofta and korma feature on the menu. Plus, a wholesome variety of kebabs with an assortment of chutneys are available here, but nothing to write home about. To start, vegetarians can order paneer pasanda (Rs 275) and Kandhari subz kebab, while non-vegetarians can opt for murgh parcha kebab (Rs 375), Zaffarani murgh malai kebab (Rs 350) or seekh boti kebab (Rs 375). The khasta sticks play fillers. For the main course, we tried the vegetable biryani (Rs 375) and the Hyderabadi gosht biryani (Rs 475).
u00a0
Average. Our next pick, daal Zaffarani zaika (Rs 275) was so-so, and even the Dilli ka korma (Rs 425) didn't have a distinctly capital-istic flavour. You can also opt for dum ka murgh (Rs 425) or gosht beli ram (Rs 425), while vegans can club ultey tawe ka parantha (Rs 65), khasta roti (Rs 65) and rogin roti (Rs 70) with paneer makhni (Rs 350) and khubani bhare kofte (Rs 375). In sweet nothings (pun intended), try Zaffarani phirnee (Rs 150 each), badaam chaney ki kheer, kulfi andu00a0 last but the best, shahi gulab jamun.

Biryani	Kebab
Seekh boti kebab

Drinks
There're juices, aerated beverages (Rs 90 each), iced tea (Rs 75) and sherbets. Yes, a variety of wines,u00a0 vermouth, cognac, single malt whisky and a range of imported and Indian alcoholic drinks, too. The cocktails (Rs 350 each) like the masala vodka, lychee martini and trance aren't too bad. Reason: they aren't Mughlai! Mocktails in store (Rs 150 each) include mango passion, Italian fantasy and fatal attraction. Ignore the last bit.
Ambience
Don't expect ethnic decor; you'll experience urban vibes amid sparkling white parapets and sapphire blue seating highlighted with a mix of bright pink, blue, green and yellow. The music is soothing enough to cool your temper, as you wait endlessly for the food to arrive. The staff tries to be extra friendly, which at times gets on to the nerves. There's no need to reserve a table in advance, the place is mostly empty. And so's our scoreboard.