Zafran - Dubai Marina Mall

[caption id="attachment_4716" align="alignnone" width="660"] Zafran's Times of Delhi menu[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4731" align="alignnone" width="660"] Desserts at Zafran[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4733" align="alignnone" width="660"] Me with zafran team[/caption]

The first time I bumped into Zafran was at Mirdiff City Center and remember having their mutton biriyani(which tasted better than their chicken) since then I wanted to come back a second time to try a wider range of their menu. They seem to have launched an additional menu this time called TIMES OF DELHI which mainly composes of famous Indian snacks or lets say street food which you would normally find in metropolitan cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta.

[caption id="attachment_4732" align="alignnone" width="470"] views from Zafran restaurant balcony[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4735" align="alignnone" width="470"] Zafran Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4734" align="alignnone" width="470"] Zafran interiors[/caption]

The restaurant was mainly occupied by tourists and Arabs. You can opt to sit inside the restaurant or outside in their balcony with beautiful views of Dubai Marina. The heat is actually building up so I noticed people prefer to sit inside the restaurant during afternoons.

[caption id="attachment_4719" align="alignnone" width="470"] Drinks - dhs 22 - From left: Mango Lassi - dhs 22, watermelon and mint smash, Berrylicious(mixed berries, yoghurt, ice cream and strawberry syrup)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4718" align="alignnone" width="660"] On the house - pappads and pickles[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4717" align="alignnone" width="660"] Dal Shorba - Dhs 28 - lentil soup, lemon, coriander and toasted cumin[/caption]

We had a nice start to our lunch with a fine Dal Shorba soup and their berrylicious drink(mixed berries, yoghurt, ice cream and strawberry syrup) was a mesmerizing one. Actually the frozen berrylicious got better with time as opposed to Mango Lassi which was better tasting in the beginning than at the end. I didn't find anything special about the watermelon smash except watermelon. For the same price, their Berrylicious is a clear winner to me.

[caption id="attachment_4721" align="alignnone" width="660"] Pao Bhaji - Dhs 21 - Mashed vegetables cooked with onion, tomatoes and butter, served with Pao[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4720" align="alignnone" width="660"] Dahi bhalla katori - dhs 24 - combination of savory crisp, stuffed with a punjabi lentil dumpling[/caption]

The two items above are from their newly launched Times of Delhi menu. I've had these before from other restaurants but these were one level up in taste. Specially the Dahi Bhalla Katori which came so pretty that you would just stare at it before you dive into it. What's hidden behind the white yoghurt and green chutney is our well known vada. Both Dahi bhalla katori as well as the Pao bhaji has been very satisfying from quality and taste perspective.

[caption id="attachment_4722" align="alignnone" width="660"] Mixed Grill with seafood - Dhs 120 - Murgh malai tikka, chicken tikka, rampuri seekh kebab and tandoori prawns[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4723" align="alignnone" width="660"] Mixed Grill with seafood - Dhs 120 - Murgh malai tikka, chicken tikka, rampuri seekh kebab and tandoori prawns[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4724" align="alignnone" width="660"] Mixed Grill with seafood - Dhs 120 - Murgh malai tikka, chicken tikka, rampuri seekh kebab and tandoori prawns[/caption]

I hear this sizzling sound behind me and that's when I see Mixed grill has arrived at our table :D Some were really spicy like their seekh kebab and their prawns which were thick and juicy were my favourites. I felt their chickens found in the grills could have been better, it wasn't as supple and soft as like the ones you find at Gazebo.

[caption id="attachment_4727" align="alignnone" width="470"] Curries - Dhs 59 each - Butter chicken and Lal Maas (mutton)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4728" align="alignnone" width="660"] A mix of Roti - Garlic Naan, stuffed kulcha(paneer), Paratha[/caption]

If you are a butter chicken fan then you should definitely come here to try this curry. It's one of the best butter chicken curries I've had. Infact they have a secret to it, they add honey to their butter chicken. Didn't have anything to complain about their mutton curry as well. Actually I enjoyed their mutton pieces found in Lal Maas than the chickens found in their butter chicken. But from the curry perspective, butter chicken was better than the two. We tried a mix of their Roti and they've been fine and crisp.

[caption id="attachment_4730" align="alignnone" width="660"] Kulfi Falooda - Dhs 22[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4729" align="alignnone" width="660"] Dessert platter - Dhs 36 - strawberries, gajar halwa, rasmalai, gulab jamun, kulfi with saffron and pistachio[/caption]

The Dessert platter is the way to go. Some of the best indian desserts in one plate. I doubt if that strawberry stood any chance next to those indian desserts. Their Gulab Jamun is one of the best I've had. The milk in the rasmalai could have been thicker. For the kulfi part, I actually enjoyed the malai kufi found in the kulfi falooda than the saffron and pistachio kulfi in the dessert platter. The kulfi falooda was surely attractive, but I felt it needed a little more content to call it a Falooda. If you've tried the Kulfi Falooda at Bikanervala you know what I am talking about. You can click here to see it.

To see pictures in full screen view, click on pictures below:

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