3 course Banquet at Zaika for £15.95

Zaika brings another great curry house to Manchester. Situated in the Great Northern Tower next door to the champagne bar Epernay it’s all creams and browns, well lit and leathery. The staff are first rate, knowledgeable and cheerful, even more so now they have been joined by Nisar Khan of Shimla Pinks.

Everyone will come away from this 3 course banquet with a smile on their face.

Gordo rates fish courses as the best in town; he also likes dishes that have been around a while and is a sucker for onion bhajis, much to the disdain of his best pal and colleague of over thirty years, Yousaf. Gordo tells us he thinks the bhajis here beat the pants off everywhere else. For the uninitiated they are balls of fried onions, the size of tangerines, which sing when dribbled with mint and yoghurt raita.

Which is why Yousaf has had the team build them into the menu’s of April’s Strictly Confidential Indian offering. The full menus are below – vegetarian and non-veg options – designed by Yousaf who knows a thing or two about the sub-continents cooking:

“Zaika is very Raj in its outlook to cooking. Flavours, rather than simply heat, dominate here with an experience that can suit part of a night out which ends with a good curry or a very formal dinner which lasts all night. I think everyone will come away from this 3 course banquet with a smile on their face. Rusholme this is not, it’s a great find. The price point, £15.95 a head, is a bargain”

Non-Vegetarian Banquet Menu
£15.95 for all of the below

.oO Savouries Oo.

Poppadoms
Served with mint sauce, mango chutney, spiced onions & coriander dip

.oO Starters Oo.

Onion Bhaji
Spanish onions finely shredded, mixed with herbs spices & gram flour. Deep fried & served with a fresh green salad

Chicken Tikka
Boneless chicken marinated in our special spices & herbs. Cooked in a clay oven

Sheekh Kebab
The traditional sheekh of lamb mince with the singing flavours of coriander, tomatoes, mint and spring onions, creating an extraordinary play of tastes

Spicy chicken wings
Chicken wings marinated in delicate Indian spices & char grilled in the tandoor

Fish Tikka
Bite sized pieces of fresh fish marinated in mild Indian spices & cooked on a charcoal grill.

Chicken samosa
A light pastry filled with diced chicken, onions & fresh Indian herbs. Served with a fresh green salad.

.oO Mains Oo.

Chicken Do Piazza
A thick curry cooked with freshly ground spices, tomatoes & coriander & an abundance of fried onions.

Lamb Jalfrezi
Spring lamb prepared with fresh ginger, green chillies & chopped coriander leaves

Chooza Makhani
Tandoor grilled tikka of chicken, simmered in a satin smooth tomato gravy

Saag gosht
Spring lamb cooked with fresh spinach & whole Indian spices

Karahi Fish
Fresh cod cooked with Indian spices & a touch of lime juice

Naan
Classical Indian bread cooked in the tandoor

Pilau rice
Aromatic basmati rice cooked on Dum

Available Monday to Sunday, 6pm – 9.30pm, for the whole month of April