New Andheri eatery offers an interesting mix of various cuisines

The newly-opened eatery offers good food but the cocktails leave a lot to be desired

Zouk
Food: Mixed
Service: Regular
Ambiance: Dingy

When we first entered Zouk, its vibe that bordered on the shady, put us off a bit (a loud private party on in another section just added to it). The menu, however, beckoned us to stay back and place our orders.

Schezuan Garlic Fish

Their molecular cocktails immediately caught our attention (think Kahlua-infused rice crisps and molecular lemon spaghetti). Sadly, these weren’t available yet. Instead, we opted for their other special, Vodka Infusions (Rs 240 for 30 ml, all prices exclusive of taxes), which was ‘exotic’ flavour-infused vodka. We ordered for an Indian Exotic, which had a strong flavour of anise and made for a nice change.

Diavola pizza

Michelada (Rs 249) was another great cocktail (beer-based) which was tasty, though it ideally could have been served in a bigger glass (our drink spilled when the attendant put an upside down pint). The other two cocktails, Lethal Bowl ('649, serves two) and Tiki Bandit (Rs 349) were a syrupy-sweet mix, though with no strong character.

Michelada was a tasty beer cocktail

The food elevated our spirits again; the best was the Schezuan Garlic Fish (Rs 299), which made for a spicy companion to our beer cocktail; its portions were generous too. The Bucket of Fries (Rs 199) was a smart idea and included three different types of fries (one battered, two with different herbs) served with three dips. The pizza, Diavola (Rs 319), was likeable too; it came topped with pickled jalapenos, grilled chicken, chillies, olives and peppers.

With an interesting menu that is a mix of various types of cuisines (spanning Vegetable Kolhapuri and Tequila Flambé Prawns) and an extensive alcohol menu, Zouk needs to rev up its molecular cocktails section on the menu, and soon, and also pay more attention to the execution of its cocktails. Get those right, and we’ll be ready to ignore its shady ambiance.

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