The Middle Eastern hookah fuses with Desi Chinese at Byculla's family lounge, Zaitoon

The Middle Eastern hookah fuses with Desi Chinese at Byculla's family lounge, Zaitoon

Back in 1775, when British memoirist William Hickey asked his aristocratic hosts if it was necessary for him to smoke a hookah, to enjoy their company he was promptly informed that it was "impossible to get on without it." In his memoirs, Hickey also noted how he had "frequently heard men declare that they would much rather be deprived of their dinner than their hookah." Thankfully, with hookah lounges like Zaitoon these days, one is not deprived of a good meal or an exotic hookah.

The lounge-cum-restaurant is hidden behind an old BEST bus stop on Byculla's Claire Road. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant overflows to the footpath, where waiters line up to get their hookahs readied. Inside, as expected, a cloud of smoke hovers above every table. But also, quite unexpectedly, a family occupies almost every table. We occupied a table in the more cramped restaurant section. There is also a lounge section used only for parties and big groups on the mezzanine floor.

Unlike most hookah joints that serve rich Middle Eastern or North Indian cuisine along with hookahs, the menu at Zaitoon includes Chinese fare. It's a combination that patrons seem to have taken to considering the full occupancy at the restaurant. When it was our turn to place the order we decided to miss the hookah and concentrate on the food.

We ordered the Zaitoon Special Chicken (Rs 150) and Kum Pao Potato (Rs 110) as starters with Lemon Iced Tea (Rs 65) and Fruit Punch (Rs 75). For the main course, we ordered Fried Rice (Rs 115) with Veg Exotic Sauce (Rs 160). The Zaitoon Special had just the right kind of spice for a starter while the Kum Pao Potato was delightfully crunchy. The Lemon Iced Tea was nothing to write home about (it was our back up in case the Fruit Punch disappointed). The Fruit Punch, thankfully, didn't. In fact, it was quite refreshing. The veg gravy that was part of the main course wasn't exactly 'exotic' but it was okay. Thought the Fried Rice needed some serious salvaging.

A tad let down by the main course we decided to try the dessert on offer. None of the interesting sounding desserts were available so we settled for the Sizzling Brownie (Rs 120), which was appropriately gooey and mood enhancing. With hits and misses pretty much balanced out we might visit Zaitoon again. You should too, if you're in the area.

At Readymoney Compound, opposite Celejor Cake Shop, Claire Road, Byculla (W).
CALL 64465799 timing: 11 am to 4 pm; 7 pm to 1.30 am
Zaitoon didn't know we were there. THE GUIDE reviews and pays anonymously for meals