BACKGROUND

Inspired from the Persian word for gold – Zarin, the Indo-Persian restaurant at the Fairmont Jaipur adds drama and flair through its delectable cuisine and flavours from across the Mediterranean Seas, from Morocco to Lebanon and from Turkey to Greece.

WHERE IS IT

Zarin is located on the lobby level of Fairmont Jaipur, the first luxury property of the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in India.

THE VENUE

On entering, I was welcomed and seated at the royal couches that pay homage to the hospitality traditions of the royals.  The regal ambience and intricate architecture (in gold) was quite an eye-catcher. Just before I started off my meal, the melodious tunes of the sarangi played in the evening created a lively vibe. I was offered a bowl of scented water, with rose petals to soak my hands.  (Here, in the golden cutlery reminds you of traditional royal celebrations).

THE MENU

While I was enjoying my Tamir Hind, a delectable welcome drink, concocted with Indian berries, figs and dates, I noticed the motif of the royal Indian parrot sitting atop the dining tables bound to the napkins. I was told by a staff member that these are not only the royal mascot of Fairmont Jaipur but also a redolent facet of the royalty of yore, when the kings would bring such stunning artefacts for their queens from their sojourns across the seven seas.

The lavish menu offers its guests authentic dishes from Indo- Mediterranean cuisine. On the menu, is the specially curated vegetarian Mezze Platter that includes the hearty hummus and Shankhleesh from the homes of Lebanon and Syria and the renowned lagan zara ishtoo, an assorted sweet and sour vegetable preparation from the streets of Istanbul.

I really enjoyed the shorba dijaj soup. With its aromatic chicken with mushroom and vermicelli broth, the soup was quite comforting on a cold Jaipur night. Next up was an interesting selection of appetisers and grills. The Zarin mixed grills is an assortment of charcoal grills including the adana kebab and sheesh tawook, among others. The sheesh tawook comes with chargrilled chicken morsels, bell peppers marinated with garlic sauce and lemon. It was served with house salad and sumac vinaigrette. Seafood lovers can opt for samak makhli – a pan-seared sea fish with Lebanese spices, served with house salad.

For the mains, I had lahm abeera, a slow-cooked cardamom flavoured lamb, which was quite succulent. Moreover, it was caramelised with onions, cashew and chillies, thereby giving it a rich flavour. Zarin’s signature dishes such as lahm barkook, slow-cooked lamb shanks with dried plums and Turkish apricot and Djaj m’ qualli, a braised chicken with preserved lemon, kalamata olives and saffron were offered as well.

For desserts, Executive Chef Prasad Metrani recommended the Sweet from the Heaven plate. It comes with dates and fig mascarpone ice-cream with honey ginger cake and pomegranate coulis. A plethora of desserts from the famed lands, including the B’stilla Au Lait, a Moroccan-French filo pastry inspired from the namesake served at the Diaffa restaurant in Morocco and a Zarin special dessert that is a degustation of the Pistachio baklava from Lebanon and Basbousa from Syria.

VERDICT: For a royal Mediterranean dining experience.

HOURS: For dinner (all days except Tuesday): 7 pm -11:00 pm

CONTACT: Zarin, Fairmont Jaipur, 2, Riico Kukas,
Jaipur, 30310   fairmont.com/jaipur

Ravi Lalwani