Sitting pretty at a prime location on the Golf course, Olive Roots by Zizo (formerly known as the Lebanese fare serving Zizo) in an effort to widen their customer base and diversify their portfolio is now a multi cuisine restaurant including dishes of an Indian and Continental variety. The interiors are bright, clean and comfortable. I was happy to see that the jars of pickled vegetables with a fez or two (traditional Turkish hats) are still a part of the new décor.
We commenced our meal with the Trio Hummus (three varieties of hummus – traditional, basil and spicy served with pita bread) and Hummus Ras as four (traditional hummus served with chicken tossed in pomegranate sauce). If it were left to us, my dining partner and I would’ve been blissfully content eating only these two starters and calling it a day! The basil hummus was refreshing and the much credit to the Chef for taking the traditional approach of using pomegranate molasses to retain authenticity.
I would like to take a moment to pay homage to the consistently perfect pita breads that landed like mini hot air balloons on our table every single time. Nostalgia sweeps over as I remember my Mum serving us rotis straight off the tava and my sister and I gingerly poking them to let the hot air out! The pita breads are baked in a large open dual burner oven and feel free to catch a live demo.
We also had the Pushed Prawn Salad (prawns with lettuce mix, cucumber cherry tomatoes, spring onion, chives, lemon and olive oil), Mix Sliders (lamb, chicken and fish sliders with mix sauces), Shish Tawok (chicken breast marinated with lemon, garlic , grilled tomato, onion and chilli). The salad was fresh, crisp, delicately flavoured and light. The Shish Tawok was well flavoured but I prefer my meat a bit more tender and moist. The chicken and lamb sliders were not up to mark either. The meats were dry and hard. Fortunately, the fish slider was as it should be, succulent and tasty. Our accompanying beverages, Watermelon Delight and Hard-pressed Mint Lemonade were cool and revitalizing.
For dessert we chose Cheese Kunafa (homemade cheese pastry with orange blossom syrup) and Muhalabiyah (creamy milk consisting of orange blossom eater, fresh berries along with nuts). The former is an indulgent and generous portion of baked cheesy goodness and the latter is a light and fragrant milk pudding. Excellent in taste and presentation, we ended our meal on a sweet high.
Although I didn’t get to try any of the Indian fare, I feel it’s safe to say that Olive Roots’s area of expertise is their Middle Eastern cuisine. In fact they excel in it and I would love to see more diversity in that genre. New name, new menu also means new deals! They have some wonderful deals including a lunchtime extravaganza that includes one starter, one main course and one dessert for only Rs. 399 plus taxes! Suddenly mundane corporate lunches are looking exciting! Do pop over for a visit and see for yourself.
PS: Don’t forget to avail 20% discount on your alacarte bill (including alcohol) using The Big F Club Membership.
Ratings (Out of 5)
Food: 3.0 | Ambience: 3.5 (half point deducted because of flies that came in absence of air curtain | Service: 4.0 | Overall: 3.5
Meal for two: Rs1200 | Credit Card: Yes | Alcohol: Yes | Wheel Chair Friendly: Yes
Address: Shop Number 1, Ground Floor, Palm Spring Plaza, MGF Building, Sector 54, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon | Phone: 8527588222
