Zima — Restaurant in Mumbai

It was quite late one Friday night during the ramzan month yes so we visited this place just last month to try out something new .. We happened to discover this place as this restaurant was listed amongst the few late night open restaurants. (Pst. Google search)

OK let me correct the timing before I move on .. Time :- Closing hours till 11.30pm only.

Highlight :- () Ambience and () they have a permit for "sheesha" .. Sheesha is officially allowed upto 10.30pm and then you have this place under strict cop vigilance, no joke guys! There was a cop in civil outfit stationed throughout while we were there.

Continuing to reach here ... Location :- This place is conveniently nestled in a cosy residential area .... On your Map - Simply type Zima and follow the route suggested by GPS map.

We reached the place around 11pm and the manager was humble and friendly to accommodate us.

Ambience & Decor : the place is quite huge ... And Loved every bit of the interior and exteriors of this cafe ... Felt like this place was designed very thoughtfully with the space very carefully used choosing subtle colors making the place feel nice cozy and warm .. it's a nice hangout cafe distributed within a beautifully spaced open area - is usually used for those who wish to do Sheesha .. and the inside area too was equally big and appeared spacious and well lit and designed. We loved the outer area better so we found our quiet corner around as we had the entire restaurant to us 😄.

While me and my daughter were waiting for our order to arrive .. this one thing that kept bothering me was -- there was no crowd at all at this place .. despite being conveniently located and being a Friday (weekend) there should have been a decent audience hanging out there atleast for dining. Nevertheless this place is a cute instagrammable location ...

Hospitality : Staff there are good, friendly and warm.

Menu : the menu was depressing as it had more of a breakfast brunch kinda menu .. the menu had very limited lebanese and covered more of a continental menu .. the management needs to work on its menu .. 😕 by adding in more interesting lebanese items

Pricing : Over priced for the portion meal served.

Taste & time taken to serve : we had ordered a quick snacker like filafel wrap and a korean cheese bun ... Time taken to prepare just the two simple dishes .. was easily more than half an hour .. and when the food finally arrived Korean cheese bun seemed just fine .. Filafel wrap 🌯 was too dry and very small in portion .. the filafel tasted fine, however the spread with its salad dressing inside could have been a Lil more generous ... Though it was served with tahini or hummus (I guess), it felt very dry ...

I miss my UAE food 😭 .. in general .. Most of the joints out here portraying they serve lebanese or any taste from the middle east especially Shawarma.. (who uses mayo as a spread in shawarmas .. gimme a break!! Most of our joints are a total disaster when it comes to matching up with its authenticity, flavour, texture and taste .. while the serving portion is not a wee bit close which can still be comprised of the taste is anywhere close!

Hmmm 🤔 so yes we were damn hungry and looking at the food we got ... It was totally disappointing that too after a 40 min wait time.

However, we loved the open space so we hung around a Lil more, the ambience is what pepped us up despite our order...

Best experience of middle eastern delicacies in Bandra!!

We went to this beautiful newly opened place to enjoy some falafel, kebabs and some delicious protein packed mediterranean cuisine! This place is heaven for meat lovers,if you love authentic preparations then this is the place to visit. This was the best experience so far in terms of authenticity! Place has really cool and calm ambience and offers super comfortable seating! Excellent service and follows all the safety protocols. Staff is so polite and welcoming, very well trained! Mr. Sandrol really served us well!

Coming to food! This place serves lip smacking and authentic food preparations! Kitchen head by the internationally known chef Mr. Richard, he makes sure that anything that is served is perfect in taste and presentation! We tried few dishes and fallen in love with this place! By the way this is the perfect place for Dinner Date.

To start, we ordered some refreshing drinks! Desert cooler & Sheikha. Desert cooler, super refreshing watermelon & green apple slush with hints of mint and some sweetness! Perfect drink for summers. Also, it was served in super cool infinity glass which was treat to eyes! Sheikha, a soy milk, watermelon and rooh afza mix topped with some dried rose petals. Something different. Try if you love exploring regional drinks!

For the starters we had Falafel Roll and Cold mezze platter!

Falafel Roll - Rolls are prepared with freshly fried falafel. Yes, I could see that through the glass in their open kitchen! Rolls were loaded with goodness of tangy sauces and was perfectly grilled. Served with pickled veggies and some cherry tomatoes! This is the perfect starter for all my vegetarian friends And obviously for all the falafel lovers too!

Cold mezze platter - Hummus, Tabbouleh, mutabal, baba ghanouj served with some fresh pita breads! Tabbouleh! Prepared with all fresh ingredients, perfectly tangy! I was so delighted with the freshness of veggies used to prepare this one! Hummus, I bet it is one of the best in the town! Omg that texture and consistency, definitely requires years of practice and proficiency to achieve that. First bite and vallah, it satisfies the taste buds!

For the mains we had Zaatar & Cheese Fatayer and my favorite Egyptian Koshary!

Zaatar & Cheese Fatayer, a flat bread that was baked to perfection and was filled with lots of cheese and Zaatar spice blend! I believe I have had this soft bread only at Zima! I have tried this dish at many places but definitely loved it here.

Egyptian Koshary - well, firstly I have bookmarked this place for Koshary! It was absolutely delightful one. Served with tangy Spicy tomato sauces that perfectly cooked rice, believe me rice was so fluffy and flavourful with such a pleasant aroma!

To complete this amazing experience, we ordered the Egyptian Umm Ali! Very well Layered and baked. Loaded with premium pistachio powder and other dry fruits and resins. Melt in mouth pudding with a blast of flavours in each bite! Definitely a must have dessert at this place.

Overall! I would say its a luxurious dining experience. Place specializes in the middle eastern cuisine and definitely serves authentic food. Offers excellent service. We really had a great time dining at...

ZIMA

Good afternoon sweethearts, hope you’re all fine out there, amen!

05th September 2021

It was family time for us 3 sisters with our few family members along with us. Children have grown up and they have ventured out into different branches.

So we went to a restaurant called ZIMA located at Bandra West, just off the main hustle and bustle filled Linking Road. This restaurant serves Lebanese / Moroccan cuisine. The place is quite cosy and warm. The decor and ambiance is good. The food was delicious. We were a group of 7 adults and 2 children.

From the Hummus Bar, we ordered 2 varieties of Hummus with pita bread - Classic Hummus and Hummus Bil Laham, which was delicious. This is a typical and favourite chick peas sauce or paste with sesame seeds and some minced garlic and lemon juice. Uffff, I love this. Although a bit tasteless, but I can and do gorge on this. Hummus Bil Laham should have a little more Laham pieces, which is finely chopped meat pieces.

From the Hot Mezze, we ordered Halloumi cheese sticks, which was nice. These fingers are a type of Cheese mixed with a little mashed potatoes and coated with breadcrumbs and fried to perfection.

From the Grills menu, we ordered Arayes. This is a pita bread variety stuffed with mince meat and served with some hummus as a side dish and some pickled vegetables like cucumbers, carrots and radishes.

Also from the Grill menu, we ordered Kafta Laham = Mince Meat Seekh Kebabs, and some Kafta Dajjaj = Chicken Mince Seekh Kebabs, served with some onion slices with lemon juice and coriander leaves sprinkled on it.

Also, Chillies Minced Meat and Cheese Fatayer, which is an open sandwich type. And very typical Lebanese / Moroccan dish.

For the main course, we ordered a Yemeni Mutton Mandi from the Zima Signature menu. This was fine but not upto the mark it should have been otherwise. This is a rice dish served with some grilled Meat pieces, previously marinated in typical Arabic spices. An ok-ok dish.

We had a few mock-tails like Mint Lemonade, Guava Grass - a Concoction Of Guava, Lemongrass And Elder Flower, and Desert Cooler, which was green apple, mint, watermelon and basil with crushed ice, served in a tubular piped glass. A little too sweet.

And now is the time for Dessert. We ordered Original Milk cake and A Pistachio Milk cake. Great. But the Home Bakery in Dubai, UAE serves THE BEST. It is located at The Galleria near Box Park. I’m drooling right now just remembering it!!!

BUT, personally, I feel Zima restaurant could do with a little underpricing. The ingredients are good and maybe a few imported also, but they can reduce their prices.

One should visit this place for a genuine Lebanese / Moroccan food experience whilst in Mumbai or Bombay as was...