It’s a quaint little dining place, nestled in the restaurant and café zone along the famous ‘gheri’ route of Chandigarh in Sector 10, which has won the love and admiration of the food lovers of the tricity for its modernistic-traditional cuisine.
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Within a year of opening on the first floor of the inner market, opposite the iconic government-owned Mountview Hotel, ZINNIA – abstract dining, run in a partnership by international hospitality professionals, has built a reputation for itself rivalling any of the long existing popular premium restaurants. A 4.7 rating with more than 200 reviews on Google is no mean achievement in this short a span of time.
A vast majority of walk-ins at this place, with a seating capacity of 30-35 in both indoor and glass-covered outdoor settings, are repeat visitors who enjoy its plush and pleasing interiors, amazing food and warm and personalised hospitality of its staff.
For a restaurant this size, ZINNIA surprisingly has a disproportionately large staff, both in the kitchen as well as in service of guests, all conditioned to focus on every detail to ensure that the overall experience of guests does not get compromised at any time.
With the restaurant-café set to celebrate the completion of one full year of amazing response from patrons and guests on August 14, your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com, on the invitation of Chef Jatin, the creative force behind the culinary experiences at ZINNIA, and its Managing Partner Varun Zinta, visited the place a few days prior to check it out.
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In the interaction, during which various signature items from different sections of their menu were served to us, the two gentlemen came across as very knowledgeable, skilful and passionate professionals, out to wow guests with every aspect of hospitality.
So, they enthusiastically touched upon the welcoming interiors, to focussing zealously on detailing, quality and taste of all offering on their menu, to utmost care being taken to ensure that the serving staff is attentive, warm, and efficient in their dealings with the guests.
“Both of us are around all the time to make sure that right from procurement of ingredients to the preparation in the kitchen to service at the table, there is not an iota of difference between promise and delivery,” Jatin and Varun shared with apparent honesty.
They returned to the country after serving with top hospitality brands for a good 6-7 years in Canada, and together with a techie-turned-hotelier Vaibhav, they launched ZINNIA in a partnership.
Small compact menu
As with its seating area, the restaurant-café has a small compact menu of some 50 items divided in sections like hot and cold beverages, veg and non-veg fusion appetizers, pizzas, pastas, traditional Indian street foods with a modern twist, traditional cuisine in main course offerings and awesome desserts.
In the words of the promoters, “ZINNIA is all about culinary sophistication in sync with Chandigarh’s quest for refined dining. With a penchant for culinary art, we reimagine Indian cuisine, infusing creativity into tradition. You will find a different element in every menu, which we keep changing every now and then to maintain the excitement around it.”
One special feature of dining here is that as soon as you settle down around a table, each guest is warmly welcomed with a mouth-watering complimentary single-bite appetiser, which will be different on most of your visits.
Coming to section-wise menu, ZINNIA offers some very refreshing mocktails like Cactus & Cucumber and Passion Fruit spitzers with vibrant colours to bold flavours; and Mango & Turmeric and Gooseberry, Mulberry & Strawberry combuchas (with no added sugar).
In the beverage section, they also serve a variety of hot and cold coffees and teas, and fresh cold-pressed juices.
Also served are pizzas and pastas, and a rich variety of fusion appetizers, including modernized street food menus, catering to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
The appetizers we relished
We had delightful taste of Charcoal & Chevre kebab, made from goat cheese and served with cranberry chutney, and Mushroom Galauti, which had mushroom paté and onion jam sandwiched in truffled pao fried in butter. Mumbai Chilli Cheese Kulcha is also a must have.
In non-veg appetizers, Butter Chicken with chironji, Marzano makhani and fenugreek is a fovourite with the guests. With a blend of light, crispy batter and succulent prawn goodness, Tempura Fried Prawns promise an unforgettable culinary experience.
Main course
Turning to main course menu, Cranberry Kofta featuring toasted almond sauce, cottage cheese and cranberry; Paneer Khurchan with bell peppers and onion-tomato masala; and Wild Mushroom Do Pyaza, a dish prepared with assorted wild mushrooms from the hills of Himachal Pradesh cooked in onion-tomato masala are ZINNIA’s star offerings.
Among non-veg dishes Mutton Pepper Fry (featuring tender mutton cooked in a robust curry leaf, coconut, and black pepper masala, with a touch of tamarind for a delightful tang); Lamb Shank Nihari, with nihari sauce and fried onions; and Chicken and Mutton biryanis stand out in the menu. Gucchi Palao made with gucchi mushrooms is another attraction.
Every dining experience is incomplete without a dessert. So, the irresistible desserts on offer at this place are the Chocolate Flower Pot & Aam Ras, which is cake soaked in delicious mango rabri. Ya, you got it right, mango rabri!
So, if someone was to ask us how best to describe ZINNIA – abstract dining, we would say “Where flavours come alive!”
