Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Manchester

It can't be every restaurant that can claim to have had an elephant as one of the star attractions at its opening, but Zouk Manchester did. Alright, so it was a baby elephant and it was on the stage not the menu, just in case anyone gets carried away in reporting this unusual event.

Zouk specialises in the traditional Asian eating experience. Located opposite the BBC building in Chester Street, (off Oxford Road) Manchester it could hardly be in a better position to bring its up to date approach to an ancient and respected cuisine to a wider clientele. And as the saying is - it's BIG! 4.5 thousand square feet big to be precise, which means that some 200 covers can be accommodated using the mezzanine and alfresco options.

Manchester is a boom city, despite current economic world woes at the time of writing, with plenty of heart and a reputation for enjoyment. Zouk's contribution is going to be another cog in the wheel of pleasure in a city where they work and play hard.

A menu of extensive proportions provides opportunities for even the most exacting customer to find what they want. Add to this the use of the sigri charcoal grill (look for the S logo against menu items) and you have healthy eating with flavours fully retained and fats burned off. Many of the main ingredients will not be unfamiliar to diners, but given the distinctive Zouk touch they take on new dimensions.

Starters could include Tandoori haddock, or quail that has been marinated with crushed red chillies, freshly squeezed lemon juice, herbs and spices. The tandoori mixed grill involves chicken imlee, seekh kebab, lamb chops and chicken drumsticks. Chicken livers are cooked on a Tawa Asian griddle after being marinated with crushed chillies, cumin and lemon juice.

Asian food has always been well orientated towards vegetables, long before vegetarianism became an issue, and the paneer tikka, spicy Indian cottage cheese with herbs cooked in tandoor is one of the most attractive starters on the menu.

Cooked in a Kahari bowl from the tandoori foundries of the Khyber Pass, this is Indian cooking in one of its most traditional phases, using lamb, chicken king prawn with plenty of ginger and garlic, crushed peppercorn and cumin seeds. Grilled steak from the sigri grill could be in Arabian form served with a smooth butter, garlic, ginger and parsley sauce, and hand cut Maris Piper potato chips.

Seafood features strongly, and amongst the real delicacies is black cod, from Russia presumably with love, gently grilled with special delicate spices and served in a tasty sauce with rice of choice. Lobster Thermidor is prepared out of the shell, then the whole delicious mix of succulent meat, spices and vegetables goes back into the shell to be covered with cheese and grilled, before serving with a selection of rice and sautéed vegetables - indeed a dish fit for a king.

People of good taste are turning increasingly to a wider interpretation of what drinks complement fine Indian cooking, so whilst King Cobra, Red Storm, freshly squeezed juices and smoothies or laysees, not to mention our own much loved Black Sheep all appear, there is a sensible selection of distinctive wines that are able to blend well with the widely spread flavours of Asian cuisine.

Zouk does not stop at food and drink, so check on their Website for such events as Bollywood Nights or an Asian comedy night. And the elephant? Made it safely back home after a thoroughly enjoyable night out. Magic!