Zora – A New Age Masterpiece Zora is quite simply put, a labor of love. Joravar and Priyanka, with extreme passion and love, have come up with this magnum opus and it shows in every minute detail. An immediate princely yet homely feeling transports you back into the days of the Rajas and Maharajas who serenaded their guests in luxury. The use of the warm lighting, the artefacts that dot the walls, the cosy corners in the alfresco area; everything smacks of perfection. So when #TheBTeam was called over for an exclusive tasting of a special curated menu, our excitement bubbled over. For the first time since the formation, the entire team was present for a tasting – that is the power of Zora!! #TheBTeamExclusive For the first time, our focus was more on the food rather than the drinks. [The fact that it was a dry day, helped in shifting our focus!! :-P] Soups and Shorbas Steamed Kheema Wanton Soup with Lavash Bark [Rs. 225] – Presentation was quite pretty, nice glisten to the soup and amazing flavors of the kheema. The Lavash bark was presented in a pot with dry ice. [Gotta add some theater!!] #DeliciousDelicious Palak Dhaniya & Couscous Shorba with Garlic Buttered Brun [Rs. 225] – Absolutely fantastic flavors of the shorba, a perfect balance of the spinach and couscous. The accompaniment of the brun was delicious as well #YumYum #HighlyRecommended Salads Peanut Chaat Salad in kasundi dressing [Rs. 275] – Overall some nice flavors to the salad with strong undercurrent of the Bengali mustard coming through. Although felt it more like a chakna to go with your drink rather than a salad. But seriously delicious nonetheless. Stir Fried Kali Mirch Fish in creamy kadi patta dressing [Rs. 295] – Impeccably cooked fish. Loved the flavors of the curry leaves throughout the dish, slightly bitterish tones which elevated the dish to the next level of flavors. #DeliciousDelicious To Begin – Vegetarian Badami Yogurt Kebab with chatpatta imli saunt [Rs. 295] – Have you ever imagined eating a cloud in the sky? How do you imagine it would be like – effortless and silken smooth, wouldn’t it? That is the exact feeling we got when we bit into the kebab. Creamy and delicious with the perfect khatta-meetha balance of the saunt. #YumYum #HighlyRecommended Mushroom & Cheese Bharwan Mirchi with sweet chili sauce [Rs. 295] – These were long green peppers stuffed with a mince of mushroom and cheese. Very beautifully presented and a nice mushroomy and cheesy flavors complementing the chili sauce. Tandoori Broccoli with aampapad chutney [Rs. 295] – There is something quite unique about this place, a place which not only emphasizes on the main dishes but even stresses on the accompaniments too being absolutely bang-on in flavors. Looooooved the chutney, simply finger lickin’. And a perfect combination to the creamy and tandoored broccoli. To Begin – Non Vegetarian Bhut Jholakia Tandoori Murgh with cilantro foam [Rs. 345] – This is one dish you need to watch out for on the menu. And if you can handle a ton of heat [unlike me], it is highly recommended. Prepared with just a teeny dash of the ghost chili paste, the chicken was perfectly cooked in the tandoor and had the heat of the chili throughout. The cilantro foam did try to give some respite from the heat. #HotHot Amritsari Bombil with mango chili chutney [Rs. 395] – Once again, the chutney shone through for me. A perfect balance of the sweet and spicy, the chutney was lapped up in seconds. The fish too was nicely cooked and very tender. #DeliciousDelicious Indian Spiced Lamb Chops with red bell pepper achaar [Rs. 495] – Nice generous lamb chops with a good rub of the Indian spices which afforded some nice flavors through. The palette cleanser between courses too came with its own theater. A small dollop of mint sorbet in a soup spoon hung over a glass of dry ice fumes certainly made for a good picture. The Main Meal Cottage Cheese Pinwheels in Sichuan gravy with kaffir lime butter rice [Rs. 375] – Nicely cooked tender rolled strips of cottage cheese served in some Sichuan gravy. Loved the flavors of the kaffir lime herbed rice. Tawa Subz Fondue with cheese garlic naan and crusty bread [Rs. 375] – An amazing dish on its own day however served with the other dishes on the menu for the night, it was relegated to the side lines. Sukha Tawa Chicken Masala with buttermilk waffles [Rs. 395] – To be honest, I agreed to try the dish only for the waffles which has been making its own waves on social media. And rightly so. Such a perfect combination of a soft yet crispy textures. Absolutely delicious, this can be consumed by itself. And yeah, the chicken is a good accompaniment to the waffles. #DeliciousDelicious Matka Butter Chicken Lasagna with crusty masala naan [Rs. 395] – Not really a big fan of non-vegetarian lasagnas but having enjoyed some delectable matka chicken elsewhere, I was really intrigued by this combination. And boy, was I in for a surprise. By far, the best matka chicken and by far, the best chicken lasagna. Hands down the dish of the night!!! #DeliciousDelicious #HighlyRecommended Parampara Chicken Dal Khichdi [Rs. 395] – A surprising dish for me, who has always associated the ubiquitous dal khichdi as the ultimate vegetarian comfort food. And Zora has managed to retain the feeling of comfort in the dish and yet managed to marry chicken chunks with it so effortlessly. Yumminess to the core, yumminess in every bite. #YumYum #HighlyRecommended The Finale – Desserts Chocolate Puri with bachpan ki yaadein [Rs. 345] – served with butterscotch sauce, chocolate sauce and accompanied with nutties and popping candy as the stuffing. Such an apt name for a dish which comprises of all those things which made our childhood so memorable. Chocolate coated puris which taste heavenly by itself but even better when had with the nutties and candy stuffed inside and with a dollop of the sauces added on top. Total sugar rush, total happiness! #DeliciousDelicious Dark Chocolate Gulab Jamun Tart with tender coconut ice cream and caramel splat [Rs. 345] – The gulab jamun was nicely prepared however the tart itself was a little too hard. The coconut ice cream was a good complement to the tart. Old Monk Chocolate Cake with brandy schnapps and malai vanilla ice cream [Rs. 345] – This was an “a-maaaaaay-zing” serving of choco-heaven. Generously drenched in old monk, this cake was simply sinful. The malai vanilla ice cream was a unique twist to the classic which worked well with the cake. #YumYum #HighlyRecommended Drinks We were also served some mocktails which went very well with our dishes. And like the progressive food, the drinks at Zora are progressive as well – every drink can be made as a cocktail as well as a mocktail so one can enjoy the flavors with or without the hit of alcohol! Extremely well-mannered staff who are equally knowledgeable headed by the fantastic captain who acquiesced to our every whim and fancy and the talented and passionate duo of Joravar and Priyanka Sachdev who were quite literally involved in everything from prep to presentation to serving, Zora has one kickass team who can cater to any and every request of the demanding guests. Destined to change the culinary skyline of Pune, Zora is one star that is burning fiercely bright. A big shout out to Joravar Sachdev for inviting and hosting us. Zora is located at Ishanya Mall, Yerwada. Disclaimer: The invite was for a complimentary food tasting event. This review is a narrative of my experience at the event. The views expressed in this review are solely mine and others are more than welcome to agree or disagree with the same. The review is in no way influenced either personally or commercially nor has it been lifted, copied or plagiarized from any source however I have done my due diligence on the event via publicly available information on the internet and as shared by the client/PR agency. All rights reserved.