another Indian: Zara in Great Shelford; 6 Aug 11

It was a promising start to Saturday: if you can regard a somewhat surreal encounter with the Italian language as promising.

It all began with a the story of a wasp sting. I’d got one on the elbow on Tuesday and so, courtesy of an allergic reaction, I’d had a miserable mid-week but by Saturday was OK again. It transpires that the Italian for wasp is vespa, all well and good and a logical move for our conversation given that we were, as usual, at Don Pasquale, having breakfast. This was confirmed by a splendid feisty Italian lady at the next table. And so, someone asked: ‘what’s a Lambretta?’ ‘Oh that’s a motor scooter’. I guess there’s nothing more to say.

In the evening we went out for dinner. The wife wanted Indian and I wanted a change from the Castle Hill concentration. I also wanted to go a little up market and not simply pay a low price for a formulaic Indian menu.

I consulted Local Secrets (www.localsecrets.com) and found Zara in Great Shelford so we gave it a try. Actually I also thought that there was a discount voucher which I could use but when I printed it off it told me ‘only weekdays’.

Zara snuggles up close to the railway station in Great Shelford (perhaps someone can do similar to the station building in Histon). It’s long and thin and it’s bright, white and cheerful with fresh flowers, linen table cloths and smart cutlery.  And it was full with lots of table turnover and continuous traffic. So far so good. And I wasn’t put off by being spotted by Charlie Nightingale, South Cambs district councillor of the other persuasion, who asked me if I had my passport with me to venture south of Cambridge.

The menu is fine. There’s no getting away from the formulaic bit but there’s plenty of ‘specialties’ and the formulae are largely on the back page. Prices are higher that usual which is a good sign!

The wife had a Pathila Lamb and I had Chicken Jaupuri. We added bhindi (okra) and brinjal (aubergine) bhajee. The mix was good but perhaps not as hot as we claim to prefer. The portions were fine and all washed down with a couple of pints of Mr Kingfisher’s best draft. And for those who’d prefer the grape there’s a decent wine list, not over-expensive and drinkable choices by the glass. The service was good and competent , it generally is in Indian restaurants. The meal was wrapped up with a free kahlua like drink and a mix of mints (After Eights, Imperials and those little ones which get stuck in your teeth), a nice touch.