Zullaz adds spice to life

IN many countries some of the best dining spots are hidden from general view. Such is the case at Zullaz.

Following the spice trail the restaurant offers a range of dishes from Morocco, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Fiji, Jamaica and Portugal.

Launched almost 10 years ago by the Zulla family, the restaurant has become a place where locals gather to enjoy delicious cuisine and exotic cocktails.

The menu includes wine suggestions for each dish – excellent wines also served by the glass.

A warm and friendly ambience, subtle lighting, bamboo-fronted bar, black-clothed, candle-lit tables, red walls and black and white-striped awnings create a dramatic dining space. Live music plays Friday and Saturday nights.

Shammi, an accomplished chef who began her career at a luxury hotel in Canada, is comfortable with CUISINE: Exotic fusion ADDRESS: Big B Arcade, Shop 21, 50 James St, Burleigh Heads OPEN: Tues-Sat from 6pm PRICE: E$10 to $13: M$15 to $32: D$10.90 PHONE: 5535 3511 LIQUOR STATUS: Licensed many cooking styles. She is also an excellent host while husband Raz helps with service and chats to the diners.

Menu choices are many and varied and, among the entrees, firegrilled garlic prawns is an Indian/ Moroccan dish well worth trying. The prawns are marinated in chermoula spices and grilled. They are served on a bed of rice and salad, the prawns plump and fresh from the local catch and accompanied by a stunning mango mayonnaise.

There are many interesting mains including a Polynesian fish dish of a barramundi fillet parceled in a banana leaf with fresh vegetables, sweet potato, rice, lemon, kaffir lime, coconut cream and baked.

Another Moroccan-inspired dish is the seafood tagine – prawns, fish, scallops, calamari and sometimes mussels are infused with kaffir lime, selected greens and herbs in an aromatic broth then simmered in the clay pot.

An absolute standout is the Jamaican goat shank on the bone. Cooked for four hours in a rich, dark onion tomato sauce flavoured by Shammi’s unique blend of spices, the meat falls off the bone and is so tender. No oil is used.

The goats are specially bred for the restaurant.

Basmati rice and the light fluffy parathas complete the meal.

This is a pleasant and exotic restaurant appreciated by the locals and by those who enjoy discovering cuisine with a difference.