Zaza's Bazaar is any foodies dream come true, with cuisine from at least four different continents under the same roof. It is an insane buffet styled opportunity to sample dishes from various parts of the world while ironically being in the U.K. So while observing my rules to a successful buffet out, Buffet Slayer, I made my way through the offerings.
The Ambiance: With its many vibrant segments, Zaza instantly gives the feeling of a really cool street market(fyi, no such thing exists in Lagos). The various countries are represented with their indigenous designs and huge neon signs. The atmosphere is filled accordingly with music from the represented countries, so very quickly your ears are filled with an unobtrusive mixture that ranges from mariachi to Indian pop.
The Countries
Japan
First stop on this international food flight was Asia, where I piled on a Japanese favourite; Sushi. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of fish, so to taste what I assumed was just raw fish was kind of nerve racking. After a pep talk/orientation on how not all sushi was raw fish, i decided to give it a shot.The Takuan Maki and essentially all the sushi rolls that I tried were a labyrinth of rice with either radishes or cucumbers in the center, with of course some part of fish elegantly nestled on top or in-between. Did I think it was awful? No. But the crunchy center had me imagining I was chomping on fish brains, so yes, while I tried it, I probably won't willingly do that again.
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| definitely an acquired taste |
Thailand
Its not Asian cuisine without a little rice, so I just had to try the Thai Curry Rice with mixed vegetables and sweet and sour chicken. |
India
It didn't make sense to leave Asia with just two countries in my tummy so a pit stop to India was in order. I had the Jeer aloo and Pulao rice with paneer jalfrezi, which in plain English is Baby Potatoes cooked with whole cumin and rice with curry, which was amazefest!
Italy
The trip to Italy was made worthwhile by the pasta bolognese which was made fresh to order by the amazing and super cute chef.
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| You have to love a man who can cook |
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| Meaty, Cheesy, Al dente Goodness |
The lasagna was simply perfection and put to shame the store bought microwave version I had previously been stuffing my face with.
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| The real McCoy |
England
The English section was a representation of quintessentially British cuisine from fish and chips, minced pies, mash and peas, pretty much a lot of what I had been consuming on a daily, so I had to pass (almost at my breaking point here)
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| Mash, Peas, Fish and Chips a' plenty! |
A "drive by" through the salad bar was in order.
Desserts: No meal is quite complete without a few desserts. The Bazaar offers a frighteningly amazing array of desserts for those who may have enough space to tuck in. Cakes and sweets of a worldwide origin was the best way to end the adventure.
Wallet Control: As a girl on a budget, I was a beneficiary of the Monday Madness discount which guaranteed my tasting buddy a two for the price of one experience. The entire night cost just 13 pounds, the equivalent of less than Four Thousand Naira (gasp).
Staff: The staff were very nice and quite efficient with the dishes being cleared in record time every time I returned with a new conquest.
By the end of the night, I had developed a protrusion in my tummy which was reflective of my journey and with many apologies to the many cuisines I had to shun in an attempt to walk out of the bazaar with some dignity.
If you ever find yourself in Newcastle Upon Tyne, do yourself a favour and visit.
