Thursday – Tuesday : Krakow Visit (Zeera Indian Restaurant)

It was another hot day in Krakow and I decided the best thing to help me cool down would be a spicy Indian meal. Zeera is located near to the main market square and has some excellent reviews. It’s hidden away a little down a passage, but look out for the signage on the street and just keep walking to the end of the alley. The menu is quite extensive and not unreasonably priced.

It’s not a particularly big venue, there was a couple on a seat near me and there’s some external seating, but otherwise this is pretty much it. Clean and functional, without the need to be all kitschy about the design as some Indian restaurants are, albeit mostly in the UK.

I visit quite a lot of Indian restaurants and am always excited to visit more, especially when I discover that they have mango lassi. Any Indian without it makes me just slightly pre-disappointed about the meal. This one was smooth, cool and very mangoey, a delight.

I was pleased to see Methi chicken as an option, a creamy curry which has the flavour of Fenugreek. The helpful staff member asked if I would like the spice level increased or decreased, but I like lots of spice and so went for that option and I wasn’t disappointed. The curry was served as a generous portion, although used thigh meat which I accept is authentic, although I tend to opt for chicken breast. However, the meat was tender and rich in flavour, with no annoying chewy bits, so this was a good choice from the restaurant. The lemon rice was also suitably packed with the taste of lemon, which is quite important with, well, lemon rice. It all proved to be sufficiently filling.

The service was attentive without being annoying, as I’m not keen on over-attentive service, although accept it’s much better than not having a staff member around. It felt a welcoming venue and the food was as authentic as I’d reasonably expect to get in Poland. Everything was efficient and they didn’t rush me out, although to be fair, I was by that time their only customer so they hardly needed the table. The prices were moderate for Poland, but given their location in Krakow, that seemed reasonable and so this is another venue I’d merrily recommend.