The Oxford Guide

On the Saturday evening we visited, this place was disconcertingly quiet: one couple already there when we arrived, and a different couple just ordering when we left. It's hard to see why, though: all members of our party agreed that this was some of the best Indian food we'd had in ages. A relatively small range of dishes available, but several unusual ones, and all we tried were cooked to perfection. I've not noticed Murree Beer ("from the oldest brewery in the subcontinent"... and brewed in Austria. Hmm.) on sale anywhere else, and it makes a very pleasant change from the usual Cobra/Tiger/Kingfisher etc.

The prices are very reasonable, the decor is stylish, the food fantastic, the location very central. What more could you want?

It's strange how things work out: having not visited Cafe Zouk in many years in Oxford, I did so twice in one weekend. The Saturday was fantastic, as described above... the Sunday was much less so. The poppadums were rather chewy and and seemed elderly, as if they'd been left over from the night before. The biryani was adequate but unremarkable. What a difference a day makes!

They do a 2 course set lunch for £7.95, served daily from 12:00-3:00pm