ZA ZA BAZAAR
Harbourside, Canon’s Road,
Bristol, BS1 5UH
T: 01179 220330
W: http://zazabazaar.com/index.html
Unless you’re a Bristolian who’s been living under a rock for the past few weeks then ZaZaBazaar hardly needs any introduction, but I’ll give you a brief one nonetheless!
ZaZaBazaar sits on Bristol’s harbourside, in the mammoth space that used to be Evolution nightclub, but the sticky floors of the old nightclub are a distant memory. Instead, ZaZaBazaar provides diners with ‘a passport to the world of food’ in an environment they claim is ‘perfect for everyone who loves the buzz of the night market, has the spirit of adventure and an appetite for fun.’
Now this sounds like a tall order, but somehow, they’ve hit the nail on the head. The downstairs bar is dark, atmospheric, and actually a hell of a lot cooler than the majority of the other bars surrounding ZaZaBazaar. The upstairs dining room is nothing short of hectic, but in a way that makes you want to grab your map (yes, it really is that huge), get stuck in and find out exactly what this colourful beast of a restaurant has to offer.
And the answer is, well, everything! The restaurant is laid out in ‘stations’, which represent the cuisine being served, and no matter what you’re craving, chances are you’ll get it. The chefs at each station will cook various dishes to order, whilst ensuring that the ‘help yourself’ options are kept topped up and are fresh as can be. The downside to this layout is that nobody seems to know where to start, and in typical British style, we can’t help our urge to queue.
I don’t think I got anywhere near trying everything that was on offer, but after a few rounds I’d given it a good go. Not to be missed are:
- Indian: Two built in tandoor ovens ensure there’s a steady supply of fresh naan breads, tandoori chicken and sheek kebabs, which were all fantastic. Curry tends to improve the longer it’s left to cook, so it’s no surprise that the curries at ZaZaBazaar are outstanding. The makhani dhal was one of my personal favourites and the butter chicken was just as rich and indulgent as it should be.
- China: Crispy Peking Duck with all the trimmings, fresh, tasty little steamed dumplings and a selection of surprisingly authentic spring roll and wontons were all on offer. The highlights from the larger dishes were definitely the Kung Pao chicken and the beef with mushrooms, which were better than your average takeaway.
- Tex Mex: A story of two halves (see the cons below!), but the ‘build your own’ approach to Nachos is always going to be a winner, as is a good, slow cooked chilli con carne. The burgers to order were pretty damn meaty too!
- Sushi: Surprising, I know. The sushi tasted fresh, and although all veggie, had a great selection.
Now for the cons:
- Italian: Much to my junk food dustbin of a boyfriend’s disappointment, the pizzas weren’t brilliant, and seemed in need of a bit of love and attention. The lasagne, in weird mini portions was a bit stodgy and bland, and risotto cooked to order is surely never going to work in any less than 20 minutes?
- Tex Mex: As I mentioned, some food here was great, but the majority of it was deep fried and looked suspiciously like chicken dippers. The made to order fajitas were disappointing, with a very strict ‘1 only’ policy.
- Puddings: I’ll let this one slide, as by the time you’ve finished on the savoury, you’ve got to be a bit of a Trojan to want to gorge on pudding. Perhaps it was because we ate quite late, but the selection was minimal, and I was gutted to find there was nothing to dip in the chocolate fountain!
- So overall, definitely more pros than cons, and to be honest, I certainly wouldn’t let some lacklustre pizza put you off trying ZaZaBazaar, as it’s certainly worth a visit, if not just to marvel at the sheer wonder of it all! If you’re looking for fine dining, then you’re setting yourself up for a fall, but take it for what it is (by far the best all you can eat in Bristol) and you’ll have a ball!
I have just started a job here, it’s a great place to work and I have already booked myself a meal as it has to be tried. The owner is hoping to start a nationwide brand of Zaza Bazzar and everything is always getting better by the day. The pizza didn’t look the best but I will gorge on the sushi, mussels and the curries. Some of the Chefs are completely on top of their game and have been brought in from their respective countries so authenticity is paramount. It is the biggest restaurant I have ever seen and it is run flawlessly and it looks amazing. I would recommend both working here and dining here. It is an entity worthy of its prominent position on Bristol harbor side.
Hi Timothy – its certainly an insane place. thanks for the recommendations – now we know where to head first next time!
Gemma x
I went for the first time last week – after being reassured by Meg and various other friend who had attended
I have to say it was a real experience – I would recommend that everyone try ZaZa Bazaar once, I’m not sure if I would go a second time (although I can certainly see the appeal)
It’s a crazy atmosphere – you walk in to a huge hubbub of noise – conversation, clinking cutlery, cooking and plates. Whilst having “sittings” makes everything I’m sure very efficient, we did feel a little bit like cattle being herded as we queued at three separate points before being shown to our table.
Our server was unfortunately not as accommodating as Meg’s – we really could have done with someone to explain to us how things worked, whether we paid on exit or at the table and who took our drinks orders. Instead we were left feeling a little confused but decided to just dive in!
The food – everything was nice enough. There wasn’t anything I disliked. However I didn’t eat anything which blew me away either.
Tex Mex – the Fajita as Meg said was OK albeit a little sloppy and underwhelming. The chilli was nice enough however I’d have liked it richer and spicier. Guacamole, salsa and sour cream were all OK with the nachos. The liquid cheese freaked me out though – I’m soooo not down with that.
European grill – Piri Piri chicken was pretty tasty however again the sauce was lacking spice and flavour. I think the chicken was over-grilled as well; even though it was on the bone it was still a tad dry. Corn on the cob tasted good though as did the ratatouille.
Curry – these were all pretty good. My friend Katie raved about the lamb curry and my boyfriend had no complaints. There was one over-seasoned yet under-spiced kofta which he wasn’t that impressed with but all in all it was a winner.
American Stylee – chicken nuggets, onion rings, chips – it was what it was, which was junk food. great if thats your thing or for fussy eaters.
Sushi – Nice, it was mainly vegetarian, the only fish I could make out was crab cakes. Slightly too sticky but not much to complain about.
Desserts – I liked the desserts, unlike Meg’s experience the dessert cart was well stocked, we had mini creme brulee, mini cheese cakes, profiteroles, ice creames, jelly, sweets, gateaus and tirimasu – all of which was tasty. Not gourmet. But tasty!
Vegetarian – My veggie friend Ceri found the whole thing rather stressful – with so many people crowding round each “pod” of food she really struggled to see what dishes were vegetarian and what dishes were meat. In her words, it was just too difficult to read the labels of all the dishes whilst you were surrounded by so many people.
Overall its pretty cool. Chaotic yes, but its done very well the decor is awesome and everything feels very modern. The food was all OK – but then when you go somewhere which mass produces on this scale (6000 covers on their first Saturday open!) then you kind of expect the quality to be compromised somewhat – after all an all you can eat is not meant to be gourmet, its meant to be pure quantity, plate after plate.. after plate. And for the amount you can eat, £15 for an evening meal isn’t too bad.
Definitely try it once
you can see our zaza pics on facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.187394594699379.33087.166436663461839&type=1
Gemma
Bristol Foodie
really wished i hadn’t gone. the Waiters were very rude, Half of them couldnt understand us, the service wasn’t good. The waiters brought us the wrong drinks twice. and the place is basically a money making scam to herd people in and out, as i found out from the menu. its ridiculous prices and on the Saturday we arrived at quarter to five expecting to pay 10.99 before 5 oclock only to realise we had to pay the 16 pound 99! We even rang to check! they didnt state when you finish your meal you have to pay more!
Thankyou i will never be eating here again!
The manager escaped and hid when i tried to explain to him how i was very upset with the service i had! He pretended to do the cleaning then went down the fire escape!
Hi Mary
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Our service wasnt great either, although Meg had brilliant service when she went as you can see from her review – I think it may be luck of the draw with the waiting staff. LOL to the manager hiding in the fire escape, not a professional way to behave at all!
ZaZa is an odd one I think, for diners interested in quantity over quality then I think its probably a good shout. My view is that I’m glad I tried it once, its certainly an experience to sit in a 700 seater restaurant. Not sure if I’d rush for a second visit though!
Gemma
Bristol Foodie