The exterior of Ziyaafat appears to be another Indian restaurant in in a partly vacant strip mall in Plano. However, even a single visit to try their lunch buffet on a steam tray will convince you that this Indian/Pakistani establishment is trying something different.
Take for example the Beef Nihari (spelled with the alternative ‘Nehari’ in the photo), a kind of casserole cooked for several hours so that the beef sinews crumble in the mouth. The use of onions, ghee (clarified butter), and over a dozen herbs and spices guarantee a rich and heart warming experience. Be warned: this dish is spicy hot! I recommend you keep a generous supply of freshly baked naan at the ready. The Aloo Bhaji, a humble potato prepared like no other I have had in town. These are sliced and cooked in a clear broth with an inscrutable blend of spices. The name aloo bhaji may be all over the place but here it is applied to a different preparation. Another highlight I have not come across in any steam buffet in town is the Galawat Ka Qeema, minced meat (strictly speaking, finely ground beef) stir-fried with spices.
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Ziyaafat also serves crowd pleasers such as chicken tikka and various biryanis so someone looking for stereotypical Indian food will be happy here. But the adventure really begins on the à la carte menu. We will return to try Queema Hari Mirch (ground veal cooked with green chili peppers0 for $14), a specialty of Karachi and Afghan Mutton Karhai (mutton braised and cooked with spicy tomato sauce and sprinkled with ginger for $13) . I would like to see more vegetables to choose from (there were only two on our visit). Our waiter told us that one aspect of Northern Indian and Pakistani food that the restaurant represents is that it is meat-centric. There is a vegetarian section of the menu (three items) but no seafood.
The menu is a work in progress, according to our waiter. Obviously this chef knows what he is doing and should be allowed to exercise his talent. I would not like to see this place drift towards the uncontroversial stereotypes that populate most Indian menus around town. The differences on this menu are Ziyaafat’s greatest strength.
We went on Father’s Day, just a week after the soft opening, and we were the first people through the door at 11:15am. There were no service problems. Indeed the servers were all attentive and well-trained. However, we heard from a blogger who has never written for the Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News and who went at 1pm that the place was absolutely packed.
The décor at Ziyaafat is modern and simple like the lobby of the Karachi Hilton Garden Inn. And both genders should check out the men’s room, which appears to have been painted by Jackson Pollock’s Indian cousin (Jack the Curry Dripper?). No liquor is served or allowed, at least for now.
We ate anonymously and paid for our meal.
