There's something intriguing about the name Zinc n Rock. It does suggest a rather cool allusion to those trendy Hard Rock Caf?s of the world, doesn't it? Well not quite, but close. Thiruvananthapuram has a long way to go before we come to that. Nevertheless, Zinc and Rock, the new music-themed restaurant at Vanross Junction is a nice play on the time-tested fact that good food and good music go hand in hand.
Jazzed up d?cor
Jazzed up in red, black and white with chrome and glass accessorises and musical instruments as wall hangings, the ?cool? d?cor is an instant hit with the teenybopper crowd, most of whom are seen lounging in the corner of the restaurant that has low tables and comfy floor chairs or by the spanking new set of drums in another corner.
The music that wafts through the restaurant elicits a nod or two from most of them too. And no it's not hard rock as the name suggests (or what we expect), rather it's more of a variety fare with soft rock and assorted popular filmy numbers. Thankfully the music is not too loud. A live band will soon be on hand to entertain diners, says Sandeep E., the owner of the restaurant. Good vibes on all fronts to start off what turned out to be a filling meal.
The menu has a good selection of continental fare such as burgers, sandwiches, fries, smoothies and the like and most of the items are in the range of Rs. 50 to Rs.100. Interestingly, most of the items on the menu are named after something related to music. For instance there is the Fried Chicken and Cheese Clarinet (an appetiser), The Tambourine (an omelette), Croissant Chorale (a sandwich), Sunrise Singers (a mocktail), Chamber Music (a smoothie) and Humpty Dumpty popcorn (on the Kiddies menu) so on.
Here you don't need to wait or call out for a bearer to come take your order, instead all you need to do is fill in your requests on an order form and lounge till it arrives. We started off with Chicken Spring Roll Sonata, a set of four deep-fried crispy rolls with chicken wrapped in a tortilla and served with hot garlic sauce.
Omelette section
Being ?egg' heads, the omelette section was too good to resist. Besides, who can resist quirky names such as The Sestina (Spanish omelette), The Masterpeice (masala omelette), The Hilarity (three bulls' eye) and the like. After some deliberation we chose The Phrase, which came stuffed with chicken, bell peppers and crushed peppercorn. Going by the size of the dish, this one is a great meal in itself. Next up was the Cheddar Canticle Chicken Sandwich, a grilled sub with cheddar, chicken, lettuce, a particularly scrumptious mayonnaise and served with fries.
By this time our stomachs were so full that we had to cancel the Hawaiian Hangout Burger and the Fruit Ferry dessert. We did make some space for the Melody of Melon (a mocktail with watermelon and lime juice) and the Orange Opera (fizzy orange and cola drink), though. Never mind there is always the next time. Contact: 0471-3075500.
