What is it that keeps customers coming back?

ZARA’S RESTURANT IN TICKHILL SEEMS TO HAVE HIT UPON A WINNING FORMULA, WRITES RICHARD ABBEY.

Most businesses have found it tough over the last few years, not least the hospitality industry whom, after dealing with the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, face rising costs created by increased fuel bills and food prices as well as people eating out less and less.

With less disposable income, diners have perhaps become more selective on where they eat out with many choosing to return to restaurants that they know and love. Zara’s in Tickhill is one such place and will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year.

There are many reasons why restaurants succeed; the quality of food is clearly the most important factor but any drop in the standards of service, ambience and surroundings can impact your whole experience.

Zara’s consistently scores highly in all of the above and goes a long way to explain why this curry house remains so popular. It also vindicates the decision to crown the restaurant ‘Best Indian – Out of Town’ at our sister magazine, Westside’s restaurant awards in October last year.

At the time, owner Faruk Miah, said: “Thank you so much for this award. Our success is down to our consistently good, fresh food and our loyal customers who continue to support us.”

Returning customers have been the hallmark of Zara’s longevity and on the evening of our visit – a busy Friday –every table had been taken by what Faruk deemed his ‘regulars’. He updates the menu every two to three years to keep things fresh with the latest expected in August, where he plans to introduce ‘Desi-style’ dishes to showcase more home-style cooking. In the meantime you can be completely satisfied with what is a very comprehensive selection of both traditional and Indian-inspired dishes.

Despite not being a ‘regular’, although I have visited Zara’s on numerous workrelated occasions before, my family and I were welcomed with open arms and treated to the kind of service that makes the dining out experience so much more enjoyable. Faruk, himself, was on hand to greet us but left us in the hands of his very capable team which is led by manager Abdul.

Seated comfortably in the window, we chose drinks from the bar whilst we decided what to eat.

Draught Cobra beer (£4.90, pint) was cold and refreshing and the perfect accompaniment to papadums (90p each) and a pickle tray (£2.50) with lime pickle brought as a requested extra.

After crunching our way through those, we shared three starters between the four of us – chicken tikka (£4.70), a mixed kebab (£5.60) and tandoori king prawns (£14.90). We loved the slightly-charred prawns, which had been marinated in yoghurt and spices, whilst the onion bhaji, served with the mixed kebab, was crisp and flavoursome. The chicken and sheekh kebab had been well cooked too.

For main courses, my two children shared, perhaps predictably, a chicken korma (£8.90) and loved every bit of it, mopping up any remaining sauce with a plain nan bread (£3.50) and chapatis (£1.90 each).

My wife opted for an old favourite –karai lamb (£11.50) – which was deliciously tender, whilst I took some inspiration from Abdul, opting for the Handi Desi (£12.50). Taken from the ‘Zara’s Recommends’ part of the menu, this dish of chicken and minced lamb cooked with tomatoes, peppers, onions and spices was fantastic and had plenty of heat which, for me, was just right. A pilau rice (£3.70) completed proceedings. Desserts are something often overlooked at Indian restaurants and while my wife and I were happily sated, my children couldn’t resist the tempting lure of a Cookies ‘n’ Cream cup and Biscoff cheesecake (both £5.50). As an aside, Abdul also brought us a traditional Indian sweet milk dish to try which was very good.

We loved everything about Zara’s. The food was fantastic, service exemplary and there was a constant buzz about the restaurant. With a new menu coming soon, there’s plenty of reasons to visit, regular or not.

Zara’s Restaurant

1 Sunderland Street, Tickhill, Doncaster, DN11 9PT Tel: 01302 744122 www.zarasrestaurant.co.uk

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As I’m sure any parent will tell you, you can always rely on your children to be disappointed. You try your best to broaden their horizons, take them to places they’ve never been before but can almost always predict that they’ll be underwhelmed by wherever or whatever you’ve taken them to see.

Take our recent maiden trip to Oxford for example. We’d headed down as a family for a couple of days to explore the many colleges and museums, only to find out that my two, aged ten and 12, were more interested in the shops, when we were going for something to eat or whether there was any wifi. Sound familiar?

With over nine million visitors each year, there are plenty of reasons why Oxford is such a popular tourist destination. Principal among these is the university colleges which dominate this