“Why not trying Iraqi tea with cardamom? My Iraqi people usually
drink this amazing tea throughout the day, so there are tea stalls and vendors
everywhere in Iraq,” the owner of Zooroona, Mr. Mandwee, exhalted Iraqi tea with cardamom with
a warm smile. Zooroona’s alchemy starts with wisps of narcotic
bittersweet Iraqi tea with cardamom. It urges one to dream, reflect on oneself,
and at the same time explore as if he or she wander at Arabic forest at night
in August. Under the canopy of firefly-like light bulbs and colorful Arabic
pendant lamps swinging on the ceiling, Iraqi tea’s light layers flow like
freely falling petals unlike a tea with full of thick syrup. It clears off
one’s worry as being a getaway from busy pace of life.
“Come visit us” in Arabic, Zooroona, serves
traditional Middle Eastern dishes from
Lebanon, the Mediterranean, Syria, Iran, and Turkey. This welcoming restaurant is located on West Main Street in the Tiffany’s mini-mall which
is about fifteen minutes walking distance from Kalamazoo College. Zooroona’s
open hours are very flexible. They open seven days a week at around noon until
9pm, but for the weekends until 11pm. Without an extra charge, for a main dish,
there are two appetizer choices: a cup of lentil soup and Al Dar Zalata(salad).
The lentil soup is balanced with grainy pieces of lentil, cumin, and little bit
of lemon juice that invigorates the start of a meal. Contrastingly, Al
Dar Zalata consisting of fresh-cut tomato, lettuce, onion, cucumber,
and Syrian cheese garnished with roasted almonds is immersed in excessive
amount of house dressing. It isn’t as refined as the lentil soup, the best
comforting taste of appetizer. Arrival of
main dish, Shish Tawook, enchants eaters to grab folks and
knives to dig in right away. Shish Tawook is originated from
Lebanese and Syrian cuisine, cubes of marinated lemon-splashed chicken kebab
glistening with moisture and a few parsleys on the top. Not overcooked. Not
wildly salty. The sour but refreshing garlic sauce heightens its mesmerizing
taste. The chewy and tender white chicken kebab is grilled on skewers popped into one’s
mouth, awakening his
or her taste buds. It is
served with sliced grilled onions and tomatoes, pita breads, long grain fried
rice, and red peppers.
$6.95 for the large freshly-brewed tea is
expensive for college students. Its cost is almost equivalent to a meal from Jimmy
John’s, but sipping Iraqi
tea with cardamom is the climax
of dining experience in Zooroona. The restaurant’s emphasis on
serving fresh food and drinks appears when Mr. Mandwee, who also worked as a
waiter, quickly ran to the tea station and brewed the tea right away. Upon my
request, he brought out two different kinds of leaves’ containers and showed
them to me. He explained the differences between tastes of two leaves and how
these two blend together to make ultimate bliss. The steamy caramel colored black tea in a transparent
glass teacup makes one wants to drink it without hesitation. However, one might regret drinking
it so quickly because it is seriously bitter like an espresso due to the
green cardamom, a pistachio-looking and intensively aromatic spice, so a cube of sugar needs to be in
this tea to be more drinkable.
If you are a sugar fan, you won’t be able to handle this bitterness.
Mr. Mandwee explained his mission for this restaurant. He hopes
that many people from Kalamazoo and Michigan experience the variety of cultural
foods. Also he welcomes people from anywhere to enjoy the Middle Eastern teas
and dishes. Every Saturday, the belly dance performance urges eaters to share
the union with family, friends, and even strangers. According to Mr. Mandwee, a
lot of people want to get up and dance with a dancer, so sometimes they dance
together. This is more than simply receiving dishes and consuming them. It
leads passive consumers to be part of the exhilarating and lively moments at
the restaurant.
This restaurant’s atmosphere is like the Arabic forest. The
sound of the artificial indoor waterfall pleasantly rings, and the interior is
delicately decorated with inscribed geometric Arabic patterns and wooden indoor
tree. Greenery hanging on the wall adds liveliness to the cave-like interior.
The Middle Eastern hookahs and portraits of Arabic women with mystic smiles in
every corner of the restaurant are unique. In the middle of the restaurant,
there is an elongated floor sitting down seats with sitting cushions. The music
isn’t too loud, and there isn’t that much noise. The music is mostly the dreamy
soft house songs building up the laid-back mood, but sometimes there are some
overly dramatic songs that make one dizzy. This mysterious but delicate ambiance
makes the place cozy.
On Sunday for brunch buffet, the bustling movements of waiters and waitresses
prevent customers to ask for water. One might have to ask not only for water but also for
a complete set of silverware. Although buffet lets one tastes collections of Zooroona’s
all-time famous foods for fifteen bucks: falafels, rice pudding, hummus, lentil
soup, Shish Tawook, and cooked eggplant rounds, workers are occupied with filling up each food section. The work
division is kind of a mess as
there isn’t an assigned person to
take care of individual table. On regular days except Sunday, a waiter would guide you
from the beginning and to the end of the journey of dining out at Zooroona. On
a menu for both lunch and dinner, there is a description under each dish, so it
would be easier to imagine what kind of
dish will be like. Foods in the main menu are ranged from $12 to $17, which is
not super affordable; however, the humongous serving size with high quality
foods can be great leftovers.
Baklava,
a sweet bite-size pastry, is originated from Ottoman Empire, and it would be a
pleasant closure for
a meal. As soon as one bites
into the golden layers of paper-thin and flaky crusts, they vulnerably break with subtle crackling sound. Then, the
chopped nuts, pistachios, and honey juice inside of Baklava pour
out, melting into one’s mouth in a few
seconds. The sweetness is more than enough but
quite addicting.
Here, the dim light of lantern and
candle with continuous sound of the waterfall conjures you to be in the night
of forest even in the day time. The Iraqi tea with cardamom induces you to dream and reflect yourself,
but also tasting numerous delicate, sweet, and richly flavored foods is
exploration in this Arabic forest.
No comments:
Post a Comment