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I was invited to check out @zamanarestaurant a casual eatery that serves up Pakistani street food classics, located in Gants Hill, Ilford. With a lot of competition in the area this restaurant has a lot of really affordable items on a concise menu with starters that beginning at £4.

I asked to sample most of the non vegetarian starters as a custom platter (standard sizes are 4 peices) so I can try each item as well a few vegetarian options, but so some of whats pictured are smaller portions.

The Halloumi Pakora was a standout favourite, great texture and taste served in a fancy gold martini glass! Highly recommended. £4

The masala fries £5 and Gol gappe £4 were also better than most places I've had them.

I found the grilled meats (Lamb Tikka £6, lamb chops £10 and chicken tikkas £5) while having a good flavour, we're slighty too overcooked and thus making them dry for like taste. I did like the fact that chicken thighs were used rather than the standard chicken breast (it tastes better but cooks faster) for the Chicken dishes. I passed this feedback on and this something that can be easily fixed. The Tandoori prawns at £13 were very good and tasty.

If you like your Mocktails with a strong sweet taste then you will love the ones here. Nicely made and presented well, but a bit pricey at £7.50 but they weren't filed with loads of ice but good amount of actual drink that stayed strong all throughout the meal.

For mains I tried the lamb biryani, (£10) the lamb was soft and flavourful and the rice was light and delicate, but the addition of a lemon overpowered some mouthfuls with a strong undesirable citrus flavour.

I was recommended the sikandri lamb (£15), a slow cooked lamb shank with a light thick sauce served with rice. The lamb was ridiculously soft and tender and fell off the bone with minimal effort. The flavours were subtle but some parts were too salty, but weren't salty the next day when I ate the left overs.. strange.

A place with potential and worth checking out as the prices are very reasonable, good drinks and attentive service as well. Good spot for groups.

My meal was complimentary. Thoughts are honest and my own.

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@halalfoodguy's review of Zamana Gants Hill on Instagram

🔴 @zamanarestaurant 🔴 Located In Gants Hill
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Revisited this Pakistani Gem. I think most Pakistani places I visit. Their main attraction for me has always been their curries. Recently been trying out random new Pakistani curries. Like chicken Hanadi and now here a curry called Namkeen. I’ve had their Achari Lamb curry which was phenomenal flavour points.
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Pictured above are:-
🔳 Namkeen Gosht (£12)
🔳 Sikandari Lamb Shank (£15)
🔳 Lamb Biryani (£10)
🔳 Bun Kebab Sliders (£8)
🔳 Chicken Lahori Boti (£5.50)
🔳 Paneer Tikka (£5)
🔳 Tandoori Prawns (£3.50)
🔳 Masala Chips (£5)
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The highlight dish has to be the new Namkeen lamb curry. The flavours were thick and creamy, with a hint of spices. It was like a simple non overly spice curry but it was really tasty. The meat was literally soft like butter and the extra green chillis are always the best thing in most Pakistani curries.
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Sikandari lamb shank which I had before, and enjoyed it like the first time. Soft and tender lamb shank cooked in a thick curry. Only thing I would want is more of the curry gravy
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Lamb Biryani was okish. It was like having a Achari Biryani. Love the pickly taste of Achari on a curry. But with Biryani it was good and not so good at the same time.
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The bun kebab sliders which came out and thought not going to taste nice, ended up fairly enjoying it. The meat was well spiced and seasoned. The chicken thigh was cooked with good masala and super juicy. Just like their chicken boti thigh starter, massive thigh pieces and super juicy.
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The prawn and paneer wasn’t a big fan. The paneer got cold and couldn’t enjoy it. The prawns had a strong turmeric taste which I personally didn’t enjoy. 
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All in all Pakistani cuisine for me is all about the curries. Most if not all Pakistani curries bang differently. And every place give that light green chopped chillis which elevate the curries
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- Fully Halal

@halalhunt's review of Zamana Gants Hill on Instagram

@zamanarestaurant serves authentic Pakistani cuisine, including biryani, sides and chai.

This spot is recommended for all kind of visitors, especially families as it is spacious.

Here’s what we ordered:
- Papri chaat (HG recommend)
- Masala fries 
- Halloumi pakora
- Mixed grill (HG recommend)
- Lamb biryani (HG recommend)
- Garlic naan
- Strawberry mojito (HG recommend)
- Mango lassi (HG recommend)

Overall we found the food very flavoursome and well balanced in spiciness. The portions were large which makes it good value for the price. 

Thank you @zamanarestaurant 

Halal status: All meat is halal. No alcohol is served.
📍Gants Hill

#pakistani #pakistanifood #halal #eastlondon #halalfood #biryani #lamb #chicken #chaat #masala #fries #lassi #mango #halallondon #naan #reel #reelsinstagram #reelsvideo #reelitfeelit #reellife

@halalgems's review of Zamana Gants Hill on Instagram

When it comes to dining out, you're pretty spoilt for choice in Iford.

I would say @zamanarestaurant is one of the better options.

The venue is modern and spacious, with a good selection of dishes to choose from.

These are the dishes I would recommend:

Masala Chips £5.00
Tandoori Prawns £13.50
Lamb Chops £12.00
Lamb Biryani £10.00
Sikandri Lamb Shank £15.00
Achari Lamb £9.00
Lotus Milk Cake £6.50

They offer venue hire and catering.

How tasty does the food look? 😋

#Invite

#pakistan #pakistanifood #foodblogger #londonfood #londonrestaurants #foodguide #londonfoodguide #halalfood #halalrestaurant

@halal_chronicles's review of Zamana Gants Hill on Instagram

Zamana

Zamana Restaurant in Gants Hill was overall a nice experience. The food was generally good, and the ambience was pleasant and welcoming. We ordered a variety of starters—most of them were enjoyable, although the masala chips were a bit of a letdown. The Chicken Tikka Karahi also didn’t quite meet expectations and was average at best in terms of taste.
The restaurant was quite busy during our visit, which did affect the speed of service for some guests. However it was clear that the staff were working hard and doing their best to keep everyone happy despite the rush.
Overall, a good experience with room for improvement in a few dishes and service timing.

Zamana offers a delightful culinary experience with a platter that stands out for its rich, flavoursome taste certainly ranking among the best compared to other restaurants I've visited. The staff are welcoming and friendly, adding a warm touch to the ambience. However, the service tends to be on the slower side, which might require a bit of patience. Overall, Zamana is worth a visit for its exceptional flavours, though some improvement in service speed would enhance the dining experience.

First and last visit. Completely unacceptable.

We wanted separate curry dishes and naan and even ordered two different curries, but the waiter pushed us into the 4–6 platter, insisting it included everything we wanted. It did include biryani, but only one “curry” with barely any gravy  just dry pieces of meat. To take the piss further, a large portion of the platter was filled with plain chips. I’m not paying £100 for a platter just to eat chips.

After starters, they cleared our plates and cutlery. Fine. But when the main arrived, they brought plates with no cutlery and dumped a huge platter in the middle of the table. We had to ask for cutlery and were given strange looks for it. Zero common sense.

Service was chaotic and unprofessional. Waiters were standing around chatting, ignoring us even when we were raising our voices. One waiter was literally standing in the middle daydreaming, staring at the floor. The only competent person was the lady at the counter.

I asked for mint yoghurt sauce and was given a tiny takeaway-style container. I had to ask again for it to be put in a proper bowl.

Payment was awkward with no explanation, and they tried to avoid giving me a receipt until I insisted.

Then I checked the bill and found a £17 service charge, never mentioned  for this level of service.

Food was bland and tasteless. I said no spice not no flavour. No salt, mostly rice and chips, barely any curry or gravy.

Poor service. Poor food. Hidden charges. Never coming back.

Zamana  is it gonna be a zamana until I ever return

Terrible experience, the gol gappe was terrible, the samosa chaat even worst, after complaining the waitress confess that they bring it from outside, we ordered Lahori fish that wasn't Lahori fish but more soufflé fish pakora, some of the pieces was empty inside... the staff looks tense, the owner not friendly at all !  be careful and check your bill, they tried to force us to pay service charge, we will be happy if the service was good, but it was very very slow , asked for water and we had to wait like 10mins for water ... And also owner was refusing to add the 25% off , that was the offer but we called and confirmed before coming in, anyways it's the last time we came, the owner said it doesn't matter if we come back or NOT , it put a bad ambiance for the end of our family dinner. I don't recommend Zamana restaurant at Ilford.

We ordered Platter No. 2. The meat was very tender and flavorful. The portion was enough for four people, and we also had some extra naan. It was definitely worth visiting.

All food is Halal. No pork or alcohol served.

Halal Status for Zamana Gants Hill