Spized is hot stuff with mix of spicy comfort food

THERE is nothing better then eating some spicy comfort food on a chilly Autumn evening.

To satisfy our cravings my husband, Nick and I, headed to fushion food restaurant Zaffron, also known as Spized, in Heugh Road, Walmer.

The venue, which used to be home to Greek restaurant, Mykonos, is quaint with vibrant colours to undoubtedly give a warm feel and to live up to its spicy name. Zaffron, which is still the new kid on the block, opened late last year.

The menu is quite extensive and offers popular dishes from countries around the world such as Mexico, Greece and India. There is also a wine list with other alcoholic beverages on offer.

After checking out the speciality Thai soups and breads, we decided to share a starter of vegetarian springrolls (R20) which came with a sweet chilli sauce.

I thoroughly enjoyed the springrolls but my husband found the spicy bite too overpowering and could not taste the sauce. The main menu has some heat from Mexico, including jalapeno dishes and falafel, while the Indian menu has lots of delicious curries and breyani on offer.

The Greek style menu has lamb specialities including lamb chops, lamb neck and lamb shank.

I decided on the lamb shank (R129) and Nick decided to send his tastebuds to India with a spicy chicken breyani.

My lamb shank was delicious and was so tender it fell off the bone. It came with a Greek salad and potato wedges.

Nick's portion of breyani (R85) was so large he could not find the chicken as it was buried under a pile of rice. He thought there was too much rice and too little chicken so it was not really value for money for him. He did say the chicken was very tender and the breyani had a nice spicy taste. We were so looking forward to some baklava but we were informed that they did not offer desserts. I have a sweet tooth so I was very disappointed.

We were the only patrons there while we enjoyed our meal and I was not sure if the chilly weather had kept customers at bay or if it was usually this quiet. While I thoroughly enjoyed the food, I found the ambience to be lacking as there were no other patrons and there was no background music, except for a large TV screen on full blast.

This MyWeekend review visit was unannounced, anonymous and paid for in full. - Catherine Richards