[Huntington Beach] [Mediterranean] Zimzala

Zimzala
500 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-5050
http://www.restaurantzimzala.com

Yesterday was my 35th birthday.  Woohoooo~~~~  Dr. P wanted to treat me to a nice dinner.  But with a wedding coming (haha I just have to rub that in), we gotta save money.  Since I have so many Groupons and Restaurant.com certificates, we decided to pick a restaurant where we could save some money.  Zimzala seemed like a really nice Mediterranean restaurant, and Dr. P took me there for my birthday dinner with a $50 groupon that I bought for $25.



Zimzala is located inside Shorebreak Hotel.  Valet parking is $7 plus tips, but we opted to self-park for $3.  Don't be lazy = saving money!




There is a bar area at the entrance.  Restaurant is in the middle, and there is a lounge area toward the back.  We thought the layout was a bit strange.  Usually they would put bar and lounge together, and restaurant toward the inside, right?



The restaurant wasn't busy on Tuesday night.  Where our table, I could see the kitchen staff working in the open kitchen.


Strawberry Basil Cooler ($12.00)

Our waitress was really cheerful and friendly.  I ordered Strawberry Basil Cooler, and she said it was REAAAAAAALY good.  haha....  It was!  There were pieces of real strawberries in my drink.  I love it!  But... why was it so small?  I wish it came in a bigger glass.


Sangria ($7.50)

Dr. P ordered a glass of Sangria.  it was made with rose wine and fresh fruits.  It tasted pretty strong.



There's Dr. P trying to act manly with his "manly" drink... with a cherry on top, too.  haha....


Amuse Bouche

Our meal started with amuse bouche.  It was cheese with a piece of soft fruity jelly like thinging on top, and drizzled with olive oil.  I love the sweet and savory combination.


Rosemary Bread

The rosemary bread was so good.  It was soft and fluffy, and filled with rosemary.


Zimzala Mezze Plate ($15.00)
hummus/mediterranean vegetable salads/cheese-filled turkish cigar/pita pocket with feta & herbs

We ordered Zimzala Mezze Plate for appetizer.  There were five little plates in this platter.  We LOVE the hummus.  It was the best hummus we've had!  I normally don't like carrot, but their carrot salad didn't taste like carrot at all.  It was mixed with feta cheese and pine nuts.  Couscous salad was tasty.  And I like the barley/red bell pepper/red onion salad a lot, too.



The spinach puff pastry was flaky and delicious.  There was also a pita "sandwich" filled with feta cheese and basil.  Even their pita bread was especially good.  It was crispy on one side, and soft and fluffy the other side.  We absolutely love this mezze plate.  I told Dr. P that if we come back to Zimzala again, I want to order this for my entree.  Portion was big, too.  We were both pretty full already after finishing the appetizer.


Moroccan Chicken Tagine ($23.00)
preserved lemon/olives /golden couscous

Sorry the picture turned out to be so dark.  The Moroccan Chicken Tagine came out in a Moroccan pot with the pointed lid.  There were two pieces of chicken whole legs.  We could tell it was braised for a long long time because the meat was so tender and it just fell off the bone.  This dish was full of strong flavors.  I thought it even tasted a little bit like curry?  It was a heavy dish, but so delicious.


Tagliatelle Pasta ($26.00)
poached shrimp/clams/mussels/tarragon /lobster butter sauce

I ordered tagliatelle Pasta.  There were so much seafood in the dish: shrimp, clam, mussel, and baby octopus.  The pasta was http://www.eileenlikestoeat.commade, and it was delicate.  The lobster butter sauce was light.  It was a very good seafood pasta.


Spinach ($5.00)
raisins/toasted pine nuts

We also ordered a side of Spinach.  The vegetable was fresh and good.  Dr. P didn't like the raisins though.  He thought it made the dish too sweet.



What?  No dessert?  That was so not me!  haha....  But (1) I was soooooo full; and (2) I have to be on a diet to be a pretty bride (Just gotta rub that in AGAIN).  So no dessert for me.  Since the restaurant was empty, our waitress left early.  Then we got a waiter helping us for the rest of the night.  He took the groupon, and was gone for a good 10 minutes.  He finally came back with the bill, but he forgot to apply the groupon.  Then he took a long while to bring us back the correct bill of $46.25, but he said their credit card system was done.  So he had to write down Dr. P's credit card info to charge on it later.  They took our leftover to the back to pack it for us.  We asked him twice, and he still forgot to bring it to us.  He was very nice and polite and all, but he needs to be a little faster and sharper in our opinion.



We enjoyed the food at Zimzala a lot.  I had a wonderful birthday dinner.  Thank you, Dr. P!  Happy birthday to ME!!



And please let me rub it in just ONE MORE TIME!  Awww.... what a romantic picture!  haha.... @^_^@

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