Cafe Zouk

A really good Indian restaurant right on High Street. Prices are reasonable and the food is very good. Maybe not as good as Aziz or Jamal’s, but still very good. I go there when I don’t feel like walking a distance and have yet to be disappointed.

This place saw a sea-​change after a refurbishment about 5 years ago. Until then, trading as Shemons, it was a stereotypical grotty curry-​house that hadn’t seen an update since about 1972. Since, it has transformed into a bright, airy restaurant that eschews cliches, serves decent food, and is staffed by friendly, engaged waiters who seem to believe in the business.
The comments in other reviews that the food is bland are perhaps a little unfair. I think it’s reasonable to say the menu isn’t massively adventurous but in my experience what they do, they do well. They use decent meat cuts in the cooking, spices tend to be used to bring out other flavours rather than dominate everything, and the sundries, particularly the naan, are excellent.
On my first visit after the refit I was also surprised by the wine list, which seemed to have been selected with some care — enough spice and fullness in the reds especially to stand up to Indian food, which you can’t often say.

It’s easy to miss this place as it’s situated over the shops on the High, near Carfax — watch out for the sign! Overall, a bit average — a pleasant place, but nothing remarkable.
The restaurant itself is lovely, based in an old building with plenty of charm. It’s very civilised and grown up, a great place to have a quiet night out with close mates or family. The service is faultless, very efficient and friendly.
What puts me off going here again is the food — it’s perfectly nice, but a little dull. I’m not a great fan of very spicy curries and so wanted something mild, so opted for a tikka masala, which was very bland indeed. Not the most exciting thing to have ordered, but I have had better versions of this dish. My friends all said the same thing about their food — pleasant, but uninspiring.
Overall, not bad — but I think that you can get better curry in Oxford.