Shake up your breakfast routine with Indian and Turkish dishes at Zouk and Kai

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. And there’s only so much smashed avocado our Instagram can take.

Step forward Zouk, who have shaken up breakfast and brunch dishes with an Indian twist.

Egg dishes include Bollywood Benedict (£7.95) with turkey rashers, sautéed spinach, poached egg and a mash up of Hollandaise and tikka sauce, served in a freshly toasted muffin, or an Indian omelette (£7.95) with onions, fresh green chilli, ginger, coriander and spices. 

A Maharajas breakfast (£9.95) is heaped with scrambled or fried eggs, seekh kebab, turkey rasher, spicy tomatoes, mushrooms, spicy baked beans and kulcha, while Zouk’s very own version of channa puri (£8.95) consists of chickpeas cooked in a spicy tomato masala and served with Indian fried bread. 

A Mumbai breakfast bun (£7.95) is a fried egg sandwich with chorizo and sautéed spicy potatoes served in a brioche bun.

Sweet dishes include freshly baked sweet Peshwari naan (£5.95) with honey, fruit chaat and natural yoghurt, or creamy semolina (£4.95) cooked with flaked almonds, pistachios and raisins, infused with saffron and served with a traditional puri.

Breakfast smoothies include blueberry, banana, oat and cinnamon, or mango, banana and oat, alongside a smoothie of the week, while hot drinks include spiced chai and coffee.

Beats tea and toast, right? Breakfast at Zouk  is served from 8am until 1pm Wednesday to Friday, and 9am -1pm Saturday and Sunday.

Over at Kai on Deansgate, meanwhile, you can get your hands on a Turkish style breakfast served daily from 8am.

Kai’s all about bringing the cafe culture of Istanbul to Manchester, which makes for a perfectly relaxing and sociable breakfast.

How about a Turkish platter to share (£14)? The feast includes spicy sausages, houmous, crisp halloumi fritters, cacik (a sauce made of salted strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice), cilbir (Turkish style poached eggs with yoghurt), and Turkish cheeses.

Other options include menemen (£6), a traditional Turkish breakfast of scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes, peppers and spices served with Fresh Turkish bread, or pide (£7), like a Turkish pizza topped with spinach and feta or spiced sausage and cheese.

Kai’s fried sujuk sausage, the Turkish version of salami, is made with beef, garlic, sumac, and red pepper, a recipe dating back to around 1000BC.

There are lighter options, too: salted date and banana granola with Greek yoghurt (£4), which is gluten-free; or warming apricot and honey porridge (£4) topped with toasted seeds.

Breakfast just got a lot more interesting.

BOOK ZOUK

BOOK KAI