Zootz Kitchen Bar

A beautiful Sunday last weekend called for lunch by the beach with some of my closest friends! We'd had an early morning so were looking forward to a light but satisfying lunch before going on a beach walk. We headed to Henley Beach and were lucky so be seated on a reserved table that hadn't been claimed at the super busy Zootz.

[My iPhone 5S was stolen a few days ago so thank you to my lovely friend Julie who let me borrow her phone for a few quick snaps of the food!]

Zootz Caesar Salad $24.90 

Baby cos salad mix with crispy bacon, croutons, parmesan & Zootz own caesar dressing topped with a poached egg

The only salad that I will never have to force my bestie to eat (she's really not a fan of salads). A refreshing salad with a surprisingly light caesar dressing that was absolutely perfect for the hot weather that day! The croutons were deep fried and were holding in an insane amount of oil; tasty in a way but also terrifying for the health conscious. We were all looking forward to her stabbing the poached egg to uncover the gooey yolk, only to be disappointed when she cut it open to reveal a hard centre.

Zootz Special Focaccia $13.90

Chicken, bacon, cheese & lettuce with a seeded mustard Hollandaise

Pork Belly Focaccia $15.90

Pork belly, bacon, cheese, tomato, avocado & lettuce

Three of the girls enjoyed their focaccias (2 Zootz special, 1 pork belly), with each one saying the one they ordered was better than the other! The verdict was the Zootz special had great flavour and the pork belly was surprisingly tender.

Jo Jo Go Go Pizza $15.90

Regular - 4 slices

Pesto Base, cheese, avocado, chicken, feta, bruschetta tomato

Excuse the finger in the corner.... I am evidently not cut out for using Samsung phones!

Seeing pesto, avocado and feta all in one meal drew me to this pizza. A rather generous size for a single serve (I could only finish 3/4 of it), the pizza wasn't too heavy with toppings which made it very easy to eat. The base was thin with a doughy yet still crunchy crust, and the chicken was very tender. Definitely something I would recommend!

The service wasn't the best on this particular occasion with one of the waitresses being a little snappy while taking our order. Apart from that, the food came out quickly without any fuss, and we barely had any complaints! This is a great spot for any of the big meals of the day, with Zootz being open from 7am every day. We saw a few big breakfasts coming out since we were having an early lunch and I must say, they looked incredible! I've also had dinner here with my family and would also recommend the Seafood platter for 2 - a very generous serve of fried seafood, chips and salad that is great for sharing. I'm not too sure what the low rating on Urbanspoon is for because I've enjoyed every one of my visits here! Such a great spot to enjoy being outside in the summer (although there are indoor seating options) and I will no doubt be back in the upcoming warmer months.

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My first visit to Zootz at the beginning of 2013:

 Oven Baked Zucchini Boat $20.90

It was a beautiful sunny day in late January when a bunch of my friends and I visited Zootz to celebrate a 17th birthday! I wasn't craving any form of meat that day so I opted for a vegetarian dish. This look amazing when it came out - everyone was staring at it with envy! It tastes as good as it looks. The zucchini was baked to perfection; not too soggy but not too hard. The roasted capsicum, sun dried tomato, red kidney bean and Napoli sauce filling topped with cheese was delicious! The sautéed spinach with candied balsamic was a great side. Definitely recommend this!