Restaurant Reviews
Masala Zone (London, England)
2 reviews, average rating: 90%
The restaurant was visited on Thursday, 10th Nov 2005 at lunch time.
The food ordered was: I ordered a Grand Thali with clove smoked lamb korma. It camed with loads of dishes including vegetables, dal, raita, chapatti, rice and more. To drink I had a nimboo pani, which is an Indian lemonade.
Quality of food
Execptional standard of food and there is so much.
Quality of service
Staff are friendly and helpful. They are knowledgeable and will happily guide you through the menu and make recommendations.
Variety on menu
I never knew that you could get burgers and noodles at an Indian! However, Masala Zone serves authentic Indian food and they apparently love spicy noodle dishes there. There is loads of variety and the menu includes curry and rice plates.
Decor & ambience
Stunning decor. The art is beautiful and the waitress told us that they were painted by tribes in India. The colours are amazing and apparently it really comes alive at night and so I will return for dinner.
Location
Just minutes away from Ealrs Court tube and close to many bus stops.
Cost
I cannot believe that I had so much for so little. We ate and drank for less than £12 each!
In summary
You must try Masala Zone. I cannot wait to try their other branches in Soho and Islington.
The restaurant was visited on Thursday, 7th Nov 2002 in the evening.
The food ordered was: Grand chicken thali and grand lamb thali.
Quality of food
The thali arrived on a platter with poppadom, chapati, dhal, gobi bhaji, chutnies, raita, something suspiciously like polenta and a meat dish. The size of each dish was pretty tiny, but they all added up to a satisfying amount of food (although I was hardly stuffed). All the dishes had a freshness to the flavour and the green lamb masala (my meat dish) was nice and hot, although I would have liked a larger portion. Not spectacular food but definitely above average.
Quality of service
We had a friendly greeting at the door and were served quickly and politely. Our thalis came almost immediately. A little too quickly really - I like to tuck into a beer and settle into my surroundings before eating.
Variety on menu
The menu was very different to any other Indian restaurant I've been to. There were noodle dishes for a start; not something I've heard of in Indian cooking before. There were most of the usual suspects, but named differently: my 'green lamb masala' was basically a decent lamb madras by any other name, albeit without too heavy a sauce.
Decor & ambience
I really liked the atmosphere. Very different from your standard cosy curry house; Masala Zone had a modern open plan layout with an open kitchen that smelled fantastic.
Location
Easy to get to - smack bang in the middle of Soho.
Cost
The thalis are good value at 9 quid.
In summary
Masala Zone is often described as an Indian Wagamamma's and to be honest that's not far from the mark. It's quick and reasonably cheap: a good place to meet up and eat before an evening on the town. During our visit there, at least a third of the diners were Asian, so I would guess they're doing something right.