Masala Zone

Reviews for Masala Zone

• 1

  Masala Zone

  80-82 Upper Street London N1 0NU uk
  
  holly

  11th December 2007

  diabolical

  Current

  I went to this place after reading the reviews and hype extolling the virtues of this simply marvellous place.
  After dining there I can safely say that masala zone is all mouth and no trousers.
  The staff spend a long time telling you about their 'special system' (basically they give you a bit of everything on a plate) as if they are trying to explain quantam phsyics to a slightly slow 4-year-old.
  Although what I did get on a plate was enjoyable, the portions were meager and the service went from unctious to perfunctory in one fell swoop.
  Whilst my dad was on the phone a waitress came up to me to ask if I would like a dessert and I told her that I would inform her once the he was off the phone.
  When he got off, which was only about 2 minutes later, the waitress snapped at me that I couldn't have a dessert now, that it was too late.
  The staff then proceeded to turn the full glare of the lights on to give us a hint to get out - we hadn't even been in very long.
  Unfortunately, not long after this experience I had to visit another branch of this dire chain becuase it was someone else's choice.
  This time it was for lunch, rather than dinner but I wasn't surprised to see that the staff here did the same trick of putting what seemed like high-beam lighting on and basically making it very clear that you had to "eat your dinner and get to f*ck" (to use one of my dear ma ma's phrases) as soon as you had finished your meal.
  All in all appaulling and deserves to go out of business.
  
  

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• 2

  Masala Zone

  80-82 Upper Street London N1 0NU uk
  
  thelawnet

  9th October 2007

  Over-hyped, over-priced

  Current

  Not that good, food not bad, but not outstanding, fooled by their claims that it was wonderful. Try one of the other Indian restaurants locally, don't believe the hype. It's actually not cheap at all, by the standards of Indian restaurants, despite their claims.

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• 4

  Masala Zone

  80-82 Upper Street London N1 0NU uk
  
  idoru

  5th March 2007

  Masala Zone, imagine a Giraffe styled curry house....

  Current

  I've been through the masala zone Yes I have, and it was good. I visited the Islington branch (opened 2002) of the three famous restaurants; a cool 5min walk from Angel station. They're owned by Marsala World, and share the stable with Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy and Amaya. What sets them apart from your average curry house is the diversity of regional dishes that are done really well, this is what they have to say about themselves: All our restaurants employ Indian regional specialist chefs, recruited directly from different regions of India, creating their own specialities
  
  It's also important to note their price versus quality ratio. For very little you get to experience damn fine fare. Award winning even with it being named best cheap eat in various publications. Think Wagamama meets new wave Indian cooking, with separated tables. We ended up paying about 25 each after starters mains drinks and a few shared desserts.
  
  A non-smoking restaurant did not please my fellow dinners as I lead them in but the charming service, brief but nice wine selection and tasty lassi's quickly brought them round. Being hospitality all stars there was a near 5-minute discussion on how to go about the wine selection, it was pretty heated with no one wanting to compromise. We finally got there, deciding on a White, a Rose, and half a bottle carafe of Spanish red. The boys went for the beers, the non-drinker for diet coke.
  
  The setting, for lack of better words is funky minimal, and functional. With clean lines and long tables, the walls add character with tribal murals and bright colours. The kitchen is open and the bustle and noise of the busy space adds to the experience. As a group of 7 we easily got a table with it recommended you book for 10 and up. As I mentioned it's non smoking but there is an ample heated court yard out the front. The bathrooms are a little trip away from the upstairs dining area but are pretty and welcoming (well the girls is I'm not sure about the boys). There are also pricate dining rooms downstairs for large groups
  
  The food was awesome, we decidied to order a selection of curries and share. I went vegetarian with a tasty chickpea curry I hadn't tried before, it was accompanied with my favourite type of brown rice. The beginners in the group ordered the butter chicken and found it a bit too hot so we got them some extra raita and they were away laughing. The star was the prawn masala mild and rich with beautiful big fresh prawns.
  
  It's worth mentioning the thali experience, which for a 10er you get an ayurvedic styled meal with a selection of curry and starters. They can be tailored to suit diabetic, gluten intolerant, and vegetarian. Making it the perfect solution for all of your difficult friends to dine together. It's fast it's cheap and it's tasty. All done in style and with charming service, this place gets my thumbs up for birthdays, group dinners and cheap eats.
  

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