Masala Wok | Al Nahda Dubai

Add some masala to your appetite with a meal at Masala Wok. Located in Al Nahda Dubai, this restaurant is quite the hidden gem, but also serves up amazing food to a host of loyalists, some of who keep coming back even as often as lunch – dinner – lunch – dinner on consecutive days! Offering an impressive variety of Indian and Chinese dishes, this place serves up everything with a side of unmatched hospitality and feel good vibes.

We had the pleasure of sharing our lunch with the managing director of the restaurant Mr. Shareef Kutty, who told us all about the restaurant, the regular diners, the food and much much more. A true foodie in every sense, Shareef has grown up travelling to various cities in India, fascinating over its Khau Gallis – from the Parathe Waali Gali of Delhi to the Sharafa Bazaar of Indore and from the Tunday Kebabs of Lucknow to the Chaat of Mumbai! Being so connected to food, he decided to start Masala Wok as a restaurant that could be the one stop shop serving all the dishes he loves. And to be honest, despite the sea of restaurants in that area, this one stands out tall for everything that Shareef has created – whether it is maintaining a friendly relation with his diners and ensuring his staff follows the same, or creating a selfie corner in the wash area for younger photo lovers, or self-designing spectacular interiors that give you a royal feel without burning a hole in your pocket.

Looking at the variety, we were pretty sure we were going to leave feeling absolutely stuffed, but we were also looking forward to that. As soon as we placed our order, we were offered some complimentary Bobby fries and chilled kokam shots. We started our lunch with Chicken Lemon Coriander Soup that was incredibly delicious. The warm soup, the tangy lemon taste and the right spices all came together to make it quite a pleasant broth despite the sweltering heat outside. I know where I’ll be fulfilling my winter soup cravings!

Of course, we weren’t going to simply drink warm stuff, so our next round was two chilled drinks recommended by the staff. I picked a sweet and sour aam panna, while my plus one went for a cumin spiced Shikanji drink. Both were refreshing, but I found my drink to be slightly sweeter than I would have liked.

Our starters course began with two Indian and two Chinese dishes. We were almost going to settle for just one Chinese starter, but Shareef insisted we try the other one too, which is their specialty, so we had no choice but to agree. From the Indian kitchen, we opted for Tandoori Prawns which were remarkably succulent. Creamy and roasted to perfection, these had a lot of effort put into making them, and I loved the portion size. Masala Wok Special Chicken Kabab was next. What a presentation, this was certainly their show stopper. Smoked in a copper pot and skewered through, this portion of 4 giant kebabs came stuffed with chicken mince which made it almost like a dish within a dish. The spices were great in this one too, but a little too heavy for me, so I opted for just one piece. The Chinese kitchen first brought us Dragon Chicken which had a good mix of sweet and spicy flavors along with the crunch of cashes and fresh peppers. Chicken Lollipops were next – the ones that Shareef made sure we tried that afternoon. I honestly loved the lollipops. The chicken was tender, without being oily, and that sauce – which is an essential with every lollipop – was out of this world. A must have if you are a fan of chicken lollipops.

Seeing that we had to add some variety while still keeping space for dessert, we kept it simple with one Indian curry and one Chinese rice for mains. Chicken Kukkad – our gravy dish – is one of their bestsellers, and as soon as we tried it, we knew exactly why. Fresh baby chicken, tender to the bone, cooked in a rich onion based gravy with all the right spices makes this one of Masala Wok’s ultimate creations. We paired this with masala kulcha and garlic naan. Masala Wok Special Fried Rice was our rice main, and it was certainly special. Butter fried rice with chicken was served around a Chinese styled chicken mince gravy and topped with spring onions. I like the original fried rice better, with all the veggies and the wok fried texture, but this was a good thing to try.

After being utterly stuffed till the throat, we tried dodging the bullet, but eventually took the hit, and a very chocolaty one at that, with the Sizzling Brownie. The overdose of chocolate and the hot sizzle meets cold ice cream was the perfect way to end the meal.

Finally to make sure we leave feeling refreshed, we ordered a couple glasses of their karak chai, and this is definitely one you should have during your meal.

Masala Wok

Location: Ground Floor, Al Bahri Building, Amman Street, Al Nahda 2, Al Nahda, Dubai
Contact: 04 2868085

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