Mingling of spices at Masala Pot
No matter the diversity, you’ll always keep returning back to your roots. Not entirely, but somewhere that’s what Indian food is for us. It takes us back home. So everytime we get an opportunity to sample a slice of our countryland, we make sure we take out some time for that. Masala Pot in Bay Square might not instantly come across as homely, what with its wooden seating, urban industrial look, contemporary meets rustic feel and so forth. But look around and the details will show you they have definitely put in some thought to connect with their audience.
Their menu, mimicking a thin news supplement from back in the days, features a compact, yet creative collection of best-selling Indian dishes including the best of all three – kebabs, curries and biryani. Read on to take a look at some of their creatively done classics, surprising innovations and comforting menu items.
Papad Platter & Paan Lemonade
This is definitely one of the better papad platters I’ve had in a long time. With a lovely layout of the basic salad-y tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, this Masala Pot delicacy comes with cone shaped poppadums and a jar full of green chillies.
What interests me even more are the paan lemonade coolers. The perfect taste of paan muddled with mint leaves in a chilled lemon drink makes it just right for the summers. Moreover their quantity is good enough to last you throughout your meal.
Both these items are not printed on the menu. So while you might get the papad platter by default, make sure you ask for the paan lemonade.
Butter Chicken & Chana Masala
You can never go wrong with curries, especially at an Indian restaurant. It’s a given. At Masala Pot, instead of opting for two bestsellers, we chose to go with one house special – butter chicken, and one dish that I was specifically craving for – Chana Masala. We could have also gone for their Paneer Kadai, but we were simply saving ourselves for the biryani that was yet to make an appearance. But more on that later.
The butter chicken was quite different from what I expected. It had more of a tomato-ey tangy gravy than a creamy one. I would have preferred the chicken more tender or maybe the end pieces with just fat removed from the curry.
The chana masala however was as good as it could get. I had to remind myself to stop eating and pack the rest if I wanted any facetime with the biryani. Spicy, but not overwhelmingly so, this was cooked just right with the correct mix of masalas.
Although we had both these dishes with tandoori roti, I would have definitely loved a puri or bhatura with the chana.
Chicken Biryani
What’s an Indian meal without a biryani? And when it’s presented so creatively like this one at Masala Pot, it becomes an even bigger must have. After hearing and seeing tons about this unique Kilner biryani, there was no way we could leave without trying it out, no matter how full we were.
The presentation is definitely top notch. They even serve the raita in a pretty milk bottle.
Moving on to the taste, the biryani is a classic. The flavors and spices are just right. Even the quantity is hearty. My only disappointment, I had asked for the chicken tikka biryani, but was served the normal one. The chicken pieces were okay, but a little bland for my taste.
The raita however was just right. With onions and chillies and all that jazz, this was an ideal drink with the rice. Moreover, you can just sip it from that chic bottle. So convenient no?
Have you tried this biryani yet? Are you looking forward to it after seeing my post? Tell me in the comments below
Rasgulla
Although every bit worth devouring, desserts during an Indian meal often come across as a Herculean task, since by the time you get to this course, you are stuffed plenty.
Which is why I loved the petite portion of these rasgullas at Masala Pot.
Served with sugar syrup on the side, this one lets you adjust the sweetness to your liking, which is perfect for someone like me who doesn’t prefer too much syrup in my sweets.
And aren’t those mini pans just so adorable?
Masala Pot
Location: Building 11, Bay Square, Business Bay, Dubai
Contact: 0543981947
