Tag Archives: Indian food

Lovely Indian flavours at Masala Dosa

Posted on by
4

DSC03250I looooves me some tasty Indian food. :)

And when I normally think of Indian food in Cape Town, places like Bukhara, Eastern Food Bazaar, Vintage India & Jewel of India come to mind.  Personally I think Bukhara is overpriced, but the other three I quite enjoy from time to time.  One place however that’s always eluded me for some reason is Masala Dosa in Long St…

The boyfriend then happened to have a meal there the other day with some friends and he was so impressed, he dragged me over there just 2 days later.

From a decor perspective, it was definitely my kinda place.  Casual, cosy, fun & quirky and far from your traditional Indian spot.  I especially loved the two massive puppets guarding the front door (others might find it creepy – but I didn’t), all the bright colours and the mock Bollywood movie posters showcasing items from the menu.

masaladosa

Oh and look, bottom left – it’s Richard Parker!!! (if you’ve seen Life of Pi, you’ll get that one. If you haven’t yet, what the hell are you waiting for?)

The menu has lots of tempting things to satisfy your Indian cravings (with a focus on south Indian cuisine), but Bjorn took charge of the ordering cause he wanted me to try the things he loved from his previous visit.  

So we went for the sev puri (from the starters options) which is 4 portions of layered of Indian bread, curry filling, raita, coriander, salsa and crackles (an crispy Indian snack) -   we got one chicken (R40) and one lamb (R42):

DSC03245

Mmmm, looks good huh?

And then we shared the oriental salad which is mixed cabbage and carrots on a bed of salad greens in a sweet cashew, ginger & soy dressing, sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds, peanuts and crispy noodles (R52 – or you can also add chicken which will then make it R65):

DSC03247

So fresh…

I will admit, when he first ordered I was like, that’s not going to be enough food.  I mean, I was bloody starving!  And I don’t normally eat salad out of my own free will (I’m a meat girl).  But he reassured me it was quite a lot, quite filling and that the salad would rock my world.  So I went with it…  And boy I’m glad I did.  That salad did in fact rock my world and the sev puri was super tasty.  I had a very happy food boep after this meal which is always a good sign in my book.

For it’s friendly service, fun atmosphere, well priced menu & really yummy food, I’m going to give Masala Dosa an overall Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating of:

kiss4

And a big high five to owner Amit Raz (who’s actually Israeli born btw, but honed his Indian skills by enrolling in a cooking school over in India) cause this has now become my new favourite Indian spot in town.

Important info:

  • Address: 167 Long St
  • Tel: 021 424 6772
  • Opening Hours:  Mon – Sat 12:00 to 22:30

Then also check out their website for all the details, but I see they do cooking classes on Saturdays from 9:00 to 12:00 at R380 pp (min 8 ppl – max 16 ppl).

xxx

PS.  For those wondering what Masala Dosa actually means…   it’s a popular south Indian breakfast dish consisting of crispy rice & a lentil pancake served with potato curry, coconut sauce & a spicy vegetable and lentil broth.

Spice things up at the Eastern Food Bazaar

Posted on by
2

Back when I was lucky enough to be working in town, I used to be a regular at the Eastern Food Bazaar – an amazing food experience that’s quite hard to explain in words.  It’s one of those places you really just have to experience for yourself to fully “get it”.  So upon realising that some of my friends had not yet been, we got a big group together to get our curry on.

It’s located in the old Wellington Fruit Growers Market Building and it stretches an entire city block between Longmarket & Darling streets.  The main entrance is on the Longmarket side at number 96.  But you can also enter from the Darling side.

Doesn't look like much from the outside... but don't let that put you off in any way.

Once inside, you quickly realise that this is quite a special place.  It transports you right out of good ol’ SA and straight into an exotic eastern location with dark wood furnishings, beautifully hand carved wooden doors & entrance ways and other fun touches.

Food wise you can pretty much have anything your heart desires, and even better,  it’s at super low prices you won’t believe.  The menus cover cuisine from all over India and then also some Turkish & Chinese options and even pizza (but with an eastern twist of course).

I won’t lie – it does get somewhat overwhelming trying to decide what to go for.  But at least there are also menus with pictures so you can see what the different dishes look like.  And if that still doesn’t help, just take a slow walk past the various food stalls and take in a good whiff.  I guarantee you something will grab your attention.

After much deliberation, I opted for a Chicken Kathi Roll – an Indian omelette with chicken rolled in a roti served with chips & salad:

Can you believe I got all of this for only R30! A kathi roll is an Indian street food which originated in Kolkata (just so you know).

The prices really are crazy good.  A butter chicken & rice for example will only set you back R35.  And check out this naan bread Leigh got for only R9!

Those little tubs of sauces are all for FREE.  They have a little station where you can simply go wild.  The chunky green one is a VERY hot chilli.  The smooth green one & the white one are both free of any burn.  And the red one (my favourite) has a nice bite without leaving you wanting to glug down liters of milk.

It’s quite hot downstairs, to me it just adds to the charm really, but we opted to sit in the upstairs dining area which was a little cooler and actually quite pretty:

Our table looked like a regte egte Indian feast – with happy faces chowing down on a variety of delicious curries and snacks…

I couldn’t even finish mine. It was way too filling.  But Bjorn really appreciated the doggy bag I took home. :)

If however you do manage to finish all your food and you still have a craving for something sweet,  you can opt for some yummy ice cream to finish off your meal:

That mango one in the front looked very inviting...

There are just some important things to take note off:

  • Self service is the lay of the land here.  Order & pay at one of the cashiers (don’t forget something to drink), then take your slip to the appropriate food stand.  Before you sit down, pick up some cutlery, napkins & condiments and then you’re good to go.
  • It’s a 100% Halaal spot.  So alcohol is neither served or allowed on the premises.
  • They are open Mon – Sat 9am to 11pm & Sun 9am to 10pm.

For authenticity, variety, insane value for money and a pretty unique dining experience, the Eastern Food Bazaar gets a Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating of:

xxx

Beating the winter chill…

Posted on by
Reply

So it’s been bloody freezing here in Cape Town the last 2 days!  I really don’t deal well with cold weather, so I decided to try and beat the chill by enjoying a nice hot curry… ;)

I headed over to the V&A Waterfront with my friends Nix & Joe and we decided to try out Jewel of India (Shop 6264, Upper Level).  I had heard quite a few people raving about this place, so I was really excited to check it out.

Looks very promising from the outside...

The decor is quite impressive, with beautifully carved wooden pillars and bright red accents:

Nice nice, very nice...

They bring each person a free pappadum – I love pappadums, so I thought that was a really nice touch.   I thought the wine options were a bit limiting though, but not a deal breaker for me – I was there for the curry after all.  Really weird thing is that they also have a Chinese menu?!  At first I thought Joe had brought is own bloody menu along! haha!  (He’s Taiwanese – yes I know that’s very different to Chinese, but it’s still funny ;) )  But seriously, I was very confused by this Chinese menu…  it just didn’t make any sense at all…  it’s like going to a sushi spot and there being like a 1kg rack of ribs special.  Just makes one very suspicious.

I decided not to focus on that and rather focus on the challenge at hand:  Selecting the perfect curry.   I was really torn…  the prawn curries sounded really great, so did the lamb, the beef & the chicken options… Hmmmm.

Nix and I shared a garlic naan (R18) as a starter.  Even though the garlic was “plakked on”, it tasted like nothing.  I think the garlic must have been seriously stale…  I have however been brushing my teeth non-stop since to get rid of the nasty aftermath!  You know what I’m referring too… that “something died in my mouth” taste that you just can’t seem to shake.  Blegh.

Joe seemed really intrigued by that damn Chinese menu, so he opted for a sweet corn chicken soup (R30) to start.   I can’t do sweet corn soup at all, they usually add egg to it and to me having bits of soft egg floating in your soup is just WRONG.   I have serious issues with weird textures like that.  But Joe seemed to really enjoy it.

For mains, I finally settled on the Chicken Kadhai (R75) with a portion of basmati rice (R18) and some sambals (R10).

Spicy baby!!!

It had 2 chillies next to it on the menu, which the waiter told us was “mild” – but hell did that curry pack a punch!  A couple of bites into it I really started to battle.  The flavours were great, but that burn did get a bit much.  I motored through my sambals & rice for some relief.

Nix had the beef biryani (R95) and she was nice enough to give me a bite.   It was really lovely, the lamb was super soft and it had just a hint of chilli.

Just look at the size of it! It would have been enough for two people... easily.

Joe tried another option from the Chinese menu, the Chicken Manchuia (R70).

OK seriously, Chinese dishes at an Indian restaurant!?! haha. Clearly I'm still not over that one...

This one too made you feel the burn! haha.  Joe was a bit disappointed because he doesn’t really like hot food that much and he ended up sweating like a hooker in church… (hahahaha, been dying for an opportunity to use that saying!  Finally, success!)

We were way too stuffed to try any desserts…  and our taste buds I think had had enough by that stage in any case.

All and all, I will say that I had an enjoyable experience at Jewel of India, but I definitely wasn’t blown away.  There are much better Indian spots in Cape Town…  My Miss K Kiss-o-Meter ratings are as follows:

  • Ambience: 
  • Price:
  • Service:
  • Food:

On the way out we noticed this really beautiful dining room which is closed off to the rest of the restaurant.  It looked like it must be a private function room or something.  It had low tables & soft pillows so one can sit on the floor and enjoy your meal.   I would have preferred sitting there – it was really stunning and had a more authentic feel.  I guess that’s something you could keep in mind for a birthday party…

Oh, before I go – here’s me getting cozy with the little dude they have standing outside:

If I kiss you... will you turn into a delicious curry making prince? ;)

xxx