Masala Zone - get some Punjabi in you!

As a Camden cruiser, I wonder to myself how on earth this Masala Zone passed me by. Sister to Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy (the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in the UK) and Amaya, everything I have to say about this Indian restaurant is good, great, excellent.

The waitress (who wasn't Indian) asked us if we'd like to have anything of the menu explained. I was very impressed but, obviously, said no. This was just the first episode in a lunch filled with lovely staff; more on that later!

Decor: I could live here. The walls are adorned with retro Indian advertisements, Indian Gods and Goddesses and old-school soap posters. There are Masala Zones in Soho, Islington, Earls Court, Covent Garden, Bayswater and Camden each with their own style and if you want to find out more visit their site. The space in the Camden branch is vast and downstairs there is a beautiful banquette / dining hall area. Despite the big space, they have filled it very well and the space affords friends or couples just the right amount of privacy.

Food: Ok, here's the good bit. They have a great menu, very well priced. Michelle and I both thought their street food starters were amazing (having grown up in India and sneakily eating street food on my way home after school, I am a great judge when it comes to gol guppe, tikkis and the like). I am amazed at the lack of Indian restaurants offering this kind of starter so you can be certain that when you find one that does, it will be good. Who needs a bhaji or samosa (boring and so generic) when you can have chickpeas and yogurt smothered with sticky sweet tamarind stuffed inside crunchy hollow pillows with vermicelli sprinkles? Heaven.

We were there during lunch time and they have some great deals on, so we both chose the £8.50 regular thalis plus starter deal. For starters we picked dahi puri (hollow gol guppe pillows filled with chickpeas, yogurt and chutney) and sev puri (flat wheat biscuits piled with a chickpea mash with yogurt and three chutneys plus lots of sev sprinkles).

For the thalis (basically a platter with lots of little dishes and one centerpiece served with some rice or roti and chutneys) I had chicken mangalore and Michelle had the butter chicken; both curries proudly displaying one chilli on the menu. My only negative comment would be that the curries were a tiny bit hotter than expected, though being Indian I didn't have a problem with that! I love thalis as Indian food is never about just one dish, there should be a party on your plate and that's how we do it at home! Our thalis were utterly delicious, consisting of:

Rice

Crispy spicy masala potatoes

Daal

Coconut and cream brocolli sambhar type dish - new addiction

Popadom (a proper one, not the type which remind me of giant prawn crackers)

Coriander and mint (I think) chutney

Mango chutney (although it was quite pineappley - in a nice way)

and of course....the chicken

Oh, and to wash this treat down we had masala cokes (consisting of chaat masala and mint leaves jazzing up your standard cola) which rounded our meal off perfectly. Once we had finished, the very friendly manager Karen came over to our table and had a little chat (shout out to Karen) and we talked about the food which was very informative and a fun way to finish our meal.

I can't really recommend this place enough for a budget curry, though no doubt Michelle will tell you one day about the amazing spinach puris she got for 50p each in the market! Just go to Masala Zone, speak to Karen and I am so certain you will enjoy your meal that I'll pay for it myself if you don't!

They deliver, they do parties, check it out at: http://www.masalazone.com/

4.5 stars out of 5 (0.5 star lost because there was no toilet paper)

Meal for two with soft drinks: around £20 for lunch, bit more for dinner

Cyprus Mangal, Westbourne Grove

Cyprus Mangal, why have you hurt me so?

So...Michelle has signed up for the tastelondon card and we decided to test it out at Cyprus Mangal in Westbourne Grove. This restaurant is new and although we were using the card to get 50% off our food bill, they were also offering 50% off as an opening gig.

We were greeted by a very friendly waitress. The place has a very sleek but earthy feel to it. Purply/blue lighting, chrome finishes, open kitchen, random brick wall. Looking at the menu, there isn't anything that really stood out in the mains but the starters list is absolutely fantastic!

Amongst the usual Mediterranean fare of Greek Salad, calamari, halloumi and white bait starters, there is some really quite super sounding grub. I opted for the spinach and feta parcels and Michelle thought she'd try something different *clears throat* by choosing one her favourite vegetables (aubergine) in one it's favourite forms (a cheesy, tomatoey stack) as a starter. I have to say, though, she made a very wise choice as her 'Grilled Aubergine Mozzarella Stack) was utterly delectable. Cooked to perfection with a drizzle of balsamic, a touch pretentious but we all need a drizzle every now and then. She said would order it as a main if they put it on the menu. My spinach parcels ticked a box of some kind but were a little dry (that'd be the puff pastry) and I felt could perhaps have done with a dash of salt. Having said that, I would eat them again...if they were free.

Now to the mains. All in all it's an 'ok' menu when it comes to the mains but could do with being a lot more daring. Cyprus Mangal list themselves as being a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant but I felt I may as well be in some gastro pub (a french one with a hint of the Med) with the menu before me. It's all chicken escalopes, Dijon lamb shanks, steaks with French titles, oyster sauce monkfish and meatballs here. I'm not saying this is a bad menu, but I went there expecting Mediterranean food and that is not what I got. Still, we stayed.

Michelle's 'Caramelised Pineapple Chicken Hawaii' arrived with herby crusted potatoes, pineapple and 'chef's special sauce' which despite the name was astoundingly delicious. And it was big. No, it was HUGE. TWO chicken breasts, nice crisp veg, that scrummy special sauce. Totally gut busting. Michelle gave it enough thumbs ups. I chose the meaty delight of Calves liver which also came with some crisp veg and a dark, rich gravy and some crispy parsnip twists decorating the meat. Now, I am a big lover of meats that gross out the majority and this liver did not disappoint. Thick, juicy, steaky liver (two I think or one big one sliced through) melted in my mouth.

We ordered coffee which took forever to get to us but was worth it in the end; thick Greek-style coffee with a nice little plate of nutty Turkish delight which we devoured in about 2 seconds.

Oh did I mention the belly dancing? Friday night only - she'll dance in your face if you make eye contact. Was especially fun watching first daters squirm in their seats!

We were totally impressed with the food so we went back a second time with Michelle's family and were really disappointed. The home-made dip starter was superb and we both had the same mains - adventurous! The calamari is also to die for. Best. Calamari. Ever. The lamb fillet chosen by the sister was a good choice and the Mum's monkfish medallions (oh la la) were perfection but when Michelle's chicken and my liver arrived, we were in for a shock. My liver was in a thin, watery gravy and Michelle only got one chicken breast! My lovely crispy parsnip twists were missing and I felt cheated thinking back to my first meal there. Michelle did enjoy hers but like me, felt wildly cheated too. I can understand why they might scale down a little on the portions when you're saving 50% but the idea of the scheme is surely to get customers coming back for a full price meal - this is a goal apparently missed by the management.

Listen up Cyprus Mangal, you lost some customers who were willing to spend a lot of money in your restaurant. Shame really because I do crave another outing. I have definitely developed a love/hate relationship with this place.

Cyprus Mangal, 107 Westbourne Grove,London W2 4VW Tel: 020 7243 1499

http://www.cyprus-mangal.co.uk

3.5 stars out of 5

Meal for two with soft drinks: around £40

Wine from £12.95 per bottle, beer £2.50, cocktails from £4.50 and spirits £2.50.