Masala Zone

My salsa friend and I hit this place last night after our bachata and salsa lesson at Fiesta Havana. It offered the promise of quick sit down food at the late (for London) hour of 10.30.

I had eaten at other branches of Masala Zone and expected a similar level of food but the flavour wasn't quite there for me last night. We went for their thalis - a plate containing a choice of curry, various side dishes, some rice or chapattis and half a popaddum.

The main complaint was a severe lack of meat in the dish - were they perhaps running out right at the end of the evening but my mutton came from an animal certainly less well fed than those Chilean miners trapped underground! The overwhelming flavour was of heat and no subtlety in the spicing. My friend's chicken dish was "OK" and I noticed she left some of it behind despite the fact there wasn't a lot of meat and that we were quite hungry after dancing.

On the upside, my strawberry lassi was new to me and very tasty.

Not quite in the zone last night, Masala Zone!

I tried Masala Zone last night after seeing them spawning up everywhere.


Sadly, it's rubbish. I honestly can't understand why people like it.


Overpriced and pre-packaged. If it's not pre-packaged, they've found a way of making it taste pre-packaged anyway.


I ordered the pani puri (which has some other name at Masala Zone) and it was a reasonable attempt for a chain restaurant. So far so good, I thought.
Then my fish curry arrived. It was as if the chef forgot he'd already added salt and added it again, and the sauce tasted like it was full of flavouring. It looked like it was full of colouring too, again not a good sign.


The chapatis were the same as those ones you get in tesco in the plastic bag, and the cheese naan didn't taste much like a naan at all, more like some kind of middle-eastern flatbread. Oh and the cheese was on top rather than inside, suggesting to me that they'd taken out one of the packaged chapattis (except tesco ones are better than the ones at Masala Zone) and sprinkled some cheese over the top, and then stuck it in the microwave.


I didn't stay for dessert, and won't be visiting another branch of Masala Zone again.

I ordered takeaway, so I didn't dine at the restaurant but from what I could see it's a very large space, very clean, brightly lit; gone are the days of grubby flak wallpaper. This place looks like a canteen but with a tad bit more ambiance. Judging from the size of tables and scale, they can serve most of Chelsea Stadium! Serving staff were very nice. Food quality was good, very aromatic and fresh. Quite different from other Indian cuisine in area, specialising in Hawker Food dishes. Very nice. Would definitely order again. Website is a bit of a dog's dinner, though, without a clear menu. Dinner takeaway delivery isn't until after 5.30pm, unless you go and pick it up yourself.

I would have to say this is by far one of the worst Indian restaurants I have been to. I orginally ordered takeaway from here and ended up not liking it but then i thought i would give it a chance by going to the restaurant. Hoping my takeaway was just a one bad experiece i was shocked as the food was just as bad. The vegetarian curry tasted the same as the chicken one like it was cooked in tomato sauce. The only appealing thing was the beverage i ordered which was masala coke and the staff were friendly and welcoming.

Another great Masala Zone restaurant. It is very convenient for me as a Chesea football fan. I love the large murals. Food is as consistent and interesting as the other sister restaurants. Good value as always