Restaurant Review: Masala

This review originally appeared in Czech translation in the 04/04/09 edition of Lidové Noviny.

It would be easy to confuse Masala with a restaurant in New York or London. That is not to say it possesses any qualities particular to either of those cities – other than the fact that the language spoken there is almost exclusively English.

Masala may be located in the Czech capital, but over the year and a half of its operation, it has cultivated a mostly expatriate clientele. It isn't unusual to hear no Czech spoken at all during a meal there, and while foreigners all seem to be in on the Masala secret, few Czechs appear to know the restaurant even exists at all.

Part of the reason must be that the restaurant's owners – siblings Bobby and Bhavna Jain – speak limited Czech themselves, and so have made a concerted effort to reach out to the many foreigners that live in Masala's immediate area, Vinohrady. Jain is a constant presence on the Expats.cz internet portal, responding to his customers' complaints and questions and announcing new developments.

So far, the hands-on approach seems to have worked; Masala is reliably busy even on weeknights. With a restaurant of only ten or so tables, a full house isn't all that hard to pull off, but the place has a definite buzz. On one of my visits, several groups of hungry customers had to be turned away or told to wait for a table to free up.

I don't know all that much about Indian cuisine, but it doesn't take a ton of expertise to recognize that Masala is one of the best Indian restaurants in the city. There's a lot of love and hard work that's been put into this place, and it shows.

The menu is laid out clearly and beautifully, with each dish explained in mouthwatering detail – helpful for those who are not too familiar with the offerings. Indian-food newbies will also appreciate Masala's flexible approach to their spices; the cooks are happy to adjust the hotness levels according to your taste, from very mild to sweat-inducing.

I asked for a chicken madras (162 CZK) done medium spicy, and it turned out just right (I am still trying to work my tastebuds up to the extreme heat of a real chicken Vindaloo, which is also on the menu). Indian dishes can be hard to pin down – there are no precise recipes, as ingredients vary from one chef to the next – but the hallmarks of a Madras are its red color and a generous amount of chili powder. This one had a sweet, tangy flavor, and the cubes of chicken nestled inside the sauce were amazingly tender.

But the chicken is nothing compared to Masala's consistently soft and juicy lamb meat. I tried it with saagwala (233 CZK), a thick curry made with spinach and fenugreek that was perfect for scooping up with a slice of naan bread (39 CZK). The naan, by the way, is homemade in a special tandoor oven and comes in three varieties: plain, butter, and garlic. The Masala version is a little crispier than other naans I've eaten, but it's still wonderful.

Another highlight was the tandoori chicken appetizer (185 CZK) – a Punjabi dish of chicken marinated in yoghurt, seasoned with a tandoori curry paste, and roasted in the aforementioned clay oven at a very high temperature (when the next table over is presented with a caste-iron dish that sizzles so loudly it interrupts your conversation, the tandoori chicken is probably what they're getting). I also loved the onion bhaji (69 CZK) -- chopped onions deep-fried in chickpea batter and served with a cool mint and yoghurt dipping sauce.

Even when Masala veers a bit from the more classic Indian dishes, they still manage to do very well. A tandoori chicken salad (185 CZK) was a refreshing mix of fresh veggies, chicken, and mint leaves, and a tomato and basil soup (45 CZK) had a mildly Indian accent thanks to the addition of fresh ginger (shredded coconut gave a yellow lentil soup, also 45 CZK, an ingenious boost, too).

Occasionally, the amount of meat tucked away in those pretty copper curry bowls can seem a little skimpy, but when I last visited, I was so full from the appetizers that I had to ask to have most of my main course wrapped up to take home. They are happy to do take-out meals, in case you want to eat your curry at home in front of the TV.

And with Masala's growing popularity, taking the stuff with you could be your only option. You might prefer it anyway, not because the atmosphere is bad – the restaurant is pleasantly decorated, with Indian pillows and tapestries and bright yellow walls – but because the service can be on the slow side. This is not for lack of trying by the friendly and slightly frazzled waitress, but because there is only one of her. Despite its small size, there's a lot to take care of when Masala is full, not least because Indian food demands many dishes and, inevitably, many drinks.

So I waited for a Coke that never came, and had to ask twice for another bottle of water. We also sat for a long time with empty plates in front of us, the remnants of curry sauces crustifying before our eyes. This has happened to me at Masala before on a few occasions. Basically, they could really use another server.

I would also be thrilled if they started tapping their beer – after all, the combination of spicy Indian food and a cold, freshly-tapped Czech beer is almost unbeatable. But as consolation, Masala has a selection of yoghurt lassis that they will make with a double shot of vodka (90 CZK) for those who are inclined to drink the hard stuff.

For now, I'll stick to my favorite beverage, the deliciously spicy Masala tea. I plan on coming back for it soon – and maybe next time, I'll even run into a few Czech speakers there.

Masala
Mánesova 13
Praha 2 - Vinohrady
map
Tel: 222 251 601

photographs 1, 3, 4, 5 Jindřich Mynařík for Lidové Noviny; all others masala.cz

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Restaurant Review: Safir / Beas

This review originally appeared in Czech translation in the 07/06/08 edition of Lidové Noviny.

With a surging interest in gourmet cuisine among its residents, Prague can now lay claim to plenty of upscale restaurants. But some of its best and most interesting food is also its least expensive – and doesn’t require table service. Here’s an overview of two great spots to get a satisfying meal for under 150 CZK.






When its original location on Havelská shut down, fans of Safir Grill’s reliable, low-cost Lebanese food found themselves without a place to go. Not long after, the restaurant re-emerged, this time simply as Safir, in the newly-built Nový Smíchov shopping mall.

This low-key Middle Eastern joint is a nice addition to the typical food court – not as greasy as the McDonald’s across the way, but not as time-demanding as some of the sit-down restaurants nearby. At lunchtime, the lines at Safir are long, but the wait is minimized by the efficient and friendly staff.

There’s a variety of classic Lebanese dishes here, both with and without meat: gyros, tabbouleh, dolmas, and falafel are among them. For a convenient to-go food, try the twister gyros, a tightly-wrapped sandwich of roasted chicken and cabbage in Lebanese bread. It’s something like KFC’s Twister sandwich, only better – and certainly healthier.

Safir’s tabbouleh is a little on the flavorless side, probably because they make theirs with curly parsley instead of the more tasty (and less common in these parts) flat Italian variety. But their hummus and baba ganoush are delicious, especially when paired with a plate of crispy, freshly-made falafel patties.

I also love their grape leaves and cabbage leaves, which come served with the refreshing yoghurt and cucumber sauce known as tzatziki. For dessert, they offer sticky-sweet pistachio or peanut baklava (pistachio is better) or the soft, spongy harisa cake, in either coconut or walnut versions. Everything can be wrapped up to go, so it’s a good option for a last-minute dinner when you don’t feel like cooking.

The atmosphere is a little lacking, but what can you expect from a shopping mall restaurant? Safir does their best under the circumstances, with mosaic tables, Arabic-style mirrors, and even shisha pipes offered on the menu – though I have yet to see anyone try them. Just watch out for your belongings; thieves occasionally lurk among the tables, looking for a stray purse to grab while its owner has her hands full of falafel.

Late last year, Safir opened up a second location in the DBK department store at Budějovická. I still wish they had a spot downtown, since there’s an unfortunate lack of good quality, low-budget Middle Eastern food in the city center. Maybe they’ll be back someday. For now, we’ll have to rely on shopping malls in order to get our Safir fix.

Safir
OC Nový Smíchov
Plzeňská 8 – Praha 5
map
Tel: 257 310 149

DBK Praha
Budějovická 1667/64 – Praha 4
map
Tel: 296 825 111







It almost seems too good to be true: two portions of vegetable stew, rice, salad, soup, yoghurt sauce, chutney, and dessert for only 98 CZK (pictured below). But at Beas, this is the standard menu (the large one, anyway; a smaller version, which comes minus the chutney and dessert, goes for 85 CZK).

The food here is not only plentiful and cheap, but is some of the better Indian you’ll find in town. Beas employs Indian chefs at both its locations, and isn’t afraid of being authentic; they even serve pickles, the super-spicy condiment made of pickled fruits and vegetables.

Meat-eaters might be disappointed that Beas is exclusively vegetarian, but the offerings here are so rich and filling that some of them may hardly even notice. The generous portions of rice (either white or flavored, depending on your preference), sabji (vegetable stew), and dhal (bean, chickpea, or lentil stew) are hearty enough alone to fill up the hungriest lunchtime patrons. The other menu elements are there to round out the experience – like the raita (yoghurt sauce with herbs), which acts as a cooling contrast to the spicy stews, or the chutney (a condiment made of dates, raisins, or other fruits), whose sweet, gooey texture is a natural complement to the savory vegetables.

The set menu is served to at the counter, cafeteria-style, but if you have a little more time, it’s worth waiting for the kitchen to whip up some of the Indian specialties they prepare to order. Among these are the excellent dosa, a thin, crispy pancake made of rice and flour and stuffed with either potatoes or spinach, and the parantha, a type of whole wheat flatbread filled with a spicy potato mixture (pictured below; on a recent visit to the Bělehradská Beas, however, only two of the six made-to-order options were in stock).

Both locations have pleasant courtyards to eat in, but the interiors are perfectly nice, too, with cream-colored walls and sleek wooden chairs. At the Týnská restaurant, each table carries a silver pitcher full of tap water, a quaint touch that adds to the homey surroundings. Unfortunately, the Bělehradská location has now replaced the pitchers with plastic water filters – more hygienic, perhaps, but a little less aesthetically pleasing.

If you’re curious about Indian desserts, be sure to try Beas’s halva. Unlike Arabic halvas, which are usually sesame-based, the Indian variety is made from semolina wheat and has a soft, couscous-like consistency. Served with a thick vanilla cream, it’s the perfect way to finish a meal at the dhaba. Or try a glass of the mango lassi – like most things at Beas, it’s delicious and healthy, and it won’t strain your wallet.

Beas
Týnská 19 (in the courtyard) – Praha 1
Open Mon-Sat 11:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-18:00
map

Bělehradská 90 – Praha 2
Open Mon-Fri 11:00-21:00, Sat 12:00-20:00, Sun 12:00-18:00
map
tel.+420 608 035 727

images: praguespoon.com, beas-dhaba.cz

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Food news: Seafood and sushi, as the Václavák sausage party rages on

There've been a fair amount of seafood events happening around town lately. Now, CzecHouse is doing one of their own: a special lobster and shellfish menu that runs from the 15th to the 24th of February. See the full menu (including suggested wine pairings) here.

Zahrada v Opeře recently welcomed a new executive chef, Martial Clement, to their funky-hip quarters in the Radio Free Europe building. They've also begun featuring weekly "Sushi Days"every Tuesday through Saturday; the Japanese delicacies are prepared by chef Tadayoshi Ebina.

Upscale Indian restaurant Khajuraho has moved from its original location in the Iron Gate Hotel to a new spot down the street on Michalská. The hotel plans to open a new restaurant, The Iron Gate, in the spring.

And for those of you who love your klobása, you can rest a little easier tonight: it's been announced that the Václavské náměstí sausage stands will remain in business after all. Prague City Hall backed down from its plan to shut down the outdoor vendors after 9000 people signed a petition in protest.

images: hiltonprague.cz, zahradavopere.cz

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