Restaurants London - Masala Zone

This is an average Indian restaurant chain in London. I have been to the one near Oxford Circus tube station. I would not say it is one of the best, but it is a practical place for larger groups.

Their curry and rice plates are generally ok and the service is quite quick.

The main dishes are around 14 GBP per head

Masala Zone

9 Marshall Street

London W1F 7ER

www.masalazone.com

Restaurants London - Zaika (very recommendable)

I started this blog about 10 months ago and am still catching up on the good restaurants I have been to in the last two years. I thought I should add a couple more for London since I lived there for two years and will start of with Indian recommendations. Many people go to London wondering where they can get a good Indian meal.

Zaika is a great contemporary Indian restaurant in Kensington High Street in an elegant setting. It is not pretentious.

The food is not on the cheap side. A main dish costs around 20 GBP, but I find it worth it. I enjoyed the Mirch Murg and Tandoori Murg Makhanwala dishes which were both chicken dishes with a delicious array of spices.

If you do not have a lot of time in London, do not want to spend too much and want to try a modern Indian, then I would recommend the Urban Turban - it is a must!

Zaika Restaurant

1 Kensington High Street

London W8 5NP

+44 20 7795 6533

www.zaika-restaurant.co.uk

Restaurants Ottawa - Haveli

So back to Ottawa!

There are a lot of Indian buffet type of places in Ottawa. Often they are greasy spoon Indian. Even though Haveli does not have the usual repertoire of butter chicken etc, it is a bit better than the others. The food tastes more authentic.

The food looks freshly prepared and they were very kind in telling me what kind of food is good for a Vata (Ayurvedic) diet.

I would say the buffet lunch is reasonable priced. It was around 15 CAD per person.

There are two locations in Ottawa. 

We went to the ByWard Market one:

39 Clarence Street

Tel. 613 241 1700

www.haveli.com

Restaurants London - Urban Turban (very recommendable)

I think this is one of the best Indian restaurants in London. I like the unique flavours and combinations. A great modern interpretation of Indian food!

The atmosphere is a combination of minimalist with a little bit of an Indian touch due to the colours that are chosen as the decor.

We tried the following dishes:

Tikki chaat: spicy chickpeas, potato cakes and tamarind chutney

Dahi batata papdi: potatoes & crushed papdi laced with sweetened yogurt & chutneys.

Tandoori chicken with makhani sauce

Saag paneer: spinach cooked with paneer tempered with cumin & garlic.

Dessert was a chocolate torte with caramelized nut base and ginger ice cream.

I thought the starters were outstanding, especially the touch of having the pomegranate seeds mixed with the Indian flavours in the Dahi batata papdi! Unlike the average Tandoori, which often dry, this Tandoori was grilled nicely and had an extra makhani sauce which complemented the flavour of the Tandoori chicken nicely. All main dishes were delicious and had a fresh taste. I think none of us thought that the dessert was spectacular, but did not ruin our impression of the place.

I would definitely recommend this place!

Our bill ended up being 25 GBP per person without drinks, which is great value for money.

98 Westbourne Grove

London W2

+44 20 72 434 200

www.urbanturban.uk.com