Garam Masalaa
Qawra

Food: 8/10
Location: 7/10
Service: 10/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

There are times when nothing but a curry will do. And we gorged ourselves. This  unrestrained overindulgence took place at Garam Masalaa on the Qawra seafront, named after that distinct blend of aromatic ground spices – typically black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cumin, coriander and cardamom – that embodies the quintessential aroma of India. It is used extensively in Indian cuisine, flavouring countless Indian dishes, either as the star spice mix or along with other seasonings.

Before the curry frenzy could begin, there were quenching gin and tonics all around. This classic, highly-revered cocktail owes its semi-accidental inception to India – British India.

Finding themselves trapped in a mosquito-infested tropical climate, Queen Victoria’s officers took to mixing their medicinal, anti-malarial quinine syrup with their decidedly non-medicinal rations of gin. A cocktail titan was born.

G&T, the archetypal drink of the British Empire, was a pleasantly palatable means to stave off malaria. Although this timeless classic had begun life as a medicinal cure, it rapidly became the stuff of recreation.

As we enjoyed our cocktails, I could see that the kitchen was on fire.  Three chefs cooked fervently before flaming frying pans,  beads of sweat on their brows. I looked on as our naan bread was baked. The dough, which incorporates yoghurt in order to increase elasticity, shaped into rounds, rolled and flattened. It was then laid on to a tandoor gaddi (a cushion of sorts) and skilfully slapped against the scalding wall of the tandoor oven. The flatbread blisters up instantly and chars in the oven’s intense, ferocious heat. The naan was baked in a matter of minutes, beautifully puffed and pillowy; it was carefully removed from the heat using long, thin hooks.

Spicy, tomatoey and richly savoury, the Rogan Josh curry was gorgeously moreish with bold, aromatic flavours. Despite the slow-cooked lamb being slightly stringy, the medium-spiced rogan josh was an absolute pleasure to savour; delicious served with the warm naan bread and bowlfuls of vividly coloured, subtly fragrant saffron rice.

The utter, utter joy of the prawn madras curry – a fairly hot, luscious, tomato-based sauce studded with juicy prawns. Your tongue is hit with spicy heat from the chilli powder and dried red chillies, with the warmth from the cumin powder and the garam masala and the earthiness of the coriander leaves and turmeric. Ginger and garlic lend a pleasing sweetness to the curry sauce while curry leaves contribute a fragrant, herbal note. The flawless blending together of complementary spices provided a taste sensation with flavours that balanced each other beautifully. The prawn madras was a roaring success. I demolished it.

Definitely bang for your bite and bang for your buck

The butter chicken smelt tantalisingly good. It was everything you could hope for – creamy, sweet, richly buttery and deeply indulgent. A mixture of tomatoes, onions, garlic and sugar seasoned with garam masala and red chilli powder is simmered in a pan and pulsed in a blender until a thick, silky-smooth pulp is achieved. Heavenly doses of cream and butter (of course!) are added to the paste, ensuring a curry sauce of luxurious, velvety smoothness.

I dredged pieces of naan bread through the thick, calorific creaminess, lapping it up. I didn’t feel the slightest glint of guilt. I’ve never counted a single calorie in my entire life. I certainly wasn’t going to begin when faced with a dish of chicken makhani!

Everyone at the table had washed their curry down with cold beers. My non-alcoholic tipple of choice was a mango lassi,  an utterly refreshing, yoghurt-based drink, possibly one of the most refreshing on earth. Happily for me, it is a dessert cleverly disguised as a drink and so I ordered one right at the start of the meal.

Lassis come in all shapes and sizes: they can be salty or sweet, plain, fruity or subtly spiced. Mine was richly creamy, as a well-made lassi ought to be, with the sweetness of the mango puree balancing out the natural sourness of the yoghurt. It proved to be a very welcome cooling element as I flitted from one curry to another but was almost too thick to drink. It was impossible to drink through a straw. It needed to be slightly thinned in order to reach a better drinkable consistency.

Two hours in a curry house and I had inherited the renowned Indian sweet tooth. The mango lassi hadn’t quite satisfied my craving for all things sweet. I encouraged everyone to order dessert and they dutifully obliged. Hitting us with an ungodly quantity of calories were the gulab jamun, intoxicatingly sweet calorie bombs. These delicately flavoured little balls of deep-fried dough had been soaked in a sugary, rose-water scented syrup. Soft and spongy, syrup-saturated jamuns are the rum babas of the Indian continent, resembling the famed French sweet in texture and excessive stickiness. There is, of course, the absence of hard liquor that sets the babas apart from the fried jamuns. Nevertheless, the latter make for a wonderful sweet treat.

I adored the carrot halwa, a classic Indian dessert and a special favourite during Diwali, the effervescent Hindu festival of light. It is, rather unusually, composed chiefly of grated carrots. The carrot is fried in ghee and a combination of spices (which varies from region to region and from kitchen to kitchen), brought to a boil once evaporated or fresh whole milk has been added to the mixture, and then slow simmered. Nuts and dried fruit are added. The carrots in Garam Masalaa’s version hadn’t been finely grated which gave the dessert an agreeably chunky texture. Vibrantly coloured, this little orange bowlful of buttery carrot pudding, interspersed with a garnish of slivered almonds and raisins, had a rich sweetness to it and a light, creamy texture. It was a total delight.

I thoroughly enjoyed eating at this authentically Indian curry house. The well-balanced dishes were fabulously flavoursome and the staff were exceptionally lovely and most accommodating. With a reasonably priced menu on offer, there is excellent value for money to be had here.

There is definitely bang for your bite and bang for your buck.