80 Upper Street,
Islington,
London,
N1 0NU
0871 971 3199
The ViewLondon Review
If you've been to the Soho branch of Masala Zone, you'll be familiar with the idea: inexpensive, quick-to-serve Indian food in modern, Wagamama-like surroundings. The main difference at the Angel branch is the outside terrace, which can seat up to 40 diners. In winter, outside heaters continue to make al fresco dining a real possibility.
Coming from the same stable as Chutney Mary and Veeraswamy, the quality of the food at Masala Zone was never going to be in serious doubt. And that there was a market amongst the younger, trendier crowd for Indian food was pretty much a foregone conclusion, too.
The gamble was more whether "going for a ruby" would remain an attractive proposition without the flock wallpaper, sitar music and surfeit of poppodums that has become such a part of the Indian dining experience. They needn't have worried.
And it's not just the décor and ambience that are different. Masala Zone concentrates on modern, imaginative "street food" from India, with a menu that bears little resemblance to the long, repetitive and oddly uninformative descriptions of misspelled dishes you'll find at your local curry house. There are lots of snacks and light bites, as well as the famous thalis, which range from just £6 to £11.50 for enough food to sustain Vicky Pollard for a month.
Masala Zone isn't fast food – it's healthy, modern Indian cuisine for a Western palate, in fresh, canteen-style surroundings. Cheap eats don't come much better than this!