Emilia reviews an Indian restaurant in Fitzroy you have to try!
Click PLAY to hear Emilia’s full review on 3AW Breakfast
From the Manpreet Sekhon, also known in Geelong as the “Curry Queen,” of Eastern Spice, Indian restaurant in Geelong, (notoriously and consistently number one in the Geelong “foodie poll”) and Elchi in the CBD; Masti is the newer sister restaurant in Fitzroy.
“For a long time people have been telling me I should open up a restaurant in Melbourne. When I finally decided to do it, it took me two years to find the right venue. I wanted it to be somewhere central, in a fun area. Somewhere that would be accepting of my progressive take on traditional Indian food, and a place that would welcome the fun cocktail list I knew I wanted to create. When I found this location in Fitzroy, I instantly felt it was the perfect place to open MASTI.” – Manpreet
The Hindi word “masti” does not have a direct equivalent in English, but it can be loosely translated to mean “fun,” “mischief,” “playfulness,” or “lightheartedness.”
The menu is full of modern takes on classical, mixed with the solid must haves with a Northern Indian base. The starters list was so interesting that we struggled to decide how we were going to try everything that piqued our interest. We were led by our waitress who recommended the Onion Bhaji which is three large, crispy onion fritters with homemade chutney – we got some raita on the side that we loved pairing with the fritter and chutney. Cauliflower Manchurian was another recommendation that we didn’t get to try but wish we did, which is made with Indo-Chinese flavours, and would definitely order next time.
We also tried the Papdi Chaat which they called their version of “Masti Style nachos” with lip-smacking chutneys and raita on top. If you don’t like sweet chutneys, this isn’t for you but if you do, along with crispy chickpeas and ‘nachos’. So far, everything we started with is vegetarian and some is vegan, so if you need vego options, they’ve got plenty. From here though, we deviate. Chicken Tikka was deliciously smoky from the tandoor, just like I like it and we tried the spicy lamb chops which had a decent amount of char on the outside before being topped with coriander chutney, I like my meat pink so it was a little overdone for my liking but the flavour was fabulous.
We were recommended the traditional Punjabi butter chicken, which despite how you may be used to your butter chicken isn’t sweet – this is one thing Sekhon wouldn’t shift one despite all her modern and progressive takes. We also tried the Khadai Paneer which is cooked with bell pepper, tomato, and coriander seeds. More of a paste-like, drier curry than others and the rich flavours permeate the paneer.
We had to try their cheese naan and were not let down at all. Imagine an Indian take on a margherita pizza, melted, grilled cheese with onion and chilli. I would come back here just for the cheese naan. For my gluten free diners, I did try the gluten free naan too as so much of their menu was gluten free, it would be convenient to be able to eat the bread too. It wasn’t the best gluten free naan I’ve ever tried, a little dry for me but considering options- it’s an added bonus to have bread to go alongside your curry
The prices at Masti were super reasonable which is really what sold me, $20 curries, $5 naans. On Wednesday’s you can BYO. For that mid-week catch up with friends or family where you need to cater to everyone, keep everyone happy and not spend an arm and a leg – Masti is a great, central option!
Masti
354-356 Brunswick St
Fitzroy