Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Whether that’s cereal, toast, porridge, pancakes or a fry-up, whatever it is, it is important to get something in you to fuel you up for the day.
One restaurant chain in London is trying to add a bit of spice and excitement to our breakfast palettes. Masala Zone, which has four branches across London, is launching a new Indian-inspired breakfast range..
Invited down to check out the new breakfast range they were introducing, I jumped at the chance to test out something that wasn’t just porridge for once.
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Heading to the Picadilly Circus branch I had the chance to sit with one-third of the team behind the Masala Zone restaurant, Ranjit Mathrani. Entering the restaurant I was in awe. It’s less of an ordinary restaurant and more of what could only be described as a grand ballroom. The golden mosaic roof glimmered and sparkled, making the experience something extraordinary.
If the food was going to be as good as the décor, then I was in for a treat. Sitting at my table, sipping on my Chai – which if you’re followers of my journalism you’ll know I’m kind of a chai connoisseur – and waiting for Ranjit, I eyed up the menu. On one side was the traditional breakfasts we all know but on the other side it was delving into the unknown.
The regional breakfasts of India list was full of unique dishes. Not knowing what to have I waited for Ranjit to get his recommendations. He explained: “What we’ve done with our breakfasts is unusual because we have cuisines that span the different regions of India.”
He continued: “You’ve had scrambled eggs before but we have the Wedding Scrambled Eggs from Gujarat which is a rich scrambled egg.” I had to try that for sure.
He added: “You’ve got the Kerala Roast Eggs which is a famous dish in India and would be an interesting delight for you as they are roast so you must try.” Sounds delicious, I’ll take that too.
Ranjit also strongly recommended the Biharia Cup Omelette and a Bacon & Masala Omelette Toastie Naan. A fusion of cuisines for the less adventurous he said with a smile. With four plates of food coming my way I undid my belt buckle in preparation. This was going to be a feast.
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The meals all came at once and was quite an overwhelming experience. It felt like a buffet for one and it all smelt incredible. I started with the cup omelette, which Ranjit told me was actually cooked in the cup itself. As you cut into it the gooey insides spilled onto the plate golden and shiny. It seemed like a theme as it matched the ceiling. The mix of spices, subtle but flavourful, danced its way into my stomach.
Next, I tried the Wedding Scrambled Eggs – which is described on the menu as rich and luxurious. It’s a perfect description for these eggs that were wet but stable. They were infused with more traditional curried flavours I recognised and nuts with a sprinkling of heat. The sweet Raisin Pao Toast they had was the perfect accompaniment of something sweet to go with the savoury.
Then it was onto the Kerala Roast Eggs. This was truly the richest dish and my favourite. They looked like boiled eggs and had a dark sauce on top. The depth of this flavour with its spice was ridiculously good. It was really something special.
Finally, belly ready to explode, I tried the Bacon & Masala Omelette Toastie. This was the only thing that tasted exactly how I expected. The naan was so good, better than any of your favourite local Indian takeaways, trust me. The bacon was beautifully salty and complimented the omelette in the delicious naan.
During my time with Ranjit, he explained how the restaurant is the brainchild of his wife and her sister. The other restaurants the three of them own are the Chutney Mary, Amaya and Veeraswamy.
He spoke about how the chefs are brought over from India to get the true expertise and variety – you can tell by the delicious food. One of the sisters was even in India at that moment on a hunt for top spices to make sure they had the best ingredients for their amazing food.
I started to understand the meticulous expertise and knowledge that had gone into each and every dish that I tried and exactly what they were doing. The menu was clearly about having fun with food.
It’s a shame these Indian breakfasts aren’t more widespread in the UK – if you have a chance to try it, I definitely recommend it.
You can find out more about Masala Zone’s Piccadilly branch where they serve breakfast at 224 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HP
You can also read more about Masala Zone on their website here.