We’ve had the wine bar, the oxygen bar, the pasta bar, and now we’ve got the spice bar. At Masala Art, authentic spices are used judiciously to complement, rather than to overshadow the other ingredients. A show kitchen, contemporary décor, and a cuisine inspired by art of renowned artists Paresh Maity and Prabhakar Kolte, makes Masala Art a highly memorable http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/dining/dining/http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/dining/dining experience. 

But this is not a hangout, a gimmick, or dinner-to-go spot. At Masala Art, a brand-new Indian restaurant in Taj Palace, New Delhi, is a combination of tableside cooking with flair (a la Caesar salads or anything flambéed) and a chef’s table in a restaurant kitchen. However, it actually is a bar that you sit at which your dinner will be prepared. Part cooking demo, part educational insight into the benefits and uses of spices, this tasting menu is a unique presentation by Sous Chef Mohd. Mushtaq,which will take you on a journey through Indian cuisine and the art of blending spices. 

What else, on a special request  you  are taken on a spice tour to the markets of Khari bouli , old Delhi, then a ride back to the kitchen for sumptuous three course meal and a dinning experience. The chef, chats with us at the Spice Bar as fragrances of spices wafts across the room; the bustling kitchen, with cooks, is partly visible from the http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/dining/dining/http://varunkaushik.com/userfiles/nightOut/dining/dining room too. The ambience may be a blend of East and West, but there’s no fusion in the cooking. Masala Art is a blockbuster show, featuring dishes from many regions of a fascinatingly diverse cuisine.

We started with Galouti kebab, grilled Prawns and Arbi tikki that truly deserve the name, wisps to dip into tangy tamarind or tomato chutney, making it a great dipping sauce. A must mention is the fresh sugarcane juice. The most memorable taste was Methi gobhi & Bhuna ghosh, although with all the intriguing dishes on the menu, it almost seems unfair to mention few. Breads, too, are well made. A bread basket full of buttered and garlic naan proves difficult to resist, and another variety, pudeena paratha, with delicate, flaky layers adds to the interest with flakes of mint on top.

Masala Art has that effect – with the cuisine and the enthusiasm of those presenting this broad swatch of Indian food is contagious.