artimanar

Review of Chauhan Ale and Masala House

Went for late dinner - 9.30-10 ish. Ambiance. Grea...

Went for late dinner - 9.30-10 ish. Ambiance. Great. Service. Pretty good. Gets only pretty good because it is hard to get them on the phone. But the service staff was attentive and prompt. Food - now this is where the problem comes in. I liked the appetizers - chicken pakora and calamari. Spicy. Tasty. Thoroughly enjoyed them. As for dinner - my partner got the desi tiffin and I got the shrimp vindaloo. The vindaloo was forgettable. Indifferent. Shrimp was chewy - cooked too much. The desi tiffin not much better. Everything was spicy - the daal, the chicken, the okra. Everything - except the naan. I guess this is where the masala house in the name comes in but I just found it overwhelming. No balance. Full on assault. I have been to just about all kinds of desi restaurant. There are very few that have such a vibrant ambiance but many that serve good spicy AND balanced food. Now coming to the ale house part - I got a $7 beer - perhaps the cheapest on the menu and it was a puny fart of a bottle that barely filled a glass - so perhaps 12 oz or less. For $7 - one expects at least a full damn glass. So my advice - go for the ambiance and snacks. Give full meal a pass. I had high hopes for this place but was sadly disappointed.