Cascais lies forty minutes by train, to the west of Lisboa, on the Atlantic shoreline, a day at the seaside for Hector, Marg and Steve.
Steve and Hector had independently conceived a day trip here, Steve didn’t know until yesterday that the Curry House had already been chosen. My research suggested that Masala Indian Restaurant (R. Frederico Arouca 288, 2750-355 Cascais Portugal) was the place to go.
It was a close run thing with Gandhi Palace and Taj Mahal, possibly just as good. If there’s a poor Curry House in Portugal, I have yet to encounter it. A new challenge?
Walking down from Cascais train station, one soon encounters all three Curry Houses. The staff at Masala were serving customers sat outside, they greeted us as we stopped to study the menu. We promised to return once the town had been explored. Masala was clearly the busiest of the three Curry Houses.
Having seen the Castle, Marina (my yacht is ship-shape) and the Ukrainian flag flying prominently, we returned to Masala around 14.30. Outside seating was offered, no thanks, people can smoke there. A comfortable table was secured in the interior of Masala, from there, all could be surveyed.
The given description of Lamb Karahi (€9.90) was encouraging, however, the Fish Karahi (€11.00) contained the offending – Pimentão Verde, not today. We’re at the seaside, suddenly, Fish costs more than Lamb.
Beef Bhuna (€10.00) was calling, the Onion, Tomato and Thick Sauce attracted, the Capsicum not. That would be taken care of. A Nan (€2.00) would accompany.
Marg turned back the clock, Butter Chicken (€9.90) with Jeera Rice (€2.00). Jeera Rice? What’s going on here? This was based on the assumption of a more Soupy Masala than she would normally order.
Steve studied the menu from front to back more than once. He too felt like a change from Lamb, his ordering of Chicken Madras (€9.50) came with a spice warning. Pulav (€3.00) and a Garlic Nan (€2.75) completed the food order.
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The two 25cl bottles of Sparkling Water (€1.50) felt a bit pricey in the extreme. Steve ordered a much more satisfying 660ml bottle of Cobra (€4.50).
As has been the case in every Portuguese Curry House this past week, Poppadoms and three Dips were presented. The Poppadoms had the embedded Cumin Seeds, the Dips included Tamarind. Everything was devoured.
I managed to secure some photos of the interior, Indian décor in a traditional Portuguese setting, this was quite a departure from the more sterile premises one encounters.
Warm plates, a first on this trip, announced the arrival of the Curry.
The Naan had the much preferred teardrop shape and was on the edge of forming burnt blisters. Gosh, it might even have been cooked in a Tandoor! Soft, fluffy, this was a truly wonderful Naan. With a Coriander Topping and burnt edges, the Garlic Naan was even larger, even better? Steve:
The Naan Bread was lovely, soft, garlicky.
I was right not to order Rice, unusually, today Marg had. The Jeera Rice was more than Marg would manage, some would come my way later. The Pilao was also a substantial portion. Steve had much to get through.
Butter Chicken
This was an authentic looking Butter Chicken. The swirl of Cream was complemented by a Topping of Almonds. The orange colour was comparable to a Chicken Tikka Masala, Marg’s verdict made me wonder how different these two Dishes would have been:
I enjoyed the Poppadom pieces with the Tamarind and the green stuff. The Jeera Rice really complemented the rich, buttery, tomato sauce. Lovely pieces of Tikka Chicken, a filling dish.
Rice was definitely the correct accompaniment for this Curry.
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Beef Bhuna
Coriander and Ginger Sticks, Chef had me won already. The Onion stood out in the Thick Masala. Big Blobs of Onion, Ballast, had I not had the Green Peppers withheld, I would have been distraught. I would eat the Onions first just to get rid of them. Alternatively, I could have set them aside and revealed just how much Ballast would be left on the plate.
The first dip of the beautiful Bread into the blended, rich Masala, was a special moment. Behold a brave Chef, the Seasoning was a la Hector. Consequently, the full Flavours of the Spices and Tomato came over strongly.
There did not appear to be a huge quantity of Beef. The first pieces I had were cut relatively small, each was bursting with Flavour. In terms of Texture, there was the right amount of chewing. Beef Curry appears rarely in these pages, quite a departure from Lamb. The blended, richly Flavoured Masala was excellent. The Spice Level was Moderate,
Tasty Beef, a quality Masala, and a near perfect Naan, Hector was in his element. This was a Beef Bhuna befitting of a – Wow!
It was at this point Marg declared a surplus of Jeera Rice. That which remained matched my quantity of Curry. I decanted from the karahi, I counted six pieces of Meat, so I must have had an OK portion.
And now for something completely different…
The Rice absorbed the Masala, the Curry was transformed, the intensity of Flavour was significantly diminished. When I announced that my Curry had lost its edge, Marg apologised. A lesson learned, Quality Curry is best eaten with Bread.
Chicken Madras
Topped with a sprinkling of Coriander and more rind than Lemon, this was a much more of a Soupy Curry. If anything, this magnified the excellence of the thicker Bhuna Masala. I didn’t get a taste and so cannot compare the Flavours. Steve’s take:
The Madras sauce was spiced, not in your face. Flavours. The Chicken was tender, precooked Tikka. The Pilao Rice was very good, just no room.
Rather cheekily he added:
The star of the show was the Cobra!
Whilst we ate, various staff members checked on our progress. One guy bade farewell as he departed, Mein Host? Still, we were well looked after.
The Bill
€38.82 (£32.61) … and somebody had a Big Bier!
The Aftermath
I managed to establish that Masala has been here since 2005. On presenting the Calling Card, our chap expressed further interest in Glasgow, where I boasted there are a hundred Curry outlets. Our conversation was sadly interrupted by someone from outside, looking for the Boss, so it goes.
Menu extracts
