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Masala Zone has quite an extensive menu with food that they say represents different regions of India. The food on the menu ranges from street food snacks, grills, noodles, curries and thalis. So quite a lot to choose from and there is something for everyone!

The vegetable samosas had a thick crispy pastry and were not oily. I’m not quite sure what the filling was but it did contain cashew nuts. The samosas were good and it made a nice change to the usual potato filled ones. They were served with chickpeas in a tasty sauce.

The dahi puri were great little balls of puff pastry filled with tangy yogurt. They were topped with pomegranate seeds. This was a cold starter dish.

We had no complaints at all with the grand vegetarian thali! This is called the balanced meal and it consisted of little bowls of different curries and accompaniments. It was a really good selection of dishes. It was great as you were able to taste a variety of dishes altogether and it was surprisingly filling!

We got to choose the two main curries of the thali. I preferred the Gujarati dish of undhiyo and lentil khichdi. This was made up of sweet potato, purple yam, baby aubergine, raw banana, val dal and snow peas. It also tasted like it had some coconut in it. The second curry that we had was paneer makhanwalla which was paneer in a creamy tomato sauce. It was ok but not outstanding.

The other items in the thali were aubergine pakora, lentils, cauliflower curry, spinach and potato curry. It said on the menu that those dishes are changed daily. The lentils and cauliflower curry were particularly tasty. The final touches to the thali were rice, chapatti, raita, salad, poppadom and chutney. It was all nicely presented!

The grand thali was definitely enough for two people although the staff said that it would be just good for one person. The chapatti tasted homemade and very fresh. It was also perfect as it was made from wholewheat! The thali only contained a little bit of chutney and kachumber (salad). The Indian canape was just one piece of pakora. Saying that, I would still highly recommend the thali for the main meal!

For dessert, I had the falooda. This was a sundae made up of strawberry ice cream, pistachio kulfi, vermicelli and milk. It was a very rich and creamy dessert.

Falooda is traditionally served in tall sundae/milkshake glasses and it also usually contains tapioca. Masala Zone served the falooda in a dish! When we asked the waiter about this, he told us that they used to serve it in tall glasses, but then customers told them that it was not easy to eat from such glasses. So that’s why they changed the way that they served it.

Masala Zone have a range of hot and cold drinks. One of the things that we were intrigued by was the masala coke. This was coke with added spices; not something that I would have again. The orange and mango juice was a lot nicer! They also do masala chai – a milky spicy sweet tea. 

This restaurant had quite an individual feel to it. It had quirky decor with lots of retro posters on the walls! There was the open kitchen at one end of the restaurant. The staff were really friendly, helpful and efficient. We experienced great service with a smile!

It was nice that at the end of the meal, the waiter asked us if there was anything that they could improve on with the food. We told them that the dahi puri’s pastry balls were a little soft due to the yoghurt and we would have preferred to have them crispy. The waiter said that he would mention that to his manager. It felt like Masala Zone does value their customer’s opinions.

Masala Zone, 25 Parkway, London, NW1 7PG

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Tupelo Honey looks ok when you enter but it did not take long to be disappointed with this place. All the food on the counter is open and looked stale. The main dishes in the counter fridge were already prepared and cooked, and would only be warmed up if ordered. Right next to the window seats was a shelf filled with dirty plates and cups. If that wasn’t enough to put us off, then the open bin next to it definitely did.

There is quite a small seating area downstairs; the wooden tables and chairs were wobbly. Tupelo Honey has outdoor seating but it is very narrow and cramped. The whole time we were having our drinks here, we didn’t feel at all relaxed. We were actually quite relieved when we left. 

Tupelo Honey is open till late into the evening. Even though we went there during the afternoon, the upstairs seating was closed. They have two additional floors; one of which is a roof garden.

As for the drinks, the mocha and latte coffee was nice. They serve Illy coffee and they also do soy milk. Some of the staff were friendly. It is a shame that Tupelo Honey hasn’t made that extra effort with the state of its establishment, from the standard cleanliness to the seating and quality/display of food.

Tupelo Honey, 27 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PN

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Caponata was full of surprises from the first moment we stepped inside. At first, it looked just like a normal restaurant with wood panelling and plastic seating. We were welcomed by the very friendly staff, who told us that this level of the restaurant was the informal Osteria, which means bar/inn in Italian. It had a really great aura and atmosphere and we were glad that we had come into this place for coffee.

As we went to the back of the restaurant, that was where we were pleasantly surprised. It opened out into a covered courtyard, where plenty of sunlight was streaming through. As if that wasn’t nice enough, one of the walls was totally covered with plants. It was just perfection and it made us forget that we were actually sitting in a cafe, just off of Camden High Street!

Caponata is a Sicilian restaurant and cafe and the formal restaurant is situated on the upper level. Some of the seats of the restaurant overlooks onto the courtyard.

We opted to go for mochas and we were taken aback when we found out that the coffee actually comes from Camden Coffee shop; one of Caponata’s neighbouring shops! That’s great that they were supporting the local business! The mochas tasted more like lattes than hot chocolate. That made a refreshing change as a lot of cafes make their mochas so you can only taste the chocolate and not the coffee.

To accompany the coffees, we had a selection of fresh biscuits. These were all really yummy! The biscuits that we sampled had various fillings such as fig and almonds. There was also chocolate biscotti and sesame seed biscuits!

As we were chatting to the staff, another surprise was revealed. Adjacent to the courtyard, the wooden wall is just a partition. On the other side of the partition is a music venue called The Forge! On some evenings, this partition is removed, so that the diners at Caponata can enjoy live music whilst enjoying their meal!

Our visit to Caponata was extremely enjoyable and we hope to return to sample a lunch or dinner here, oh and also their homemade ice-cream!

Caponata Osteria and Bar, 3-7 Delancey Street, Camden, London, NW1 7NL

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If you have a craving for chicken, which I had on this particular day, then Nando’s hits the spot perfectly! It had to be the quarter chicken with their famous PERi-PERi mango and lime sauce! The chicken was fresh and succulent and you can tell that Nando’s don’t use frozen chicken. As the meat had been flame grilled, it was crispy and not greasy at all.

The chicken breast burger was also a good choice. The Portuguese white bread roll was soft and made the burger even more moreish! This dish had the lemon and herb marinade and it was really tasty!

Even though the rice is stated as spicy rice, it wasn’t but it still had a lot of flavour. It made a good alternative to the fries although you do get a good portion of fries, if that’s what you would prefer!

Nando’s do some vegetarian options and salads too. The houmous with pitta bread is good and goes even better with the creamy sweet potato mash. We did have the crunchy lemon pudding on one occasion. It was a lemon curd like dessert on a biscuit base, but I found that it was just that little too zingy for my liking!

This Nando’s was over two floors and it had nice artwork and relaxing music. The staff were really friendly and the service was good. We experienced service with a smile!

Nando’s, 57-58 Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London, NW1 8AN

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We originally came to this restaurant just for tea but then decided to have some dim sum as well. It has a nice location opposite the Stables Market in Camden.

There was not a great range of vegetarian steamed dim sum but we did have the vegetarian Thai spring rolls. These were crispy and not at all oily. This made a change as spring rolls are normally seeping with oil.

We were given quite a big portion of crispy seaweed. The steamed pork dim sum was very tasty and all the dipping sauces that came with the meal were really nice.

To drink, we shared the Keeman black tea. This was served by the pot. They also had a range of coffees, juices and cocktails (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

The service at Yum Cha was great. There was a lot of attention to detail and the staff were friendly. Service with a smile is what we experienced. The seats by the window are perfect for people watching. The carved wooden panels on the walls makes the decor unusual.

If you are a karaoke fan, then Yum Cha also hosts karaoke nights! This restaurant can be easily confused with the similarly named Yum Chaa Tea Space located in Camden Lock Market!

Yum Cha Silks and Spice, 28 Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8AG

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If you are looking for a tasty burger made from quality ingredients, then this is the restaurant for you. The flower fairy lights help to set a romantic atmosphere.

We really enjoyed the Hache Club burger (chicken, tomato, bacon, lettuce, cheese and avocado) and the Le Grand Champignon burger (portobello mushroom, red pepper, courgette and pesto). The perfect side order was chunky chips. A very satisfying meal!  

If you have room for dessert, then the chocolate brownie with ice-cream is a treat.  The banoffee pie will have to be tasted on the next visit! Any excuse to visit this restaurant again!

Hache Burger Connoisseurs, 24 Inverness Street, Camden Town, London, NW1 7HJ

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The inSpiral Lounge overlooks the Camden Locks and has a very new age feel to it.  All the food is organic and delicious, not to mention reasonably priced.  Don’t expect to find anywhere to sit and eat your food though, as both times I’ve visited this cafe it’s been packed to busting!  Their drinks are good, I tried the coffee and a hot chocolate.  They do Soy and only seem to serve fair trade teas and coffees.

Service can be a little slow at times, but that’s probably down to the amount of people this place attracts.  People were so desperate for seats last time I visited that I’m confident I could have easily sold my seat to someone!!

If you want to be hip and trendy, hangout here.  Great little cafe if you like that kind of thing, but it’s probably a little too new age for my liking or maybe I’m just not hip and trendy enough!!

inSpiral Lounge, 250 Camden High Street, Camden Lock, London, NW1 8QS

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If you need somewhere to escape the hustle and bustle of Camden town, then Chinalife is the place to go! As soon as you enter this teahouse, there is a sense of tranquility. The chocolate brown decor with the bamboo chairs and the relaxing music makes it the perfect place to take a moment to unwind.

This cafe has an excellent range of teas-milky blends and also pure blends(without milk). One of my favourites is the Green Tea Hot Chocolate made with grated 70% cocoa dark chocolate. A bonus is the yam cookie that you get with your drink- a slightly sweet/salty treat. The staff are lovely here and there is always service with a smile.

Chinalife, 101-105 Camden High Street, London, NW1 1JN

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