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Sodermalm is a lively and quirky area of Stockholm, but it’s nice that Shanti is located in the quieter part of this island! Saying that, it is only a short walk from the centre area of Sodermalm.

It was another hot day so we decided to dine outdoors. Hence, I’m not sure what the inside of this restaurant was like, although it seemed to look like it had interesting decor and a turquoise colour theme!

Shanti did provide us with an English menu, but we’re not sure how much we trusted it! The first thing that we noticed was that there were nearly double the amount of items on the Swedish menu in comparison to the English one.

Also, when we asked for one of the dishes on the English menu (the Masala Dosa), the waiter looked at us blankly. He went indoors to ask what this dish was and if they served it. We were then told that that item was not available! Luckily, my friend was on hand to translate the Swedish menu for us, so that was very handy!

The vegetarian thali was the meal for the evening and it had everything to make it a filling dinner! It was made up of the following dishes: samosa, cabbage and vegetable roll, poori (small fried bread), vegetable curry, spinach curry, rice, pickle, chutney and salad. The portions were of a hefty size and if that was not filling enough, it also came with a naan bread!

Both of the curries had good strong flavours and were also mild enough. The vegetable curry was made of courgettes, broccoli, carrots and peas. There was so much food in the vegetarian thali; even though it was really tasty, I couldn’t finish it all.

The staff were friendly but the service could be a little slow at times. The outdoor dining area was quite large and there were mostly metal chairs and tables. I liked it that Shanti provided blankets for the outdoor seating so you could cosy up once the temperature started to drop!

If you’re looking for a good hearty meal after a day of walking around and travelling, then Shanti is definitely the place to go!

Shanti, Sodermalmsallen 34, Sodermalm, 11828, Stockholm

Our Rating:

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

Our Rating:

Aagrah is an Indian restaurant spread over two floors. The upper floor is the buffet area and the ground floor is where you can order off the normal menu.

For starters, we ordered the Aagrah special tandoori mix and the Aagrah special vegetable mix. The tandoori mix consisted of lamb chops, seekh kebab, chicken tikka and fish masala. All the meat was very tender and had a good flavour. They weren’t overly coated in spices and the meat went well with the fried peppers and onions that it was served with.

The vegetable mix had a good selection of grilled garlic mushrooms, vegetable samosas, onion bhajis and paneer tikka. The onion bhajis were a little too oily and were more like onion rings. The rest of the vegetable selection was very moreish and the paneer tikka was a firm favourite.

The poppadoms that were served at the start of the meal were the best ones that I have had at an Indian restaurant. The reason I say that is because they didn’t leave a bitter aftertaste.

The mixed thali is a good main dish if you can’t decide on a particular flavour. This is a selection of individually cooked dishes of chicken, lamb, prawns and vegetables. They are in a tomato based curry and are served with raita – a spicy yogurt dip. Again, the lamb and chicken were perfectly cooked and was so tender.

We chose two vegetarian dishes: Balti mushroom paneer and Balti mataar paneer. The latter was made with fresh garden peas. Paneer is a Kashmiri style cured cheese which keeps its cube-like shape even when cooked. Both dishes were cooked with onions, green chillies and coriander. They weren’t oil laden curries and the flavours of the delicate spices came through.

We opted for the rice dish of Balti vegetable biryani. This came with a side of vegetable sauce. I was slightly disappointed by this biryani. It tasted more just like fried vegetable rice and didn’t have the right flavours and spices that a biryani should have.

The nans were freshly cooked and could easily be eaten on their own as well as with the main curries. The keema nan had a thin layer of keema inside the plain nan. The nans are made from flour, yeast and milk. A different accompaniment is the stuffed aloo paratha. Paratha is made with flour and ghee (clarified butter) and has an added richness due to the ghee.

The Aagrah restaurant has nice decor and comfortable seating. The service was good and the waiters were very helpful when we asked for different dishes to be made spicy or mild. One thing that I did find a little strange was when I was served with a pineapple juice, it came in a small glass but then when my second drink was a mango juice, I was served a full pint glass of it!

There is a nice waiting area by the bar with comfortable sofas. There are some pretty tables in this area: tables with squares of spices trapped under a glass top! 

Aagrah, 4 Saltaire Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD18 3HN

Our Rating:

This is a gem of an Indian cafe with all the food tasting authentic. The idea behind this cafe/restaurant is the Indian tiffin tins. Tiffin tins are what are used primarily in India to transport lunches to workers. There are usually 3 containers: one with rice, one with a curry and one with vegetables.

The food served here differs from that from other Indian restaurants due to the fact that they do not cook with ghee (clarified butter). This means that their dishes are not heavy and they are actually healthy.

I had the vegetable biryani which came with jeera (cumin seeds) potatoes and a chick pea curry. It was really tasty and reminded me of home cooked food. The portion was plenty for a lunch time meal. Tiffinbites also do fresh naans cooked in their tandoor.

If you don’t fancy the tiffin menu, then there is also a range of snacks such as samosas to choose from and they do wraps as well.

Being an Indian cafe, on the drinks menu is chai (spiced tea) and also lassi (yogurt drink). They use Alphonso mangoes for their lassi. Alphonso mangoes come from India and are the sweetest mangoes that I have ever tasted!

The service was very quick and efficient. The communal tables were kept clean as the staff cleared up as soon as you had finished your meal.

I liked the relaxed atmosphere of Tiffinbites, although we seemed to have got there just before the lunchtime rush. The place was heaving as we were leaving the cafe!

I would come back to this restaurant either at lunchtime or even in the evening for a satisfying meal! So, skip the boring sandwich and salad, and visit Tiffinbites for a traditional Indian lunch!

Tiffinbites, 22-23 Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 7PD

Our Rating: