Mastee - Milton Keynes

It’s date night and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to get our curry on. No matter where I turned over the past couple of months, be it from my fellow bloggers, or the twitter tidal wave of love I’ve seen, I’ve only been hearing one name: Mastee. So Mrs P and I were surely duty bound to follow in the footsteps of others and see what the fuss was all about.

We rocked up on a Tuesday night, which meant that admittedly the atmosphere wasn’t exactly electric but that’s not a fault, it just means we’ll have to come back on a Friday night to see the place when it's really buzzing. However, with only three tables being served in an otherwise empty restaurant, we were sat in the foyer for an unusually long time while our table was being set but again it was a Tuesday so I can’t hold that against them. Then, as soon as we sat down and opened the menu we knew why people were all of a flutter.

I can honestly say that this is the best looking menu from any Indian restaurant in Milton Keynes. They tick all the right modern Indo-British boxes with Norfolk free range, corn fed chicken, Monkfish and Sea Bass as well as all the Chicken Tikka Masala and Jalfrezi you would expect. But I was actually most impressed by the limited options on the menu, too many times does a Curry House re-hash the same old massive menu, perhaps with a few new names to confuse us every now and then. But very rarely have I been surprised like I was in Mastee; I have never ordered a fish dish in any Indian restaurant except Benares but here I was really tempted by several. The Doi Machli in particular could well take me next time so longs as I've already worked my way through the Railway Mutton or the Roadside Punjabi Murgh. There was just so many dishes that jumped out at me which marked this place out as beyond the ordinary.

I also wanted to try the chops just to see what jiggery was:

But I didn't see it on the menu before it was too late. Next time.

So what did we actually eat? I should apologise at this point for the truly awful photography but nothing kills the mood of date night faster than someone insisting to take photos of their meal before any actual conversation so I had to be quick and discrete. Bad news for you I’m afraid but at least Mrs P was still talking to me by the end of the meal so I feel I made the right decision.

We started with popadoms and chutney, no great shakes there, followed by an off menu tandoori starter. We were undecided about the tandoori shared meal in the menu and our waiter offered to provide a cut down version that we could share as a starter. Great customer service there and an equally great start to the meal. Lamb chop, chicken, lamb shish kebab as well as a good hunk of lamb all marinaded and cooked in the tandoor to fabulous effect. We love a good tandoor and this was a grade A example.

We followed that up with Mrs P’s Thaali, which included Chicken Tikka Masala and lamb balti, along with Sag Paneer as well as rice and a naan. This was served on a tray which we found a bit difficult I have to say. It felt a bit ‘school dinners’ rather than paying restaurant and because it was made of a single piece of metal, it made the food cold very quickly which didn’t help. On the plus side, the curry itself was really good; the balti in particular was at the limit of Mrs P’s heat tolerance but the tender chunks of lamb and rich gravy reminded her perfectly of the time she spend in India. One of the most authentic curries she’s eaten this side of the Arabian Sea, so there is an endorsement if ever I heard one. The rest didn't get quite so much love but was still very tasty.

I, on the other hand decided to have the Achari Ghost, along with a naan of my own. Again, I was so pleased to see an modern Indian restaurant looking to serve modern Indian tastes. The Ghost is a lamb and lime curry with pickle heat spread liberally throughout. It proved too hot for Mrs P but I ate every last scrap of the deep, rich sauce and juicy lamb.

So to all those people either asking if we liked the Mastee or perhaps wondering if it’s worth their time and money, the answer is not just yes, but a big yes to all of those questions. I’m sure the atmosphere is great on a Friday and Saturday (I expect to return to confirm this), the food is new, fresh and exciting and the front of house team are very friendly, welcoming and genuinely lovely people. There wasn’t even a sting in the tail when it came to settling up; four drinks and as much food as we could eat all came in at just under £50, what’s not to like?! It’s now official, the Mastee hits the top of my MK Indian list. Well done guys.

www.masteemiltonkeynes.co.uk

@MKMastee