OK. It's not quite Southend. But Masa in Hadleigh is something a little bit special.
A glance at the menu indicates straight away that this is more than the traditional chicken curry night.
We were not over hungry, so opted for just two papadoms. They came served up with the traditional yoghurt, chilli and onion side dishes. But it was just a little more refined and tasty.
For mains we chose to share the Tawa fish curry (£10.95): fresh sea bass fillet accompanied by spices, fresh garlic, vegetables and apple chutney. I'm a former fish monger. I honestly think mixing good fish with spice is sacrilege. But this was something else. The last time I tasted fillet with that much flavour I was eating barramundi on an island off the coast of Brisbane.
Our second dish was the chicken stew (£7.95). If that sounds about as exciting as warm beer and salty cockles on Southend sea front in November then think again. It was as good as the fish. A delicacy from Kerala (the south western state of India popularised by the western hippies when they left Goa behind in the 1970s) this boneless chicken includes vegetables, coconut and spices. And you've guessed it. If you like Thai food, you love this.
Bombay Aloo (£5.50) was an ample and tasty third main dish. Again, it's the detail that made the food so special. 'Baby potato' stirred with onion, tomato, masala and spices.
Steamed basmati (£1.95) meant we didn't go home hungry. Rumours that Masa is a bit pricey are farfetched. Yes, some of the specials at £18 - £19 might not hit the mark for some diners in recession hit Britian 2009. But there plenty of exceptional regional dishes (Goan, Lucknow) coming in at £8-£10.We had a couple of glasses of red wine and Cobra beers between us with change out of £50.
Service was good; the decor is still new, fresh and clean. One of the best restaurants around at the moment in terms of value for money and quality.Go experience Indian food at its best.
