Masala Wala Cafe

Choosing how to describe your restaurant and its style of cooking can be a tricky thing. Masala Wala Cafe is a case in point, describing itself as a Pakistani restaurant on its website. This is notable in of itself when so many South Asian restaurants in the capital still describe themselves as Indian when they’re essentially Pakistani (or Bangladeshi) for many intents and purposes. The short menu, which changes frequently, usually focusses on dishes from the Punjab, but all this geography-based categorisation is largely kept in the background when you step through the door and are seated inside the small, cosy dining room.

It’s a Friday night, I’ve just stepped off the train from my daily commute and can’t be bothered to cook, what do I do? I head to Masala Wala Cafe of course. Run by mother and daughter, serving Pakistani cuisine this is by far the best place to eat in Brockley, South East London. Oh… and its BRING. YOUR. OWN. BOOZE!

Masala Wala makes it simple for you by having just four dishes to choose from and you can add sides and condiments. I’ve been here a couple of times and the menu differed from my first visit. This is good. Everyone likes a bit of variety.

Baingan gosht, an aubergine and lamb curry was my favourite of the evening. The whole dish was full of flavour with each spice working its magic in your mouth. Once you have enjoyed the spices, bang, the heat kicks in from the chilli. It isn’t stupidly hot, though and they offer a fresh raita, which helps if you’re not great with spicy food.

Palak murgh, a chicken and spinach curry was more subtle in flavour, but a good bowlful of comfort food goodness. The chicken comes on the bone and you can tell this has been cooking away for hours, as it was so moist and the meat just fell away from the bone. Especially good when mopped up with the delicious homemade rotis they have.

I’ve never had dessert here as I’m always happily stuffed by the mains. They offer kulfi ice cream, again, homemade and I believe the flavours change often, too. The options all seem inviting and a great way to cleanse the palate after your savoury dishes. Flavours include pistachio, mango and lychee. 
 

The lady, I’m assuming was the daughter (if not, then I need to know her skincare routine) was extremely friendly. We had a good chat with her and she went over the menu with us, as it was different from before. The venue itself is small, very relaxed, yet buzzy. I’ve never seen the place not busy, always a good sign. With the added bonus that it is BYOB, you won’t be denting your bank balance either. They currently do not take card, so remember your cash. I think this may be my favourite curry place joint at the moment.

One of my friends is a curry fiend; she’s like the Curry Queen. She can suffer from upset stomach, but that doesn’t stop her, she motors through them anyway. Dedication, I say. I need to bring her here because I know she’d absolutely love it. If she doesn’t, then I clearly don’t know her at all.

Even the likes of Professor Green have been spotted here. So, you know… I must be cool, right?

The perfect place to catch up with mates over a beer and a ruby.

From seeing them as the winners of LoveLondon for Best restaurant in Brockley, I though I had better try them, I remember the deli opposite saying they had a deal on the wine, so get a discount on the wine from Brockley deli, and another discount from Masala Wala BUT thats no t the best bit, its the food! Its amazing I've even tried the vegetarian dishes (i'm a meat eater) and I was blown away, I love this place, since my 1st visit we have return numerous times, and even used them as a takeaway service

Just had an awesome dinner for my Dad's Birthday. We were a table of 8, and it was the perfect location for it. It was intimate enough that we could all hear each other, but still had a buzz. The food was AMAZING, curry will never be the same again. The staff were a super friendly and accommodating bunch. Definitely recommend. We will 1000% be back.

A nice enough place but still unsure about the pricing structure. £4 for 2 rotis made me look twice. The food is all pleasant without being sensational. I think if you ended up spending £70 in a curry house where food wasn't served in a basket, you could feed 4 people, not 2. That said - we had a nice time and the staff were enthusiastic and welcoming. You're paying for the ambience not the menu, is my takeaway. Thanks for a nice evening.

Went there yesterday with my boyfriend and we really had a nice time. Our waiter was really pleasant and gave us a good description of the dishes. Food was super tasty and spicy, I cried all the way through. Loved how fresh everything was (homemade roti was made in the morning!)

Very tasty, authentic and reasonably priced food. Polite and friendly service. Simply furnished. Clearly very popular, so a wait was necessary, although not too lengthy (it was on a rainy Wednesday night). Could do with some soft furnishings as it was a bit noisy. I think they may need to take on some extra staff as they were flat out, and it took time for the order to arrive. Overall a very positive experience, and would visit again.