Falooda and Kaju Masala at Spurtank Road, Chennai

Catching up with old friends is always a pleasure, especially when one of them is visiting from abroad. So, the three of us—college classmates—decided to meet over dinner. We chose Masaledaar Firangi Tadka, a North Indian and Pan Asian Vegetarian Restaurant on Spurtank Road, Chennai.

Located on a wide road with valet parking, this place is easy to access. We went early, around 7 PM, and were the first to arrive. Over the next 90 minutes, the tables slowly filled up. For a Thursday evening, the turnout was impressive.

The ambience had a relaxed, almost fine-dining vibe—neat interiors, comfortable seating, and quite. The service was attentive throughout, but so was the bill—on the higher side!

We began with a bowl of Oriental Classic Lemon Coriander Soup. It had the right amount of tang and warmth. For starters, we ordered two interesting dishes. The first was Asparagus Tempura Cream Cheese Maki, a vegetarian sushi with sour rice and raw veggies—unusual for a North Indian place, but I liked it. The second was Steamed Veg Wonton, which was decent.

For the main course, we shared Garlic Roti, Onion Kulcha, and Pudina Kulcha—they were soft, but nothing extraordinary. The curries were the real stars: Kaju Masala and Dhaba Style Paneer. I particularly enjoyed the rich and flavourful kaju curry.

In a burst of enthusiasm, we also ordered Malaysian Mee Goreng, but by the time we finished the rotis and curry, we were already full—almost up to our throats! So, we asked for it to be packed straight from the kitchen, and one of us took it home.

To wrap up, each of us had a different Falooda—Royal Falooda, Kulfi Falooda, and Mini Falooda. Sweet and colourful, just as expected. My Kulfi Falooda was quite large, with too much crushed ice for my taste—I ended up removing most of the ice that was on top. Interestingly, the Royal Falooda reminded me of the Halo-Halo dessert I had once in the Philippines.

The total bill came to ₹4096 (about USD 48) for the three of us. It was certainly on the expensive side for a vegetarian dinner, but not in the star hotel range. Considering the ambience, attentive service, and the variety we tried, it felt reasonable for an occasional outing with friends. I’d say the restaurant is worth visiting for special occassions.

From their website, I noticed they have branches in other cities too—Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, and Hyderabad.

Disclosure: I write reviews about restaurants that I have visited and paid in full. There were no sponsorship or advertisement, or commission of any sort involved in this post.