I was trying to order Tandoori chicken from Renault restaurant in Byculla, but it was closed. So found this Masala Kitchen option in FoodPanda.
The price of Tandoori chicken was very high at Rs. 380 with Rs. 25 extra for delivery. But still, I ordered as I had a 30% off Foodpanda coupon.
When the order came, 1st time ever I saw a restaurant deliver Tandoori Chicken in a container. All others pack it in an aluminum foil. Just by looking at the size of the container my mom said, “I think they delivered half tandoori chicken”. But it was the size of the chicken which was small. Now coming to flavors. The chicken was awesomely flavored and perfectly cooked. The meat was juicy and tender. As far as I could remember, one of the best chicken tandoori I have had. I totally loved it. The chicken came along with onions that were flavored with mild spices and green chutney which was not too spicy but good in taste.
Chicken Gilafi Seekh: Came with a nice presentation. Opening the container itself gave a very good looking thing inside. The taste was 3/5. The flavor was better when had with green chutney which comes along. Seekh was a bit on the drier side. When compared to Seekh of Hotel Sigdi, Byculla and Delhi Darbar which I consider as benchmarks, it was not up to the mark. But still a good dish. The price was average, not too cheap or expensive.
Butter Chicken: It came with tasty but a bit sweetish gravy, but the quantity of chicken was a bit less according to me. The taste was 3.5/5. Again not comparable to Butter Chicken of Delhi Darbar which I consider as the best at the time of writing this review. The price of Rs. 215 was perfect.
Paneer Tikka Masala: Taste was good but nothing great. Paneer was also nice and soft. It needs to be more spicy to be tastier. The taste was 3.5/5.
Cheese Garlic Naan: Add cheese and garlic to anything and it cannot taste bad. So did this. Very good in taste. The taste was 4/5.
In an all an excellent experience with this restaurant regarding the taste and quality of food. Price is the only negative about this restaurant.
Update to my experience in November 2019. I ordered a few items for myself and my friends.
Masala Onion Paratha: It was having 2 thick parathas with onion chutney inside. It was well cooked and had good flavors. It came along with yogurt and daal makhani. The daal makhani was excellent and flavors and enhanced the flavor of the paratha many folds. 4.5/5 on taste.
Murgh Bhuna Wrap with Malabari Paratha: The length of the wrap was small inside but it was thick which made it similar to most moderate-sized wraps you get in restaurants. The chicken inside was tender. The Malabari paratha was well cooked, soft and enhanced the flavor of the wrap a lot. The masala inside was great in flavors and I love it. It was not very spicy and perfect in flavors. 4.5/5 on taste.
Shahi Murgh Dum Biryani: The biryani came along with the raita. By the name of shahi chicken, I was expecting a bit different flavor but the overall flavor of the biryani was just like any other biryani. The taste was good. Chicken pieces were very few and small in size but well cooked. 3.5/5 on taste.
Mutton Seekh Wrap: The wrap was good in size and seekh was having a typical flavor of mutton seekh. 4/5 on taste.
Murgh Seekh Wrap: Similar to mutton seekh but with a better overall taste. 4.5/5 on taste.
Achari Murgh Paratha: The paratha was thick and filled with finely chopped chicken pieces. The taste of the paratha itself was decent. It came along with yogurt and a gravy. the gravy was having a strong and bad taste of achaar. Overall the taste of the dish was ordinary. 2.5/5 on taste.
Dal Khichdi: A typical dal khichdi. Not the tastiest but similar to ones you get in most places in Mumbai. 3.5/5 on taste.
Santra Murgh Wrap: I ordered this one with laccha paratha. The chicken was well cooked and tender. Inside there were sauces with a prominent flavor of orange. The flavor was not too strong but it gave a bit sour and sweet taste. I had it with the chutney given as I prefer the spicy flavors. 4/5 on taste. Full marks for uniqueness.
Spinach, Onion, and Cheese Overload Paratha: It had literally overload of spinach but the cheese was nowhere to be seen or tasted. Because there were only spinach and nothing else in the paratha, it was bland. The only thing which made it edible was the daal makhani and yogurt given along. 2/5 on taste.
Makhanwala Paneer ki Biryani: The biryani was cold on arrival and the taste was ordinary. The paneer pieces were good but not great. The gravy was not among the good paneer makhanwala I have had and even the rice flavor did not come out very well. The basil leaves on top were giving good flavor but not enough for me to recommend this dish to anyone. 3.5/5 on taste.
Overall a great experience with this place after so many years. I and my friends totally loved the taste of the food and would definitely order more items in the future.
Rating
Packaging: 4/5
Taste; 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Makhanwala Paneer ki Biryani
In 2020 I made another order to try out the meal box.
Non-Vegetarian Combo Thali: The nonveg gravy was nice and tasty and went well with the roti. Rotis were like Gujarati phulka. Rice and daal were good. 3.5/5 on taste.
Konkani Mangalorean Thali: Kori Ghassi, Batat Gojju Dalitoy, rice, udida happola (papad), and madgane (dessert). The taste of the chicken curry was good and went well with the rice. Dal rice as flavorful as well. The dry sabji was a batata bhaji with a different flavor. Sweet was having chana dal in it which was bit hard. Otherwise the taste was decent. 3.5/5 on taste.
Konkani Mangalorean Thali 
Non-Vegetarian Combo Thali
