Masala Politics — Restaurant in Oslo

Masala Politics was an extremely pleasant surprise after a series of dissapointing experiences with Indian food in this country. From jarred Patek's chutney at a restaurant, to getting a korma with spinach when ordering palak paneer in Bergen, to odd hodge-podges of North and South Indian cuisines, Masala Politics was the comprehensive Indian dining experience I've been searching for this entire year.

I don't profess to have any sort of education or familial background in Indian food, but I've been fortunate enough to fall deeply into a bi-weekly routine of Indian dining until my move to Norway.

Masala Politics was a different experience from the start. From a novel ordering system fit for large parties, to a refreshing amuse bouche on its opening day before the arrival of a papadum starter. The dining room was comfortable, professional, and facilitated conversation despite the open kitchen.

My partner, who had spent a year eating vegetarian in India, opted for her first non-veg experience with Indian dining here, along with a supplement of chicken 65. We started with an amazing tender chicken tikka along with a grilled jhinga as a part of the chef's choice menu. Both dishes had no shortage in flavour, and manage to keep away from the trap of a monotone array of spices.

The Chicken 65 we had our first day was fantastic, juicy, but at a lower level of spice in comparison to my experiences with Chennai, but we did opt for a spice level of 4 the first day, playing a little conservatively. Next came a beef nihari and a duck curry. While both were very enjoyable, the level of care put into making the simple essentials in the rice and naan we received were phenomenal as well.

We loved Masala Politics so much, that we cancelled a reservation we had for the following evening to come back here instead. This time opting for an a la carte experience, with a level 5 in spice level selection, and leaning more towards a street food experience.

On both days, we did run into minor issues with items being entered into the system, but issues were quickly corrected by the friendly and professional staff, and can be very easily attributed to the hectic schedule of an opening night.

Masala Politics is a fantastic restaurant that we will frequent as much as we can. Halfway through our second meal in two days there, I was already recommending it to friends across the country who had been missing Indian food since coming here. A wonderful restaurant, a wonderful experience, and I hope it maintains this level of excellence for many...

Masala Politics - A Total Disaster

My experience at Masala Politics in Oslo was, without a doubt, one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. To start, it took a full half-hour to get our food. When the dish finally arrived, it was shocking to see every single piece of paneer cheese completely burnt to a crisp. The cubes were literally charcoal—black, hard, and entirely inedible. For anyone who knows, consuming burnt food is not only unappetizing but also linked to health risks like cancer. The fact that a restaurant could serve food in this condition is beyond comprehension, and it reflects a total lack of culinary competence.

When I brought this up with the manager, I was met with sheer denial. He insisted that there was nothing wrong with the dish and that the cheese was “supposed to be like that.” In what world is paneer supposed to be served as charred lumps of coal? Despite the overwhelming evidence of its burnt state, he refused to acknowledge it and claimed it was intentional. Another staff member came over and echoed the same nonsensical line, trying to convince me that this was how the dish was traditionally made. Having lived in India for five years and eaten this dish countless times around the world, I can confidently say: that’s a blatant lie.

To add insult to injury, when I requested a replacement, they said they couldn’t prepare the dish any differently. They seemed utterly incapable of preparing a basic paneer dish without burning it! Eventually, I had no choice but to leave the restaurant after wasting a significant amount of time trying to reason with a staff that clearly couldn’t care less about what they served or their customers’ feedback.

If you’re looking for burnt, inedible food served by staff who won’t take any responsibility or even acknowledge a problem, then Masala Politics is the place for you. But if you value your health, your time, and a basic level of competence in a restaurant, avoid this place at all costs. This is the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had, anywhere in the world. It’s shocking that a place like this can exist on one of Oslo’s main streets.

Moreover, I will be reporting Masala Politics to Mattilsynet, Norway’s food safety authority. It’s appalling to see such disregard for basic food safety and hygiene, especially when serving food that is literally dangerous to the health of guests. The level of negligence here is alarming, and establishments like this should be taken down for putting the public’s...

This place was busy on a Fri night (I got there after 9pm without booking). I was a solo diner but I was sat in the main room in a corner which has a plastic partition to a couple’s table. The partition is extremely soundproof! Which is great as I wasn’t interested in listening in on anyone’s conversations! The menu is quite extensive so I ordered 4 “street food”’ items thinking they were “snack” portions but I was wrong - they were full sized and honestly that’s the reason for the 4 star and not 5 star review because the waiter should have informed me about the portion size and maybe recommend 3 dishes (still a lot)! Food is really tasty but in the end I couldn’t finish and as I hate wasting food I finished the lightest dish (which was a cold dish) and ate most of the semolina parcels (amazing) and only half of the other two dishes. I requested a takeaway box and took away the rest on the semolina dish and half of one of the two leftover dishes - the fourth one was more like a breakfast dish and really would not keep/taste good sitting in a hotel refrigerator so I had to leave it. Then I went for a longish walk to Karl Johan Castle/Palace - like a loop to walk off some...