Massalla Lounge — Restaurant in Worcester

PATHETIC FOOD. LOADS OF SUGAR AND FOOD COLOUR IN EVERY GRAVY/CURRIES.

This is a response to the restaurant’s reply on my friend’s review, as we both dined together and had the exact same disappointing experience:

First of all, “Desi food” is Indian food. Desi is a widely used term worldwide to describe food from the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal). Suggesting that I was simply expecting “Desi” food is both factually wrong and an attempt to sidestep the real issue, that what you served was simply not good.

Our entire order tasted exactly the same overly sweet, drowning in tomato base, and full of artificial colours. There was no depth of flavour, no distinct spice profile, and nothing remotely close to what Indian food is supposed to taste like. Calling this “authentic Indian food” is misleading to customers.

I was born and raised in Mumbai, a city that has no shortage of high-end restaurants serving Indian food in modern settings. I know what good Indian food tastes like, and this was not it. We had to throw most of it away. that’s how bad it was.

Your reply also tries to discredit me and friends opinion by mentioning that she positively reviewed Kerala Hut and Chennai Dosa. South India is a part of India South Asian food is not limited to one region. Liking authentic South Indian food does not mean I cannot recognise when North Indian food is poorly made. Good food is good food. This meal was not.

Finally, hiding behind a 4.5-star average to dismiss negative feedback is not the sign of a restaurant that cares about improvement. A high rating does not make bad food good. Customers have every right to call out a bad experience, and questioning their taste buds instead of taking the criticism on board is poor customer service.

If you are going to market yourself as a “high end Indian restaurant serving authentic Indian food,” then you need to actually deliver on that promise. What you served was not authentic, not balanced, and frankly not representative of Indian...

I honestly don’t understand how this place has a 4.5 rating! And it’s labeled as an Indian restaurant? As someone who is Indian and has tried countless authentic dishes, I can say with confidence this is far from Indian cuisine.

All the curries taste almost the same, with an unnecessary sweet touch. Anyone familiar with real Indian food knows it’s celebrated for its bold spices, not sugar. I ordered the chicken korai and was already disappointed, but I still gave the biryani a chance.

Unfortunately, it was worse! since when is biryani sweet? On top of that, the food coloring they used was shocking. I would never recommend this place to anyone looking for real Indian food. Expensive for no absolute reason. This is absolutely not what Indian cuisine is supposed to be.

RESPONSE TO THE BELOW FROM OWNER:

Thank you for your response. Firstly, could you clarify what you mean by “South Asian”? This restaurant is presented and marketed as an Indian restaurant, so customers naturally expect authentic Indian food. And if you meant to say South Indian food, my expectation was simply authentic Indian food it doesn’t matter whether it’s North Indian, South Indian, or “Desi.” Authenticity is what I was looking for.

It also feels very unfair that you’ve decided what my taste preferences are. I am someone who travels often and try cuisines from around the world, so this is not about personal taste. The concern is the excessive use of food colouring in your dishes, which is a matter of quality, not preference. I had ordered this food for friends and family from different parts of India and all of them shared the same opinion. I’ve also read other reviews mentioning similar concerns, which shows this is not just about my taste buds but about consistency and authenticity. This is constructive feedback on your food quality, not a...

We visited Massalla Lounge on a busy Saturday evening and were warmly welcomed at the door. We had booked and I think that was a good thing.

Unusually for us we ordered a bottle of red wine to accompany the meal – it was ‘just’ a bottle of house red. What we were given was an Italian Merlot which was fruity and a hint of spice. It perfectly accompanied the spicy food we had ordered.

Then menu has many many options for meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians.

We chose a sharing platter to start with grilled king prawns, tandoori chicken and seasoned grilled lamb chops, served with salad and onions. The King Prawns were amazing and so easy to remove from their shells, the chicken was moist and the lamb chop divine. This perfectly cooked and seasoned starter had certainly set a very high bar for the rest of the meal.

Main course was Chicken Jalfrazi FattyCat and I had the Seafood Delight. I have a rice intolerance so only had the curries with Naan breads. The seafood delight (Mild) was packed with King Prawn, shrimps and salmon in a sauce that tasted of the sea and was delicately spiced. It was so filling that unfortunately I only ate 1/4 of my light fluffy naan. FattyCat said his Chicken Jalfrazi was the best he had ever had. The sauce was thick and the chicken was not over cooked. It looked amazing.

Dessert was Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream, slices of Orange and a pick & mix selection of sweets.

To complete the meal we were given a complimentary Bailey shot.

Throughout our visit the staff were attentive, friendly and helpful. They also had a sense of humour.

Everything was just wonderful.

We will certainly...