A Journey of Flavors at Masala Mantra

Indian Bistro

As our loyal Res Gestae readers know, I love food - and I love trying new things. It used to be that Indian food was never on my radar, but Masala Mantra changed that! I have been here a few times now, and each time it is the same experience: amazing.

This place is Cape Coral’s first Indian restaurant, tucked into a random strip plaza on Del Prado Boulevard. It is easy to pass and the parking lot is almost always full, which often is a telltale sign that a place is great! While I often do not enjoy waiting to be seated, this place is worth the wait, if it comes to that.

On this particular Friday night, I wanted to take a trip to India. But since I also had to work the next day for Law In the Mall, which was held that following Saturday, I decided to drive to Cape Coral instead. The parking lot was indeed busy, but we got a stellar parking spot. This to me was a sign that this was the right choice and that we were in for a treat.

We walked in and were immediately greeted by two friendly faces who took us straight to the table. After we sat down and, as per the norm, they brought a lovely glass bottle of water and two glasses to the table for us to enjoy some refreshing H2O.

Next up: The drink menu. I have tried an Indian beer here previously, and wanted to try it again with this meal. The beer is called the Taj Mahal, and it is great – both light and hoppy, all at once. Although we don’t typically do this when here, we decided to order a few appetizers. I wanted to be sure to try as much as I could so I can make sure to inform our Dish readers properly, and I am happy to report that we made the right choices! We chose the Manchurian and the samosa chaat. Both were beyond phenomenal. The Manchurian offers the choice of chicken or shrimp, so we chose shrimp. This dish turned out to be a wonderful combo of sweet, sour and heat! The shrimp are coated in a super flavorful sauce, with peppers and onions. Each shrimp was perfectly cooked and tasted absolutely yummy!

The samosa chaat dish headed in quite a different direction, truly bursting with flavor. The samosas themselves are stuffed with a vegetarian and mild chickpea filling. On the side came this wonderful assortment of chutneys filled with amazing flavor combinations! Next, we moved to our entrées, two of which, we have tried before, while one was a new addition to our favorites list. We went with the chicken tikka masala, the lamb korma and the lamb Indian inferno. Also, I should note that you can choose your protein for each entrée. Your choices include veggies, paneer, chicken, lamb, goat and shrimp. Each entree comes with a bowl of long grain basmati rice. Each entrée is shareable as the portions are quite large. Now if you have had Indian food, you know the go-to is the tikka masala. It is a robust dish that even the pickiest of eaters would enjoy! This tasty entrée is served with a thick tomato, onion and cream sauce with many, varied herbs and spices to make the most amazing meat tenderizer and sauce. It pairs well with chicken, but you can order it with veggies, shrimp, lamb or goat. The chicken variety is my favorite for that option. The chicken arrived perfectly cooked, and left nothing to be desired!

The next entrée was the lamb korma. Its menu description explained that is made from meat or veggies, braised in a garlic and ginger sauce. Cooked using the low-and-slow method, this yields a tender, mild stew. Our korma tasted extra rich, because the taste was enriched with ground cashews and almonds. They had me at garlic, but the rest sounded phenomenal and thus we ordered it.

Now Steve loves spicy – like, really spicy – so he chose his favorite, the Indian Inferno, with the lamb. As he ordered this, the lovely server asked not once, not twice, but three times whether he was sure. Most cannot handle the spice level of this dish, Steve was informed. He assured her that he has tried it several times, and thoroughly enjoys it.

Now I love spicy, but this dish is quite otherworldly on that level! The heat comes from the spicy chili and habanero peppers that are featured in the thick gravy the lamb is simmered in. What I like to do is take a bit of the gravy and mix it in the tikka masala to kick it up a notch. If you like spicy, but not to the level that makes your under eyes sweat, that is the way to go!

One of my favorite parts of this place’s ambiance is the fish tank at the bar. They have some really cool fish in the tank. But, the stars are the tiny turtles that literally jump off little gym equipment pieces at the tank’s surface, down into the water. It offers entertainment and hilarity while you wait for your meal.

All-in-all, this place is a pleasure. The service, food, drinks and atmosphere all offer a great experience. If you have not been to Masala Mantra, take a trip to Cape Coral. You will thank me later!

By Ashley Wilson