Review: IKEA’s Chicken Masala
IKEA isn’t the first place that comes into mind when you think of Indian food but surprisingly, it should. When IKEA was still based in Shuwaikh their restaurant was tiny and had a limited variety of dishes. Now that they are based in The Avenues and have a lot of space they expanded their restaurant not only in size but also in the variety of dishes that they serve.
One of the dishes they used to serve every now and then as their daily special has now become a permanent dish on their menu, the chicken masala.
As I said earlier when it comes to Indian food IKEA isn’t the first thing that comes into mind. Swedish meatballs yes, chicken masala no. Despite how strange the notion of a Swedish furniture chain serving Indian food might sound, they somehow managed to get it right. IKEA serve extremely good chicken masala and they serve it alongside plain white steamed rice. Combined the meal is priced aggressively at only KD1.500! The portion is large and filling and the flavor is pretty darn good. Its currently my favorite dish at their restaurant and a favorite among many. With a cheap price tag, good portion and great flavor there really isn’t much to complain about. Final score is a 4.5 out of 5.
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26 Comments, add your own...
1. M | July 31st, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Looks good
2. Zack | July 31st, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Have always loved IKEA restaurant. They have excellent food there..I’ve tried the Masala and I second Mark’s opinion.
3. Lolo | July 31st, 2007 at 1:22 pm
It does taste yummy indeed.
4. Ralph | July 31st, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Masala and Meat balls are fixed dishes on the menu…but i think the others change every 2-3 weeks..
Great place to eat in..
5. SkyHook | July 31st, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Whats the best indian rest. in kuwait ?
other than the notorious Maghal Mahal
6. cajie | July 31st, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Mughal Mahal is not an Indian restaurant.
It’s menu is basically Indian dishes “modded” for the Arab population.
On a given evening, how many “Indians” do you actually see in Mughal Mahal?.
Exactly.
7. holla | July 31st, 2007 at 2:25 pm
TASTY in kwt city is a bit more authentic but some stuff they have tastes absolutely foul.
8. Mahi | July 31st, 2007 at 2:54 pm
TASTY use to be my place too…
9. Mahi | July 31st, 2007 at 2:57 pm
SkyHook, probably Dawat is one of them. They are next to Safir international and one in Abuhalifa, nest to Kuwait magic.
10. Environmental | July 31st, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Delhi derbar (not sure of spelling) in hawalli yummmy .. they have good chicken tikka masala! I agree we need people to share and vote for the best indian restaurant in Kuwait ?
11. battery operated | July 31st, 2007 at 3:13 pm
food, food, food…….
no wonder kuwait’s in 8th place.
12. cajie | July 31st, 2007 at 3:15 pm
It’s “Delhi Darbar”
13. Environmental | July 31st, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Yeh. Thanks for correcting me
14. atif | July 31st, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Seriously Mark, how much do you weigh?
15. pearls | July 31st, 2007 at 4:43 pm
looks quite yummie
16. HBZ | July 31st, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Bukhara at Sheraton Kuwait is the best Indian restaurant
17. Muh'd M. Mansour | July 31st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I tried their BERYANY years ago it was really great. Next time I’m in Kuwait I’ll give Chicken Masala a try.
Thanks
18. sleepingowl | July 31st, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Bukhara is the best….Mughal Mahal is a joke.
19. aquariius | July 31st, 2007 at 6:28 pm
yes you are absolutely right mark - the chicken (tikka) masala is absolutely my fav dish @ ikea - we used to go to the one in shuwaikh many a times, just to have this dish !
they used to serve it with poppadams(papads - for all u desis out there) and mango pickle. absolutely fab food !
i dunno how it is now @ the avenues - havent tried it in a while - you just reminded me of so many good times related to having the chicken tikka masala dish there.
cheers !
20. mathew | July 31st, 2007 at 7:20 pm
mmm.. looks good !
have to give it a try this weekend !
21. vanity fayre | July 31st, 2007 at 7:21 pm
And there was me thinking Chicken Tikka Masala was an Indian invention. Turns out it was introduced by a British chef working at the Gaylord restaurant ( rest assured, there’s nothing gay about it) off Oxford street in London. From there Chicken Tikka Masala went places and there’s been no looking back since.
22. aquariius | July 31st, 2007 at 7:54 pm
some historical references for chicken tikka masala or CTM for short -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Tikka_Masala
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1174750,00.html
http://www.menumagazine.co.uk/book/tikkamasala.html
it seems the history is a bit disputed… in any case the dish itself is something else !
23. Purgatory | July 31st, 2007 at 7:56 pm
when I got home and was eating my lunch, I thought of this post and started to wonder, is the reason you eat out because of work time or you do not like to cook at home?
24. moe | August 1st, 2007 at 4:01 am
Well there you go a spicy dish that a lot of you adore. Mark, if u get a chance do try the biryani.
25. imogen khoury | August 1st, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Chicken tikka masala is so passé now. It is chicken chettinad and kori roti which is the choice of the newly arrived. Hope the F & B manager at IKEA is reading this.
26. john donne | November 19th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
stay as far away as you can from the rude and pretentious louts posing as staff at MUGHAL MAHAL. i’ve blacklisted that place for multiple reasons over multiple visits. its been about three years since i went there and i would agree with the person that said the food is not authentic.
if you really want some of the best indian food then go to the sheraton in bombay where you will find ‘peshawar’ restaurant - ranked one of the top 50 on the planet by ‘restaurant’ magazine’s annual review. beware though that you can only eat with your hands (yes i know its strange for a hotel) so you will have to wash up and prepare to attack. put it on your list for when you make a trip there. you will not be disappointed.
in kuwait i haven’t been a frequenter of indian food of late but i recall Taal had some good food and bukhara is always a consistent destination (albeit it quiet - not a bad thing these days).
indigo delivers some decent food also.
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