Our last restaurant stop in our Okanagan trip was the Masala Bistro at Kismet Estate Winery. We were at this winery the last time we were here but did not dine at the bistro. However our friends we were with had been and really loved it here so we came!
Started off with some drinks! They had an interesting cocktail called an Indian Mojito ($8) and that’s what AngryRussian ordered. The special ingredient was black pepper and even though that sounds odd this drink was delicious!
I had a boring old Red Sangria ($9) but it hit the spot on this hot, hot day and it was quite strong!
We decided on the Paneer Pakoras ($12) to share. It was slices of thin paneer with spinach sandwiched in between, and coated in chickpea flour.
I feel the paneer could be thicker, and the chickpea flour coating a bit dry, but this was remedied with the sauces provided!
There was a tamarind sauce, a spicy mint sauce, and something else I can’t remember lol. The sauces were quite yummy!
I ordered the Malabar Curry with chicken ($20) as I’ve never seen it before in the Indian restaurants I’ve tried. It’s described in the menu as prepared with onion gravy, special south Indian spices and coconut milk. This was served with rice, naan, and salad.
So, taste-wise this was…fine? It had enough spice flavor. I’m far from an Indian curry connoisseur but I’ve had my fair share of Indian curries in the Lower Mainland, and they’re usually thicker than this. I found the curries at Masala Bistro to be on the runny side and not…very spiced.
The naan also…didn’t exactly taste homemade? It actually had the texture of the store-bought naan we get from Superstore. Not saying it’s not good, it’s warmed and chewy, but wasn’t puffy like the homemade ones I’ve had in the restaurants in the Lower Mainland.
AngryRussian picked a vegetarian dish, the Gobi Manchurian ($14). It had battered cauliflower cooked in “traditional Indian sauce and sauteed with honey”. It came with rice only (no naan) and a simple salad.
Gave it a try, it was….ok. He ordered it in Medium heat but it wasn’t that spicy at all.
In the end, I thought Masala Bistro was just ok. However the gorgeous views and the yummy drinks made it a worthwhile stay.