Masala Bae

When Tustin’s former Dosa Place and India Palace first transitioned names (and apparently ownership) to Masala Bae, we said this:

“Everyone should eat at Masala Bae. But not everyone will be able to eat at Masala Bae.”

When this Tustin restaurant is at its best, its Indian dishes are brilliant, and thanks to a post-India Palace trimming of the menu, easier to spot as distinctive. Smoked Chilli Chicken? Excellent in flavor, wonderfully tender. Mashed ginger eggplant, Kapurthala Baingan Bharta? One of those complex, deeply flavored vegetarian dishes that would win over a carnivore. “Junglee” red chili curry, jalapeno-based Highway Karahi, and black pepper Chettinad versions of goat and chicken, all winners. Even the naan – including garlic chilli – and lassis (mango, raspberry, and smoked pineapple (!)) are great.

But the average spice level of any plate is high, and the servers don’t ask guests whether to moderate it. So if you’re heat adverse, you’re not going to like it here. Some of the dishes make their intentions clear on the menu. Others don’t, and spice-adverse diners may sweat their way through the meal.

Masala Bae also became inconsistent after a strong initial performance. On one visit, their extra long, paper thin dosa (which at India Palace was must-try, then a must-return-to-have-again) was only okay rather than fantastic, and the Lamb Nihari (made with wheat flour curry) was over cooked in a congealing peppered ginger gravy. Meat-based appetizers can be expensive, almost all $18 or up, and in one case, the Indo-Chinese appetizer Chicken 65 was served as an almost comically small portion on a full-sized plate.