Restaurant Review: Msala India

On New Year’s Day, Scott, his friend Chris, and I were trying to decide what to have for dinner when Chris found out neither of us had ever eaten Indian food. Chris offered to take me and Scott out to dinner and suggested a restaurant that he visited when he was in town for our wedding – Msala India in High Point, N.C. I was so excited to try something new so we took Chris up on his offer.

Msala India in located in Oak Hollow Square on Skeet Club Road in High Point. It is a small restaurant wedged into the corner of the shopping center and is actually hard to see unless you know it is there. Once inside, we found a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, a small amount of tables around the perimeter of the room, and a buffet set up in the center of the room.

The owner took care us of over the course of the evening, and he was extremely friendly and accommodating. He talked us through the courses and told us a little about how they make the dishes – it was quite interesting and informative for a first-timer like me! He also explained that their lunch buffet is open 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., seven days a week.

We looked to Chris to help us make decisions from the menu. We started with meat samosas, a pastry filled with ground chicken, peas and spices:

I tried all three of their sauces with my samosa. From the top: the red sauce is a spicy onion chutney, the green is a mint chutney, and the brown is a sweet tamarind sauce. Scott and I both commented that while we thought the onion chutney was the best originally, it turned out each sauce was better than the last. All three were delicious and are house-made daily.

We decided to split three dishes between us for the main meal:

Clockwise from the top right: garlic naan, lamb curry (lamb chunks in a tomato based curry sauce), dall makhani (lentils and kidney beans simmered in a spicy sauce), rice, and sag paneer (spinach and paneer cheese). We ordered these all medium on the spice level scale.

I tried all three dishes and thoroughly enjoyed them all. The lamb was tender and flavorful, the sag paneer had a really pure spinach taste (and I love spinach), and the dall was hearty and spiced perfectly. Of the three, the dall was my favorite and I would definitely order it again.

After dinner, Chris and I shared an unphotographed mango lassi that was creamy and refreshing after all of the spices from the meal.

While I had no previous experience with Indian food, Chris told us that he found the food at Msala India more traditional than other Indian restaurants he normally goes to. He commented that most make their dishes creamier and more “Americanized” that the food at Msala, and I was glad that I was able to experience a more traditional meal as my first Indian experience.

If you are looking for good, authentic Indian food in the Triad area, I highly suggest Msala India!