Building on the success of their Surry Hills restaurant, Masala Theory have brought their contemporary brand of Indian cuisine to Bondi. Tucked off the street in The Hub—which has ten buck parking after 5pm—this indoor-outdoor space is the perfect plush pink place to sink a few frosty on-tap Kingfishers ($12/each) and unwind after a day at the beach. A hard day’s surf is easily fixed with a swift-to-arrive snack selection that douses a generous serve of Indian fried chicken ($22) in a slightly tangy vindaloo-inspired sauce. The gilafi kebab ($24) is a double meat tube of skewered lamb mince piled on flaky flatbread with crisp salad and chutneys. It’s a bit thick to roll and wrap, and the meat wanted more smoke and char from the tandoor, but I appreciated the punny presentation.
The charring was much better on a quarter of coal-smoked lamb chops ($36). Deeply spiced and draped over a lake of sweet mango puree they’re finger-licking fun to drag and dip and the perfect mashup of Indian cuisine and the Australian summer. The ghee-sweated sweet onions were more impressive than the prawns ($32) teamed with fresh curry leaves and masala. This dish needs an injection of fresh Aussie prawns to level it up to the lamb.
Breads are more a main event here than an accompaniment, particularly if you order one of the more hectic ones, like the cheese and truffle/spiked mushroom naan ($10) it’s a one-between-two affair. The bullet naan ($9) is more modestly adorned with mint and green bullet chillies tempered by butter. They do pack a punch so have some fennel raita ($9) on hand. Take your whole crew: Masala Theory caters for everyone with vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes all clearly marked on the colourful menu.
