Indian favorites with a twist at Maska Brunch
Newish to the Midtown Miami area and a welcome Indian addition is Maska Indian Kitchen + Bar, the sit down restaurant that's sister to Cho:Tu, the Indian street food spot that's just a few doors down. I went to Cho:Tu a while back and loved it too.
At Maska, the interior is bright and relaxing with lovely gold-toned wall murals, a fully stocked bar and plenty of wide open seating. There's nothing crammed about this place.
Cocktails are always a great way to start and here, The Red Lady with bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, fresh strawberries and bitters and the Am-chi Martini, made with gin, lime juice, triple sec, homemade mango foam and a dusting of cinnamon, are two beautiful and delicious choices.
All the traditional items you'd expect at an Indian restaurant like naan, curry and masala dishes are on the menu. Here's what we had:
Ordering naan is a no-brainer. We got a double dose with the traditional one made with garlic and topped with parsley and the stuffed "kulchas," soft and pillowy filled with earthy mushrooms and onions and cheese. The yogurt sauce for dipping, reminiscent of a Mediterranean tzatziki was phenomenal.
Yes, tacos at an Indian restaurant. The light, crepe-like tacos come filled with spinach, duck, lamb vindaloo, chicken chettinad, jackfruit or soy kheema. We opted for spinach, lamb and chicken, all fantastic choices but the soy kheema and jackfruit are great vegetarian choices as well.
The shrimp coconut curry is served with fermented rice crepes and a nice bowl of basmati rice. I chose the mild curry and it was perfect. The portion was great, just enough tender shrimp and leftover curry sauce that I could dump my rice into. The rice crepe was a nice light touch.
Wanting to try a couple of desserts we chose the delicate Indian donuts sitting in a sweet syrup and topped with coconut flakes and the fig phirni, rice pudding topped with sweet syrupy figs.
Spend an afternoon or evening at Maska and try these great dishes and plenty more, they have an extensive menu to please anyone's Indian craving.
Maska Indian Kitchen + Bar, 3252 NE 1 Ave., 786.971.9100
