Hi,

A pakistani friend of mine gave me a great tip: just before serving the curry she adds some chopped fresh coriander and sprinkle a nice amount of garam massala to the dish. I tried it and it does give a bit of that missing taste. The smell is there anyway and there is definitely something different to the curry with the garam massala. Have a go and let me know what you think.
Also about the fact that restaurators would not have the curry that they seve that doesn't surprised. I love any curry from restaurants and take away but gosh it's go nothing comparable to an home made curry made by an indian cook. My friend's mom cooked us some lamb curry that what so amazing. The take away taste was not there and it was a different expeience all togheter. She cooked the lamb on the bone and the curry was dry, no gravy whatsoever, it was simply delicious. The best curry I ever tasted. I told my pakistani friend about it and she told me that home made curry should not be tasting the take away as it is a different way of cooking.

Good luck with experiencing the garam massala!!!