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I wanted to have a Dosa or an Uttapam so made my way to this place – which is occupying the space once occupied by Konaseema Kitchen. The chap at the counter offered me a non-veg thali – which I agreed to. When I asked, I was told it was not an unlimited thali. I expected that since it was already a little past the lunch hour, the service would be fast – it was not. Two small buckets of probably a Sambar and Rasam – they both appeared identical were first placed in front of me. There was no other bowl or other utensil – just these two small buckets. After what seemed like an eternity – time acquires its own dimension when you are hungry – a Thali was placed in front me – it was quite a variety: 1) Tandoor Roti 2) Chicken Chettinad 3) Orange Chicken 4) Masoor Dal were the side dishes. This was accompanied by a pile of white rice with a couple of cilantro leaves on top and bowl full of Lemon Rice. As condiments there was a papad, a pile of pickles, a slice of onion and lemon. And a bowl of one Gulab Jamun for dessert. I started with the Tandoor Roti. It was hard. I do NOT exaggerate – it was HARD. With a single hand – you eat with both hands only if you are eating Tandoori Chicken – one could not break the roti into pieces. My normal habit is to break a roti into pieces, fold it into a small cup, pick up the gravy from a Curry – Chicken Chettinad in this case – and pop it into my mouth. I COULD NOT FOLD IT. I COULD NOT BREAK IT. I was left with two layers of hard, pita chip like pieces between which the gravy barely stayed. And once in my mouth, it felt like some hard Cassava chips. Next to the rice. Not being able to definitely make out whether it was Sambar or Rasam, I tried to pour the liquid from one of the mini buckets. – Surprise, Surprise! it was a Rasam and in place of the ladle was a TABLE SPOON! Try serving Rasam with your wrong (Left) hand from a deep vessel like a mini bucket using a table spoon. After 5 or 6 back and forth, I had barely a corner of the white rice pile covered in rasam – barely acquiring some color – Rasam rice is typically very liquid. Anyway, I started on the rice – when I got a telephone call. Two minutes later when I resumed the rice, I was surprised to encounter a sense of being full. In India, there is a rumor that restaurants add Baking soda to the rice while boiling it so that even if you eat a quarter of your regular quantity of rice, you get a sensation of being full – this seemed to be happening here. I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS TECHNIQUE IS NOT BEING INTRODUCED HERE! I ate only a little of the rice, left the lemon rice and Masoor dal alone and concentrated on the Gulab Jamun. This too was a disappointment. I have prepared Gulab Jamuns myself using Khoya and I know that my Gulab Jamuns have been delightful – pure bliss which you could disintegrate in your mouth with just your tongue and the palate. This Jamun required a lot of force to even cut it using the spoon! Jamuns are not supposed to be so firm – they are supposed to be soft which flattened at the slightest pressure – this Jamun would not yield even with full force from my right (Correct) hand! All in all, I felt bad wasting so much food – AND I WAS FAMISHED, MIND YOU! And for a Post-tax price of $14? It was just not worth it – stay away from their Thali.

Tamarind Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 415 N Military Hwy #27, Norfolk

This place is an amazing hidden gem!!! Hands down best Indian food and the best prices. Went for lunch and it wasn’t too busy but as soon as I walked in the door the incredible aroma told me this place was gonna be good! Had the Meat Thali which is like a sample plate including two meat entrees, apple relish, rice, wheat naan, pappadam and gulab jamun, who could ask for more? The naan was very good to my amazement bc it was flatter than I’m accustomed to, the butter chicken and chili chicken were good but the gulab jamun will stick in my mind and to my ribs for a while! It’s like a fried donut hole soaked in maple syrup and garnished with shaved coconut, YUM! Also had the samosa chaat as a starter and it was delish! And a mango lassi because you kinda have to. Courteous staff, fast service and a good atmosphere. I WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK!!!

Bengal Bar & Grill – Menu with Prices – 3685 Preston Rd STE # 167, Frisco

I would rank Bengal Bar and Grill 2.5 – 3 stars. 2 would be too low. 3 might be too high. Having said that I went here because I saw they had close to 20 reviews and had a 4.0 rating. During lunch they offer Buffet. The Buffet is a bit overpriced for the selection they offer. There were not that many guests there to begin with, and that’s always a frightening thing at a place that offers a buffet. The number of items they offer were also limited and they were out of items like tandoori chicken and fish curry that we had to ask a couple of times before we got them. The chicken biryani has large pieces of potatoes in it. The first time I only got a piece of potato instead of chicken by accident. The dessert is not even worth trying, as I had both the gulab jamun and carrot halva. Carrot Halva tasted bad and did not have the right consistency to it. Gulab Jamun looked way too dark after you bit into it than any other I have ever had before. Bottom line is I would not be going back here again. There are just too many other good options out there.

Chicago’s Pizza With A Twist – Menu with Prices – 1885 S Virginia St, Reno

Do yourself a flavor (see what I did there) and check this place out! You wouldn’t expect Indian food and pizza to work together but Chicago’s pizza harmonizes it perfectly. My friends and I indulged in chicken tikka masala pizza, kebob pizza, butter chicken pasta, and gulab jamun. One of the main reasons I wanted to try this place was because of their butter chicken pasta. It was totally different from what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. The chicken tikka masala and kebob pizza were delicious. I’ve never had pizza with so many ingredients that worked so well together. None of the ingredients overpowered the other. Each bite was an explosion of flavor. Out of the two I liked the chicken tikka masala more but I would definitely order both again. My friend even said that it was the best pizza they ever had! Pizza has never been one of my favorites but getting to try their twists has definitely made me a fan. We ended it on a sweet note with gulab jamun which is one of my favorite desserts. They served it warm which made it even more decadent. The workers are very friendly and eager to help if you’re overwhelmed by the menu and confused on what to get. I can wait to come back to try other things on the menu!

The Halal Guys Menu with Prices Alexandria Commons, 3167 Duke St, Alexandria

I’ll admit, I was excited in the beginning when The Halal Guys were making their push down here to Virginia. Because come on, if they have huge success selling plates of food from a street cart in NYC, surely us country bumpkins would appreciate it just as much, right? I don’t. But wow, I bet this is exactly the same stuff as what they’re serving from the food cart up north. Maybe this comes from the bias that I have from Roti Mediterranean. If you ordered a chicken rice bowl from Roti, compared to a Halal Guys you’re looking at saving $1 right there. And guess what, you get waaay more at Roti thrown into that bowl. I’m talking free humus, which is extra at Halal guys, and they have a good 5 extra toppings that you can add to your bowl (Veggies!, lots of them), plus couscous, tomato and cucumber, and feta. It’s awesome. I’m sorry, but even adding a whole gallon of that white sauce won’t add up to the flavor you get from all the ingredients Roti offers up. And you will need that sauce because I found their chicken and lamb very dry and not packing any flavor by itself. It was pure hype. Maybe they had some marketing geniuses selling this stuff, but I’m no longer buying it.

Yoshinoya Burbank – Menu with Prices – 1215 N San Fernando Blvd, Burbank

UPDATE: Happened AGAIN. I don’t even know why I “gave you the opportunity” (as I was asked to) to try again. This is my tilapia bowl. I took out the fish to marinate it in tons of lemon before eating it with the rest of the bowl, and there was this thin layer of rice (practically an empty bowl) and a couple of vegetables. Far, FAR cry from the bowl you advertise, with a heaping bowl of rice, a huge tilapia and plenty of side (veg/slaw). At this point, I’m going to be stopping by for a partial refund of both this and my last meals. The dish, as delivered, is worth half its price. You ought not to be in business. ————————- Regular customer of this particular Yoshinoya Burbank. I like the food, but have TWO issues. The putrid sewage smell that you refuse to fix is one – I don’t know if that’s messing with my food in any way. The second one is your FALSE ADVERTISING, which is a misdemeanor under US Penal Code 15, Section 54, and can carry hefty penalties if a community decides to involve an attorney for a class-action lawsuit (hint hint). You are stealing from your customers by charging them a price for which you promise an advertised product that you are not delivering. I ask for my bowl to match the picture on your menu EVERY TIME, and every time I am refused, with the excuse of “that’s how corporate tells us to serve it”. Pictured on the left is your advertisement, and on the right, my latest bowl, half empty, practically, You can see all the rice, and instead of the 22 pieces of chicken your menu shows and a FULL bowl of rice, the rice barely filled half of my bowl and I had only 13 pieces of chicken. So, let’s hear what you have to say, Yoshinoya. What’s your excuse for stealing from me?

Peak Restaurant & Bar – Menu with Prices – 3401 W Airport Fwy #110, Irving

I visited this place on a Saturday afternoon for the lunch. The place is situated near to Irving Mall. This place is a restobar and serves the Nepalese and Indian cuisine along with drinks. Now, here is my perspective about the place. Food and Drinks (4.5/5) – I started with a Mango Lassi and it tasted awesome. Then I went on to try a couple of appetizers. Chips Chilli is a must try in appetizers. It’s a dish made of potatoes. I also tried their “Chatpate” dish which is what we call “Bhel Muri” in India. It’s a dish made of rice puffs beiing mixed with peanuts and small diced pieces of cucumber, onion, tomato. Then I went on to try on their Veg Momos which tasted equally good. In the main course, I tried Paneer Vindaloo with Garlic Naan. The curry was made of paneer (cottage chesse) and potatoes. I loved the spiciness of the curry. Finally finished my meal with Indian desserts such as Gulab Jamun and Ras Malai. I am sure u will love the Gulab Jamun here. Service (4.5/5) – I got a very warm welcome from the staff. Jasmine gave me some very good suggestions on what to try. Also, the food was served quick, fresh and hot. Ambience (4.5/5) – The interiors of the place are really good. They have a dim lit kind of ambience. They have 4-5 big TVs playing different sports on each one. So u can enjoy whicever sport u like. They have different kind of seatings (sofa, wooden chairs and high raise chairs near the bar). So you can chose whatever you are comfortable with. Overall, I had a great time here and would love to visit the place again.

Punjabi Dhaba – Menu with Prices – 2855 Derry Rd E, Mississauga

Walked in not knowing what to expect – place had a decent ambience and the aroma and fairly simple menu offering seemed appetizing enough.. from them, everything went down hill. Since this was the first time, did not know what to expect.. we had to pick a table ourselves and we kept waiting and no one showed up… even though the employees serving thali could see us.. Had to approach those employees and asked them to explain what needs to be done.. was told if it is not a thali, someone will come to the table and take the order.. and finally an employee showed up.. Menu was clear a MUD! We ordered Panneer pakora – Average…chutney was too watery Channa battura – Average Goat curry, – Average Lemon chicken, – horrible Butter chicken, – Tasted like tomato chicken Goat Biryani, – quantity was ok, but no flavour except way too hot enough to burn your mouth. Garlic Naan and bitter Naan.

Roti Modern Mediterranean – Menu with Prices – 80 S 8th St, Minneapolis

Decent (somewhat healthy) option to have when working in Downtown Minneapolis. There aren’t that many good lunch places that offers a combination of affordability, accessibility, and deliciousness than Roti. Like others mentioned, it is the ‘Chipotle’ for Mediterranean food. I do see a trend with this cuisine popping up in many urban places such as Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York (e.g. Naya in Midtown). The food is fresh and it literally takes less than 2 minutes to go from ordering to having a lunch ready to go The process is simple – begin with either a rice bowl, salad, pita, or wrap and then follow by choice of protein, sides, and toppings. The total will vary but expect $7-10 Ordered – Rice Plate with Chicken Roti, Hummus, Tomato / Cucumber, Vegetables, and Feta Cheese topped by a delicious Red Pepper sauce (4/5). The rice bowl will fill you up but won’t leave you with distaste or a ‘heavy’ feeling as if you Roti is a solid option and I’ll probably visit it the next time I’m in the city. If you’re a regular, I’d suggest starting a loyalty program with them (I think it exists) to rack up those points!

Osaka Sushi – Menu with Prices – 3685 W Henrietta Rd, Rochester

This place used to be good. Now please just avoid it! 1. As a buffet restaurant, this place tries to fill you up with rice, noodle and water, not in a subtle way. I ordered avocado sushi with a smear of avocado, seafood ramen with tons of noodles and two tiny pieces of imitation crab, eel rolls with a paper thin eel on a giant rice ball, etc. They don’t want to sell good food. They are trying to make you feel full. 2. The service is terrible as well. I ordered tempura that I never got. When I tried to order some more, the server told me that I needed to finish the rice bowl. For god sake, I couldn’t finish the eel rice bowl because it’s just a full bowl of rice with two pieces of paper thin eels on it. At least let me order some other food to go with the rice! 3. The worst part is that the food tastes not fresh. The teriyaki eel has gone sour. Again, I left two pieces because I can’t force myself to eat stale food! Overall, I had a lettuce salad, two shrimps, four avocado rolls, eel rice bowl, seafood ramen, four eel rolls. I paid $16 and a stomachache later that day.

The Taj Of India Menu with Prices 502-7 Furys Ferry Rd, Augusta

Wanted to get some Indian food and this restaurant had a lot of really good reviews. That being said, I wasn’t disappointed. It doesn’t look that big on the outside but was fairly spacious when you get inside. Clean and tastefully decorated with good furnishings and settings. The staff were all very pleasant, courteous, and friendly. I went on a Saturday about an hour after they opened for dinner. Seating was open and service was very prompt while keeping up with a dozen or so other customers. I ordered Butter Chicken, Garlic Naan, a Coke, and a Chai Tea. For dessert, I had Gulab Jamun. The Butter Chicken was very smooth, had good seasoning, and wasn’t acidic at all. The Garlic Naan was nice and crispy on the bottom without being burnt, while still being soft and fluffy on top. The garlic was evenly spread and wasn’t overpowering. The Chai Tea had a really good flavor. The Galub Jamun was fresh and soft with the right amount of sweetness. Altogether a very nice place to eat for dinner!

Star of India – Menu with Prices – 4025 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix

This review is just based on their lunch buffet – This is another place I would give a 3.5 stars if I could!! but Yelp hates nuance or something, so confident that this will not damage them too much given a very solid 4 star average overall, I’ll designate it as a 3. The restaurant is good! The food is good, the service is good, it’s clean and it smells great, and I liked that the buffet – uniquely among similar buffets hereabouts – had solid porcelain plates with little sections, like a northern thali. The buffet had two rices (basmati with just like, cumin, and then pulao), several chicken dishes, spinach, a mixed veg curry, chana masala (which I haven’t seen at a lot of Indian buffets around here?), shahi paneer, and samosas, as well as two deserts (kheer and gulab jamun). Naan (plain or garlic) is brought to the table. The spice level is pretty low overall – not bland food remotely, just mild. The food overall was really good, especially the naan, which was nice and flavorful and crisp. The samosas were a bit crunchy? Like the outside dough wasn’t as softly fried as I’m used to, but the inside was still delicious, and the inside of the restaurant – which is a bit smaller than I expected from the outside – is nice. This one is a bit out of my way, but if I lived closer, I would probably make it a staple of my restaurant going, and I would not warn anyone away.

Bangali Sweets And Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 2985 Pembina Hwy, Winnipeg

This place just opened up in the strip mall near the old log cabin Mcdonalds, in the same spot that the old Santa Lucia used to be. This brand new Indian restaurant is 100% vegetarian! My mom and I ordered the Veg. Thali which comes with 3 dishes of your choice, rice, yoghurt, and a gulab jamon. I had the vegetable kofta, chana masala, and shahi paneer. The platter also comes with a big basket of naan which were fresh and delicious. The service is kind of awkward (I think it is the son of the owner, he has no serving experience) but the food is so good. They also have a huge selection of Indian sweets for between 6-8 dollars a pound. Try this place!