We came on a Friday night around 7:15 PM.
There was only one server, so we knew there was going to be a wait, but that was OK, because we really wanted to catch up with our friends who were coming over to meet us there. Catch up we did, because the place got PACKED very quickly This is an absolutely happening spot, where a lot of people come to eat with their dates, families, and friends. If you want it to be like a romantic date night, you'll be good. If you want more of a family thing to bring your kids, they've got you covered. If you want to chat with friends, you're definitely good.
As I said, there was only one server, and the place was absolutely jammed. It wasn't just that he had the people in the restaurant to get out of there, it was also the incessant Delivery App orders that came through every 5 minutes. It was fine, because as I said, we were happy to be able to catch up, drink our wine, and much on the papadams that they brought to our table, but if we were truly hungry, we'd have been eating the table by the time the food got to us. All in, I'd say it was roughly like 10 - 15 minutes after our full party got there before our waiter was able to get our order in, and then about 30 - 45 minutes for the riceto arrive, then another 10 or so minutes before the food landed for all of us. Again, this was a packed Friday night, and they had one server for the whole place. The guy did his best, and managed to be charming and affable the whole time, with a ready smile and being quick on the draw whenever we did call him over for something. When you're going out on a Friday night, you have to be willing to give people some grace when they're clearly doing their best, and trying to make it so that you're having a good time, which our server was very much trying to do. We liked him a lot.
He let us all request our spicy levels. One of us wanted a 9, one wanted a 4, one got an appetizer that wasn't really spicy adjustable anyways (paneer bhujji I believe), and I requested Indian spicy, because I'm Indian. Our server had a laugh at that, and put our food in from our table, because he had a little handheld device that let him send the orders to the kitchen from where he stood, rather than having to run a ticket back and forth. Very fancy, and likely why the restaurant probably has just 1 server for a busy Friday night. They had someone from the kitchen pop out and bring the food over to the table, and what seemed to be the dish guy pop over to bus tables as needed, but the server was still responsible to clean off said tables as and when it was needed, which kind of put a strain on the guy when there are 30 people clamoring for his attention.
The food that came out was incredible. Well seasoned with salt, just the right level of spicy without being obnoxious or face melting. Yes, it could have certainly been more spicy, but that would have demolished the lovely aromatics and spices that they'd spent so much time using. For example, my chana masala was made with fresh chopped ginger, not the ginger paste. I could tell, because I bit into a very tiny little piece, which was delightful. The difference between using fresh chopped ginger versus the paste is that the fresh stuff has all the different floral notes that fresh ginger gives, while still having that pleasant ginger burn. My dining companions all enjoyed their food too, although the portion sizes were a tiny bit too large for them, so they didn't manage to clean their plates. I'd suggest that if you're with people who aren't huge eaters, get an appetizer to share, then get 1 main dish, some naan or puri, and eat that. If you're still hungry, I guarantee that the kitchen would be happy to send you more food if you ask for it.
One other thing that I love about this place: they don't charge you extra for the rice with any of the dishes. The rice comes standard as part of the experience when you order any of the main dishes. If an Asian person is charging you extra for white rice, they hate you. It's such a ubiquitous part of the eating experience that it should be included free with your meal when you're eating Indian food, and having it just come to the table on a giant platter is such a nice touch. More than that, the rice is not the parboiled stuff. It's raw rice, which is a lot harder to cook perfectly as they have done in this restaurant. Each grain was separate and fluffy, while being cooked all the way through. This, and so many other special touches made it feel like the chefs pay attention to detail, to give you the best dining experience you can have. Full marks for the food, the ambiance, and the server! read more