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Indian Restaurants in Raleigh
By Ravi Balsa
What's up guys. I'm writing a review of Kadhai the Indian Wok, an Indian restaurant in Raleigh North Carolina. Kadhai is near Crabtree Valley Mall off Glenwood. It's a traditional North Indian/Punjabi style restaurant located in an inconspicuous strip mall next to a pizza place and a bagel shop. I was recently looking for an Indian restaurant in the area and if you want good Indian food in the area, you have to travel a good twenty minutes away from the mall area. You've got to go to either Cary, Morrisville or near Capital boulevard. Not anymore. Kadhai is a welcome addition to the area.
I'm going to review Kadhai on the following criteria: Ambiance, Taste, Authenticity, Service, Value. I'll use a simple grading system: A, B, C, D, F. I always thought it was weird that restaurant reviews used stars or numbers. Everybody knows what A means and what F means right? Skip down to the end of the review for a summary. My first impressions of this place weren't that high. The only sign was a cloth sign hung up with string! From a distance this place looks like it isn't even open and it's easy to miss it. I went there in the afternoon around lunch time and they serve a traditional indian buffet. They featured Chicken Tikka Masala, naan, pakora, a vegetable curry. Pretty standard stuff. Interestingly they didn't serve Tandoori chicken on the buffet. The owner said that tandoori chicken tends to dry out if it is left in a chafing dish and I tend to agree. I wasn't in a buffet mood and I feel that a restaurant really shows its true colors when it makes food fresh to order. I ordered samosas for an appetizer, a full order of Tandoori chicken, plain butter naan. So how was the taste? This is my highest criterion in judging a place. You can have the best looking place, the most stylishly dressed waiters, the fanciest bar but if the food sucks, your restaurant sucks. When I'm judging an Indian Restaurant, I try to order standard food like Tandoori. Honestly I feel that if the Tandoori is great, the rest of the food will usually be great. And the Tandoori here is good folks. It came out steaming on a bed of onions and peppers. The aroma was intoxicating. The meat was juicy and delicious. I ate it with some onion chutney and “hot sauce” (a house made chili sauce). Excellent. Samosas were Ok. I wouldn't say they were great, but deep fried potato in a flaky pastry crust is hard to hate. Naan was fresh and tasty. Taste is an A. Ambiance. The pictures on the website pretty much reflect what the restaurant looks like. It's casual but with white table cloths, nice silverware. A little on the small side but enough room between tables. Lighting was good. I made a second visit at night and it looked much better then. It is no Saffron guys. I'm giving it a B. Service. I was impressed. Water was refilled quickly, the owner allowed me to get onion chutney from the buffet even though I didn't order a buffet. He was friendly and waiters were friendly. English is definitely not the staff's first language but communication is not a problem. As long as you aren't expecting expert wine pairing you should be fine. Have to give it an A. Value: This is where Kadhai takes a hit. I can get similar quality food in Morrisville for 5-6 bucks less per entree. $16 bucks for Tandoori chicken is a lot considering this is what you pay at Saffron which is the best Indian Restaurant in the Triangle. Value is a C or a D depending on your budget. Sorry Kadhai, I like you and all but not that much! Overall: Great place, could be cheaper, welcome addition to Crabtree/Glenwood area.
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Contributor's Note
This is a review of Kadhai the Indian Wok in Raleigh NC
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Good review. I love lamb, chicken, or vegetarian korma. I always wonder how authentic tasting the food is however. I recall asking an Indian co-worker about some of my favorite Indian restaurants, and he said they weren't very authentic.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I would say they are a little more refined compared to India. I recently went there and a lot of the standards like tandoori chicken, lamb curry etc tasted pretty much the same as in the states. It is the variety that miss in America. There are so many dishes in India that are never seen here at all. As for authenticity, I say that it is overrated. I just say look for food that tastes good :).
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