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| - I have to preface this review by saying I've been to Haweli twice, wasn't blown away the first time, and wanted to try it again with a DoubleTake Offer to lessen the cost a bit if I wasn't completely happy. Unfortunately, the wrench in this plan was the restaurant deciding a month and a half ago not to honor ANY of the Groupon or DoubleTake offer vouchers that had been purchased for use at their location. I purchased this particular offer back in June (a $15 for $30 voucher) and with a value expiration of 12/1 I figured I needed to give this restaurant another try, especially when I wasn't in the mood to cook after Thanksgiving.
We were greeted warmly at the entrance (we were the only people in the place at 7pm) and were seated promptly. After ordering lamb vindaloo, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and appetizers we settled in for dinner. I was disappointed to see that the tablecloth was not completely clean and my son's chair had food on it from another diner. I'm usually pretty easygoing about those things (I care much more about the food), but it set a precedent. I did enjoy the tikka masala, I thought the flavors were just right and the right amount of creamy. The lamb vindaloo was lacking in lamb (plenty of potatoes), but the spice was just right with a good amount of bite. I also was impressed with the saag paneer, something hard to get wrong, but not enjoyable if it doesn't have the right flavors.
I want to like this place because there aren't a lot of Indian options in the Scottsdale area, but I've had much better just down the freeway in Mesa and will be taking my business there (India Oven).
Of course, the worst insult was not honoring our voucher. Though I intend to get my value back from DoubleTake, to me this is a clear bait and switch to get advertising and patrons in the door. I don't eat out a lot for pleasure, but when I do I expect to get what I pay for, and this told me what kind of people are managing this business.
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