I love Indian food and I was so excited for this place to open up. I also love small businesses and I would rather spend my money at a small, family-owned place such as Bhelwala, than a large corporate diner, like Chipotle's.
So why did I only give 3 stars?
PROS:
1) Food was tasty
2) Service was friendly
3) Restaurant was clean + pleasant
4) Free wi-fi
CONS:
1) Portions were small
2) Food was pricey
3) Naan wasn't very good
4) Rice was mushy
5) Food was barely warmer than room temp
I have to say that I came on a day that Bhelwala was having trouble with their rice cooker(s) I don't know if they have 2 separate rice cookers, however, there was no brown rice available and the white rice wasn't ready until 20 minutes after opening. The white rice was bland and pretty mushy, almost like porridge.
Since the rice wasn't ready when the restaurant opened, the four customers, including myself, waited patiently. None of us wanted to be pushy, so none of us waited AT the counter. Instead, we all sat at tables, waiting for a signal when the rice would be ready. The owner/manager Chris was very apologetic and kept thanking us for our patience.
It was upsetting when a fifth customer walked in, went straight for the counter (because he didn't know that the rest of us had been waiting) and the Bhelwala girl just took his order, letting him order ahead of all of us. She should have said, "Sir, these people have been patiently waiting, so if you don't mind, I'll tend to them first"
Anyway, we finally got to order. The Bhelwala girl was very friendly and helpful in describing the various meats, veggies, sauces and whatever else you could pick to add to your order. It was nice that she took the time to explain all the items.
I ordered the chicken and my husband ordered the lamb meatballs. While the meat was tasty, it wasn't very hot. I'm referring to the food temperature. Everything felt only a little warmer than room temperature, and this was just as the restaurant opened. (We dined in) We also ordered naan (bread) which was bland and did not have a great texture. I've bought better naan at Costco, ready-made. The portions of the food were pretty small. The bowls were just over half full. We still felt hungry after our meal, and we are not big eaters at all.
We ordered the 2 entrees, one piece of naan and no drinks and our order came to $23, which seemed like a LOT for such little food. We could have gotten more food at Chipotle across the street, with drinks for less than that. We also could have gone to our favorite Indian place, Jaipur Junction, and gotten all-you-can-eat Indian food for under $20 total.
I understand that the issues with the rice cooker(s) might have made a significant impact on the food we received. However, the food being lukewarm, the portions being small and the overall price of the meals weren't impacted by the rice cooker problem.
Again, I love small businesses and I feel a little sad posting this review. The owner/manager seemed like a very nice man and I hope this business is successful for him. He did offer us a coupon for a free meal (to compensate for our wait) so perhaps we will give this place a second chance.