Saturday, June 22, 2013

Royal Restaurant- Finally, Some Delicious Indian/Pakistani food

Restaurant- Royal Restaurant
11919 Bissonet St. Houston, Texas 77099
Buffet or a-la-carte? A-la-carte
Date of visit: 6/20/13



Background:
Salam/Hello everyone and welcome to my latest review! Today I will be reviewing Royal Restaurant. I had finished being interviewed for an internship position at a charity that was located just a few feet away from this restaurant and was really hungry. After finding out that money was added to my credit card, I immediately went to the restaurant. I knew from pre-blog times that this was an Indian/Pakistani restaurant because I knew many people that really liked their food. I was skeptical at first, considering the fact that I haven't had good Indian food outside my house for a very long time. As an Indian, it is really hard to find a delicious Indian/Pakistani restaurant, considering the fact that my mom makes the best Indian/Pakistani food at my house. In fact, the last time I enjoyed an Indian/Pakistani meal outside the house was before I started making this blog. I had to go here because there was no point in driving to Sugar Land or Hillcroft Avenue just to eat. I entered the restaurant, hoping that it would end my Indian cuisine curse.


Let The Experience Begin!
Royal Restaurant is located in a strip mall that bears it name. Along with the restaurant, there is Royal Groceries, Royal Clothes shop, and Royal Tours & Travel. At the entrance are two separate doors. One is for families, and one is for single people. This reminded me of Saudi Arabia, where all major restaurants were segregated by family and single men. Inside, there are large tables and booths along with a TV playing Indian TV programs. There was another TV that had pictures of the menu of the restaurant. There were pictures hanging on the wall of Gov. Rick Perry visiting the restaurant back in 2007. Now if the Governor visits the restaurant, then it is a clean indicator that this restaurant is actually really delicious! This brought some optimism; there's actually a chance that an Indian/Pakistani restaurant is as good as home-cooked food! After greeting the owner, I proceeded to the menu.


Let's Eat!
I ordered my favorite Indian dish: Chicken Biryani. For those who don't know what biryani is, it is a yellow rice dish made with pieces of chicken and spices. The rice gets its yellow color from saffron. The biryani came with raita, a yoghurt condiment made with mint. Fresh onions, cucumbers, and carrots came along with the raita. To drink, I got water. The Biryani cost $7.99 ($8.65 with tax), and the water was free! Props to them for doing that. But that's not all. The water came in a full jug just for me. And the Biryani came in a full plate for me also. All the food came in a record time of 3 minutes and 25 seconds!! Never before in my life have I been served this quickly.

Menu: No menu pics, and there is a problem. On the website, the prices are not listed. The prices range from $4.99 to $10.99, so it is very affordable to eat. But all the options are available --> Royal Restaurant Menu


The Full Setup


A plate of Biryani


All Done!

The Verdict:
Finally, I am proud to say that this is one of the very few Indian/Pakistani restaurants that serve great food! Thus, THE CURSE IS OVER! The biryani was flavorful and very filling. It was spiced perfectly. The raita was perfectly cooked. No chunks of yogurt and mint were seen. The cucumbers, onions and carrots were fresh. I felt that this was very close to my mother's amazing home cooked food. Overall, two thumbs up.


Conclusion:
The decision to stay and eat here really paid off. I will definitely come back to Royal Restaurant whenever I drive down to Fort Bend county (Sugar Land, Stafford, etc.). For once, there is a restaurant that is very close to my mom's home cooking. Service was top-notch, and the food was reasonably priced. No wonder Rick Perry enjoyed eating here when he visited. So if you want to eat Indian/Pakistani food at a reasonable price, and if you are around Fort Bend County, then this is the right place for you


Grading:
Service: 10/10 (Top-notch)
Food: 10/10 (Absolutely delicious)
Waiting Time: 10/10
Overall: 30/30 = 100% (A)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$


Restaurant Information:
Royal Restaurant
11919 Bissonet St. Houston, Texas 77099
Phone: (281) 520-1100
Facebook: None
Timings --> Mon-Sun: 12 PM - 12 AM
Caters: Yes
Party Hall available if requested

Feel Free to Comment Below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

4 comments:

  1. Love this spot. Been eating there since I was a kid. My parents live exactly a minute away from Royal so when I go visit them on the weekend, 9 times out of 10 I go and eat there afterwards.

    Try their Daal, either with rice or with naan. Absolutely the best restaurant daal I've ever had beside Savoy Resturant (you should review them too). Also their chicken tikka and Nihari and Haleem is really good.

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    1. Thanks for your suggestions! I will give them a try when I visit the restaurant next time! Happy eating!

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  2. Amazing food ideas dear!! I am curious to try food of royal restaurant now. I will try daal with rice only as me and my husband loved daal! Like you visited this restaurant 9 out 10 times, same way we visit Las Vegas restaurants. Food is so yummy there, but we always try something new every time.

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