Mayuri Restaurant: Like Inchin, but much much better

Restaurant: Mayuri Restaurant
5857 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057
Buffet or a-la-carte: Both
Date of visit: 1/17/14

Photo Credit: http://pics3.city-data.com/businesses/p/1/5/1/0/7221510.JPG

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be reviewing a rather high-end place: Mayuri restaruant. Mayuri restaurant is an Indian and Chinese restaurant chain, with other locations in Dallas, and St. Louis. It's located at the intersection of Westheimer and Fountainview. I came here because I for some reason had a craving for biryani. If you go on my instagram (thehalalreviewer), you will see that I have posted food jokes that mainly consist of biryani, and Desi (Indian/Pakistani) food habits. Also, I had a really interesting discussion on how every different city in India has its own distinct form of Biryani. Now normally I don't go out and eat Indian food, but because the conversation I had was interesting, I decided to give it a try. Today was the best day because I only had one class. I had plenty of time to check this place out before I had to go for the Friday Prayers. So after going through some accidents, I arrived at the restaurant.

Let The Experience Begin!

Mayuri is located in the middle of the strip mall. It's easy to get there though. Once you get in, there are three sides. One is the main dining hall, the second is the buffet area, and the third is the party hall. When I came in, the tables were laid with a plate, a knife and fork ready! This is a huge plus, as it's rare to see tables being laid at a halal restaurant. Most of the times, I would either have to get them myself, or it comes with the menu. Once I got in, I was directed to a seat, and the waiter moved the other plate out of the way because I was dining myself. After ordering my drink, it was time to eat.

Let's Eat!

I had the buffet, which is offered at lunch time. If you come for dinner, unless you are at the party hall, it's a-la-carte. The buffet was divided into three parts: appetizers, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian. I took mostly non-vegetarian. The way I had the food was that one helping was Indian, and one helping was Chinese. TO drink, I got free water, and I got a Thums Up. No waiting time was necessary, as the food was actually fresh when I got the food. Also, fresh naan and dosa (Indian crepes) are readily available.

Menu: http://www.mayuri.com/houston/h-menu.html

Out of all the Indian restaurants I've been to, this has the most options available. In fact, it s so big that there are so many things to click to see. All of them span from Vegetarian to Indian non-Vegetarian to Chinese. The only thing I do not like is that sodas are charged $2.00. I believe that they should have the same price as the water, which is $1.75.

Indian plate: Chicken biryani, chicken 65, tandoori chicken, lamb curry, butter chicken and lamb

Chinese plate: Vegetarian noodles and garlic chicken

The Verdict: 

The food was awesome! From the Indian plate, everything tasted fresh and was full of quality except the lamb curry. The lamb curry could definitely add some flavor. The winners out of that plate were the chicken 65 and the chicken biryani. The Chinese food was very good. The noodles were absolutely fresh and the garlic chicken had a lot of flavor. The food was washed down with a glass of Thums Up and water.
The service was good too. The people were very attentive. They clean up after you when you are doing the buffet, unlike many restaurants. They are also very polite towards everyone. They provide fresh naan and dosa. The tables are ready when you come in, unlike some restaurants where you have to get everything by yourself.



Conclusion:
Mayuri now has the best buffet in Houston, in my honest opinion. This place is perfect for you to dine in whenever you are on a lunch break, if you have a party, or if you just want to have a family dinner. I will definitely recommend the buffet. I will definitely come for dinner and try their a-la-carte items.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Waiting Time: N/A
Total: 17/20 = 85% (B)
Pricing: $$ out of %%%%



Restaurant Information:
Mayuri Restaurant
5857 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77057
Phone: (713) 975-6565
Website: http://www.mayuri.com/
Facebook: none
Timings: Lunch - Mon-Fri: 11 AM - 2:30 PM; Sat-Sun: 11:30 AM - 3 PM. Dinner: Sun-Thu: 5:30 PM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed