Tuesday, February 16, 2016

CLOSED: Haveli Kabab & Grill House: Another Buffet place

Restaurant: Haveli Kabab & Grill House
Address: 5901 Hillcroft Street, Houston, Texas 77036
Buffet or a-la-carte: buffet
Date of visit: 1/30/16


UPDATE 11/16/18: They have been closed for a while. The location is now the Hillcroft location of Tempura

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be sharing my experience that I had at another Pakistani restaurant: Haveli Kabab & Grill House. Haveli is one of the newer halal Indian/Pakistani places. It has been open for business for nearly a year now. I have heard mostly positive reviews about this place. The time came for me to try when I was with my friends at the Houston Auto Show. We were done seeing cars and test driving some and then decided to go eat somewhere. One of the friends was in the mood to pig out because he hadn't eaten all day. So he decided that we should try it out. His parents went and said they liked it. I hoped it would be good. After praying, we went inside the restaurant.



Let's The Experience Begin!
The inside was pretty dark compared to other Pakistani restaurants. You had tables with chairs, a huge fish tank, and a common sighting among Indian/Pakistani restaurants: the buffet spread. We then got drinks and then headed to the buffet spread.



Let's Eat!
Well, we had the buffet. The buffet had a variety of items such as biryani, different karahis, haleem, nihari, and tandoori chicken. We had to request naan to be brought to the table, and they got it within minutes. We also saw the restaurant getting prepared for the dinner buffet. Some items just disappeared and new items came. One that struck me was an entire fish fitted into one tray with a lot of spices on it. It was fairly priced.



Menu: http://havelihouston.com/index.php/menu/
Well, since this is a daily buffet place, consider using the menu if you want to get takeout. Not that much difference in terms of items provided compared to other Indian/Pakistani restaurants. You have various karahis, tandoori items, and biryani. If you do get takeout from this place and you want naan, expect to pay at least $1 for the basic naan.



Buffet plate consisting of chicken biryani, chappli kabab, frontier chicken, chicken tikka masala, and mutton karahi. In another plate, I had the chicken tikka. I also had naan (this was taken before the naan came)


The Verdict:
The buffet was a hit and a miss. The hits were the chappli kabab, the frontier chicken, and the naan. The naan was very fresh and I liked it compared to some of the other places that I have been to. The frontier chicken had a good taste, and the chappli kabab here was almost as good as the one at Khan BBQ. The misses were the biryani, chicken tikka masala, and chicken tikka. The biryani was very plain. The chicken tikka masala was very oily. Chicken tikka masala and oiliness do not go together at all. Chicken tikka masala is usually very creamy and has a lot of flavor. Finally, the chicken tikka was dry. There was absolutely no flavor at all. Even my friends, who all love Indian/Pakistani food, mentioned that it was not good either. Overall, one thumb up and one thumb down.
The service wasn't that bad. The people are nice. Note: pay after finishing eating at the front.



Conclusion:
Haveli is a lot like other Indian/Pakistani places, but there are some items that actually taste good. With three other Indian/Pakistani places in the vicinity, I would pick this and Mezban if I wanted a Pakistani buffet. But if I want the best Indian/Pakistani food on or near Hillcroft, I would go to either Hyderabad House or Mayuri.



Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 6/10
Total: 14/20 = 70% (C)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Haveli Kabab & Grill House
5901 Hillcroft Street, Houston, Texas 77036
Phone: (832) 740-4255
Website: http://havelihouston.com/index.php/menu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/havelihouston/?fref=ts
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 AM - 11 PM
Caters: Yes
Banquet hall available

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Facebook, or send me an email!
Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

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