Restaurant: King's Chicken
Address: 2209 Highway 6 South, Houston, Texas 77077Buffet or a-la-carte: Buffet
Date of visit: 12/18/14
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| Photo Credit: http://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/Ze_0RKqGvI5e7UuIWIwWEg/ls.jpg |
Background:
Salam/hey guys! After a long time, I am reviewing another restaurant in the same week! Last Tuesday, I reviewed Thai Choice. Today, I am reviewing King's Chicken. I first heard of King's Chicken when I was in high school. The original owners had sold their biryani and fried chicken after the Friday Prayers at the mosque my dad and I used to go to. Then all of a sudden, they disappeared. Their food was really good though. Many years later, I found out that there were new owners, and that they have completely changed the restaurant. The biggest change was that they no longer sold fried chicken. Makes me wonder why they still kept the name. The time came for me to try when I got a call from my father saying that we should meet up for lunch here while I was at UH collecting my belongings from my locker at the campus recreation and wellness center (a.k.a. the gym). He told me that he was on limited time, and that he is a frequent customer at the restaurant. Thankfully, it took me less than 3 minutes to get my stuff. After taking detours, since 45 was shut down at Allen Parkway due to a major accident, I arrived at the restaurant.
Let The Experience Begin!
King's Chicken is located right across Highway 6 from Great Khan Mongolian Grill. Like from the entrance, you can see the big letters indicating that Great Khan is located there. From the outside, the restaurant looked very small, and very average looking. However, once you get inside, you feel as if you are at some fine dining place. The only other Indian/Pakistani places that had such great ambiance were Mayuri on Westheimer, and Marhaba Restaurant back in Al Khobar. Everything was shining, and soothing restaurant music was playing. The tables were laid, similar to how many fine dining places do so. After meeting with my dad and my friend, who is my dad's colleague, it was time to eat.
Let's Eat!
We went for the lunch buffet. The buffet spread was separated into vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections. I opted for the non-vegetarian selections. The selections available were: chicken biryani, chicken karahi, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, seekh kabab, and lamb rogan josh. We all got naan and water. When I went up to get the food, the food was piping hot, and I could hear the chefs cooking the buffet food. My dad also got takeout biryani for my family, since my mom was not feeling well.
Menu (click to view): I am surprised that a restaurant of this caliber doesn't have a website. Anyways, this restaurants features dishes that are popular in both India and Pakistan. The pricing is very reasonable
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| Appetizers |
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| Rice Dishes |
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| Tandoori |
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| Chicken Curries (I) |
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| Chicken curries (II), goat and lamb curries |
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| Seafood and Vegetables (I); (sorry if it is crooked. It just wouldn't stay still!) |
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| Vegetables, naan, and desserts |
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| Desserts and Beverages |
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| The Buffet spread |
The Verdict:
This buffet, like most I have been to in Houston, had hits and misses. The hits were the seekh kabab and the butter chicken. The seekh kabab was cooked perfectly and was full of flavor. The butter chicken was very creamy. The downs were the chicken karahi, and the Tandoori chicken. The tandoori chicken could have been much better, and the karahi had very little taste. The rest of the items tasted decently. My father liked the food, while his colleague agreed that the Tandoori chicken could have been much better. My mom and sister liked the biryani, but said that it was not as good as Khan BBQ's (Idk why). The naan kept coming in, and each time the naan was very fluffy and tasty. One thing that I will point out is that unlike many other Indian/Pakistani places, the karahi was not oily at all! This makes it easier to eat all the food and minimize the waste. The food was washed down with refilled glasses of water.
The service was ok. Nothing to praise or criticize. We just ate, paid, and left.
Conclusion:
The new management of King's Chicken is doing a decent job. I have two tips for them: change the name of the restaurant. King's Chicken was originally named because it would sell fried chicken along with Indian/Pakistani food. Also, the phrase "King's Chicken" is analogous to "Church's Chicken" or "Hartz's Chicken). Had I been asked to suggest the name, I would name it "Baadshah" (King in Urdu). But in the end, the decision whether to change the restaurant name or not is entirely up to the management, and I will respect their decision. Their biryani gets a pass, along with the rogan josh. But in all honesty, if I were to choose between here and Maharajah, then I would pick Maharajah because of the latter's consistency in the taste of their food. However, if at all I come back here with my dad, then I would order something off the menu.
Grading:
Service: 8/10
Food: 7.5/10
Waiting Time: N/A
Total: 15.5/20 = 77.5% (C)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$
Restaurant Information:
King's Chicken
2209 Highway 6 South, Houston, Texas 77077
Phone: (281) 498-2900
Website: None
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 AM - 10:30 PM
Caters: Yes
Feel free to comment below, message me on Facebook, or email me!
Cheers!
Zain Mohammed
I think it is going to be an amazing hangout for desi people. When I am there in Texas early next month I will try to visit there. It’s quite sad that you don’t find many desi San Francisco restaurants here and everything seems to be too traditional.
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