Unique Indian Cuisine

User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Well, the name certainly was the truth. I never have had an experience at an Indian restaurant like this. I went for the lunch buffet. 20 minutes after opening, with two other customers inside, the goat curry was nothing but bones and water. No meat to be found. I doubt the other guests devoured all the meat, which means the staff put it out like that. Disgraceful.

The saag paneer had no paneer at all. The vegetable jalfreezi was GHASTLY. No sauce, just overcooked vegetables (the carrots were practically mush) congealed into a glob. There was apparently some tumeric on it, because the watery mess that formed under it on my plate was yellowish. But I couldn't pick out an individual piece of vegetable if I wanted to; I had to slice the mess with a fork.

Rice was brownish, and not because it was brown rice. No spices apparent either by sight or texture, so it was not a pilau. Maybe they threw some cinnanmon in to justify the lable "pilau". The chicken makhani sauce wasn't bad, but the chicken was shredded (a bad sign they're trying to disguise overcooked chicken from some other dish. It didn't work; the chicken was dry and tasteless despite the sauce).

The dal makhani, rather than being the creamy, rich dish I have had in dozens of other restaurants, (not to mention even those prepared boxed meals they sell for $1.50), was just water, That may be a dal dish, but it is NOT dal makhani.

As for service... apparently the two other patrons (Indian, by the way) merited all the waitress' attention, plus menus even though they were also having the buffet. I (non-Indian) on the other hand, was never offered a menu, never offered another choice of drink (the other two guests had tea), and the waitress said she'd be back in a minute with a plate of naan. 20 minutes later, neither the waitress nor the naan were forthcoming. The other guests had a nice plate of naan. The manager/owner/friend they left in charge was sitting at a table chatting with someone, and both of them had nice plates of naan. Both of them looked my way several times, by the way. You'd think the manager would try to get me bread, but apparently he couldn't be bothered to get up.

I do think it's important to note the difference in service between the two apparently Indian guests (they were chatting with the waitress at a mile a minute in another language) and me, the non-Indian guest (no menu, no offer of a choice of beverage, no bread despite the waitress saying she'd be back with it, and the manager sitting there eating a plate of it while looking directly at my table where he could clearly see there was no bread). That really rankles me.

Bottom line: food terrible, service rude and apparently NOT friendly unless you look Indian. Don't waste your time. At Swapna they serve a much better lunch spread for a dollar more, and they're always there with a water refill and at least ask if you want something else to drink.

Oh, did I mention during the last ten minutes of my trip to Unique Indian Cuisine I had an empty water glass (again, the manager was at a table looking directly at mine) and neither he nor his cheeky waitress bothered to come over with a refil. I mean, REALLY? No water refill? You're that cheap?

I wouldn have considered going back for dinner to give the food another chance, but the rudeness of a staff that doesn't even offer a water refill and gives everyone BUT the one non-Indian in the place a plate of bread is beyond redemption. Shame on them.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

i loved the experience at unique. their food was very authentic and rich in flavor. service was outstanding! i would highly recommand this restaurant. i live about one hour away but their food is definitly worth the drive.

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User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Very nice food. Excellent choices and decor. The food was delicious. Highly recommended.

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