Restaurant Review: Dawat Haute Cuisine Of India

The Vitals:
Dawat Haute Cuisine Of India
780-469-3517
9250 34 AVE NW, Edmonton, Alberta


The Sorty:
It was Friday, May 4th, 2007 - a rainy afternoon. I was in need of a decent lunch, as I had forgotten to bring lunch to work this day.

Driving around in my 1991 Honda Accord, which isn't smelling too good these days, I decide to drive up Calgary Trail looking for some good grub. I was in the mood for Indian food.

After a few minutes of scooting around, I noticed the sign "Dawat: The Best Indian Food". I thought, "Hey! I want the Best Indian Food!"

After parking my car in the pouring rain, I notice that the windows of the restaurant were tinted with very dark tint. I thought to myself "Someone forgot that we are not 14 inches from the Equator." I don't get this thing with some people. Dark tint just looks creepy.

So, I walk into the dimly lit restaurant, and was taken aback by the piles of wine, beer and every other alcoholic beverage you can imagine. It was like they were preparing themselves for another Prohibition or something.

After waiting for less than a minute, the server approached me. The first thing he said to me was - and in a dry tone, "The buffet is closed." A little surprised at how abrupt and moderately welcoming he was, I replied that I was content with the regular menu.

He sat me where I wanted, which was nice. Being in a bit of a hurry, I quickly ordered the Butter Chicken (my all-time favorite), two Tandoori Rotis, a Pepsi and one order of Plain Rice.

My order came quickly, as I was the only person eating there, aaaaaand...that was about the end of the good part.

Now the bad. The butter chicken (usually a mild dish) was incredibly salty, almost unbearable. I had to pile on rice, yogurt and bread just to manage finishing it. The Tandoori Roti (usually a fluffy, soft flat bread) was crispy and mostly dry; hardly enjoyable. The Plain Rice was ok, but about as memorable as Joe T from American Idol. Yeah, I don't remember him either. And what the heck is up with "Haute Cuisine"? What a crap name.

At least the Pepsi was good.


The Score:
Food: 4/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Location: 7/10
Repeat-Customer Worthiness: 3/10

Overall Score: 52/100

Do I even need to say to hell with ever going there again?
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- Consumer #1337