Kwality Fine Indian Cuisine Restaurant — Restaurant in Burlington

The first time I was introduced to this place was 2 years ago in Burlington. I was so amazed at their quality of their food and variety they had for buffet. They didn't offer much service. They brought water to your table at the beginning and cleared your plates. If you wanted anything else, you would have to get up and ask. They also did not have the best interior design for sit down meal. It was quite outdated and required some renovations. The bathrooms are not to be used unless you have no choice. I have always had good experience eating their dishes when I have been here. Please continue to read my honest in depth review of my recent visit.

After a long time I decided to visit Kwality, and I noticed they had slightly renovated. The tables had vinyl coverings and the seats got a new facelift. They also reorganized how the seatings were.

We were told to pick a seat by the hostess. Without thinking I chose a booth by the window to get some natural light. That was a big mistake. The seats, with the facelift were still uncomfortable as they did not offer back support and were not fixed to the ground (meaning portable, but not like a chair...remember booth). Between me and the window seem to be uncleaned, there so much food droppings and bugs (growing bugs), not sure how long they had been there but it was not recent. I kindly asked the hostess, if I could move to the seat beside and her response was: "you can move either to the front or the back, because the next booth had been set up for 8 people and I don't want to take the extra sets away". Um.....ok.....the restaurant is completely empty and it is just me and my friend....There are about 15 booths to choose from.....they were not busy at all...not a single person came in to dine. One person walked in to take takeout. She asked why I wanted to move and I told her it was not clean beside me. She scoffed and told her boss. I moved my stuff to the next booth behind, away from the window area where it doesn't get cleaned. The best part about it was she only cleaned the table again and set it. She didn't clean between the seat and the windows.

On to the food, their food is usually great when you arrive when they open, as it is fresh. I however, didn't arrive there when they opened. This was a list minute decision and we ended up there at 12:30 PM. Left at 1:30 PM. That is the shortest time I have been in a buffet. Usually we are at the buffet for approximately 2 hours. Eating slow and enjoying the food and atmosphere. The food was really cold. The warmers were not on. It makes a huge difference when the food is cold or hot. Indian buffet with curries the food tastes really good when it is warm, unless the dish is meant to be cold. The first two plates (which were barely over half full) were cold, I didn't enjoy them as well, if it was warm it would have tasted amazing. Unfortunately, when the guy from the kitchen came out and put on the warmer it was too late, as I had already finished my meal. The butter chicken is delicious but I wish they didn't use whole chicken with bones. The brinjals were amazing as usual (my favourite dish). The rice and noodles were too cold. The dessert usually is good, however it was not even worth it. The food has been sitting there too long. The ice creams taste frozen and really old. The Gulab jamun was not fresh and no other dessert was fresh either.

I am not sure when I will return to this location....and if I will return. My recommendation to them is that, they should try to minimize the quantity of the dishes. Have the same selection, but cook less, so it is fresh. Have some music going. Ask if your customers want anything to drink or need anything. Don't tell them you don't want to do work when there is no one in the restaurant. I love supporting local businesses and love promoting/giving honest reviews. I would love to return to this place, but I think it needs some TLC. I hope if they read this they won't take it as a negative review but help themselves...

In a word, the food here is just excellent! The selection for a restaurant this small at the lunch buffet is huge! They even have curried lamb - and it is fall-off-the-bone tender too. (I'm saying that because in this time and age Indian buffet usually signifies serving every permutation of chicken imaginable! It's cheaper!) My favourite dish would have to be "keema" which is like a Northern Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi take on...chili, if you will? It is simply delicious! There are plenty of choices even for dessert!

Hands-down my favourite Indian buffet restaurant - but I always say that until I find something else. But this place is SO GOOD it will take awhile.

I find the food, for a buffet, is incredibly fresh. You'll notice that at Indian buffet restaurants when the food gets a little on the over-cookeds or past it's retirement age...the cooks come around and stir the curries and chop a little fresh coriander to make it look...a little newer than it is? This place doesn't have to do that! The food is simply fresh - and I don't mind waiting a few minutes for the fresh butter chicken or aloo gobi if it is going to be freshly cooked. Just eat something else in the mean time! The buffet selections are also nicely labeled, I like knowing the name of the dish.

They also have an gigantic pastry/confectionery section where they feature the chum-chums and the jalebi and all the rest of it. But know what? It comes in at about HALF the cost of what you'd pay here in Milton at Pak Foods or Thiara Supermarket. One box of sweets I thought for sure would be over 20 bucks, it weighed about half a brick, came in at about 11 dollars! Oh, and check out their rewards and recognition for outstanding food and service behind the confectionery table. Dozens of them! They must be doing something right, indeed!

It is a nice relaxed atmosphere. I feel at home here and I'm graciously welcomed every time. We're almost left alone to eat (er, gorge!) in comfort without being pestered to the point of, or should I say point off...

One Point Off For:

I do find the pleasant young Sikh gentleman could come around a little more often with the fresh water. I find myself calling for him or getting up to fill my water glass myself and Lord All Mighty those pitchers could use a trip through the dishwasher! Yuck! Also, although an extremely well laid-out buffet table, the sneeze guards could use with a lick of Windex. A basket of fresh garlic naan would be nice at the table but instead you'll find it at the buffet counter, no big deal, 'cept that it gets soggy when you put it on top of a dish that will invariably feature a delicious curry. Okay, I'm nitpicking...

And naturally, it's a ubiquitous Indian restaurant kind of 'thang...but there is rarely any hand soap in the washrooms. It's almost like a prerequisite when you open in Indian eating establishment - remove the soap from the washrooms immediately! A little Purel in my pocket and back I go!

So a point off for these minor peccadilloes. Would it stop me from going back?

Hell, no! I've been there a half a dozen times already.

I'm not absolutely certain what the lunch buffet costs, but I go there with a friend and I get change, not much, from a $30 payment. Good value. 'Can't complain. And that includes an annuity!

Bravo Kwality Fine...

Located in a shopping plaza on Guelph Line and Upper Middle Road in Burlington, Kwality Fine Indian Cuisine has been serving great Indian fare and sweets for approximately twenty years. Originally established as a buffet with optional a-la-carte service, the restaurant has been a recipient of numerous Readers Choice Awards over many years, and I believe the Platinum Award for three consecutive years. The restaurant underwent some changes as most businesses did when economic times turned and became static a few years back. As such, they answered the changing business climate by devoting their resources toward take-out. As a result of increasing demand by patrons, they are currently and gradually changing back to providing more dine-in service once again. Over the many years that we have patronized this restaurant, their philosophy behind serving fresh, good quality food at reasonable prices has not changed. They may no longer have the extensive buffet table they once did in the past, but the hot table with many popular food items combined with their made to order menu will definitely satisfy any discerning fan of Indian food. Over their many years, they had become very well known and popular for their selection of quality sweets that pretty much occupy one entire side of the restaurant. The presentation of colourful sweets in the display cases are highly tempting, especially at the thought of tickling one's palate with such flavourful and nutty delicacies. The restaurant is very clean and well maintained, and the general ambience is pleasant. As a family run restaurant, the importance of providing excellent customer service is a priority and they try their best to ensure that all customers are made to feel welcome and glad that they visited Kwality. Overall, Kwality Fine Indian Cuisine provides good value for the money by serving fresh and delicious Indian fare. They have a very good selection of a-la-carte items in their menu, and can accommodate the lunch crowd quickly with popular food items from their hot table. Their longevity in the business and the numerous awards over many years I believe serve as an excellent testatment to what has made this restaurant...