purplemint kitchen, Indian and Hakka Chinese cuisine — Restaurant in Niagara Falls

I had this restaurant on my to-go list when I saw an Instagram reel about it since long time. Finally got to try it since the other Indian restaurant in town was packed to door, and had to turn back. First thing walking into it, the ambience is very underwhelming. Looks like some shady place. Tables were not clean, they seated us in a corner as we were only two people. Felt very uncomfortable and congested.

Coming to food, we ordered Chilli Chicked which was decent and the only item we sort of liked of all the things we ordered. It was a mistake ordering Hyderabadi chicken Biryani reading a review from fellow Hyderabadi calling it authentic. There is nothing authentic about this Biryani. It not even Dum Biryani. They added chicken curry to basmati rice and called it chicken dum Biryani. It was very wet (obviously since chicken is not cooked as layers as we do in Hyderabadi Biryani). Another mistake I did was ordering moongdal halwa for dessert. It was very dry as I was expecting it to have ghee, but it did not. Taste was nothing special.

Overall it was very disappointing. Maybe the chef changed or didn't cook the meal we had. Not sure if anything changed since those instagram reel. Maybe I should have ordered Hakka dishes as Chilli chicken was decent and other reviews claiming noodles were good. I felt I should have never visited this restaurant ruining my evening, as I was up for some Biriyani. I should have waited in line at other Hyderabadi...

FANTASTIC! The food is better than, quite honestly, everywhere else. The prices are the kind you expect to pay for dishes that have skimped on all the expensive ingredients and were made by an average joe, but nope, there's lots of meat and higher-end spices, the chef is top tier, and the dish sizes are easily enough to fill a person. I had the Chicken Hakka Noodles and the Garlic Naan, and even something simple like naan they take to the next level, I truly could've eaten just the naan for the meal and been happy. Everyone who I was eating with was just as impressed as I was. "Best meal I've had at a restaurant in years" "I don't like eating at restaurants because I know I can make it better, but this was different".

Service was good, all the waiters seemed genuinely happy to serve.

Seriously, if you're anywhere near the area, eat here.

My one complaint was the radio. It was on some kind of Indian Pop channel, and y'know, to each their own, but it doesn't really match the vibe of the place, said vibe being warm, relaxing, chill, mellow, etc. This might sound boring, but classical music would do wonders for the atmosphere of Purple Mint.

The music wasn't too loud so it wasn't disruptive or distracting, just an occasional bother when there was a lull in conversation.

Like I said, EAT HERE. They deserve it, and you...

Everything was absolutely delicious!! It was honestly the best Indian food I have every tasted in my life!! I highly recommend them if you’re looking for some amazing Indian or Hakka Chinese cuisine!! We ordered the Spring Rolls with a sweet chili Thai sauce & they were the most fresh, crisp Spring Rolls I have ever had! They are definitely my new spot for this appetizer!! We also ordered the Schezwan noodles with shrimp and it was the best Schezwan I’ve ever had as well! I had asked for it to be extra spicy as I find the dish to be served quite sweet where I’ve order it from across Niagara but they assured me it would be spicy and they even included extra sauce on the side for me just in case. I definitely didn’t need that extra sauce as the amount of spice was right on point!! Also ordered the fresh garlic Naan bread & butter chicken with some fresh mixed vegetable Raita sauce that was to die for!!! The Butter Chicken was the best I’ve ever had!! The staff were all beyond sweet, kind and accommodating!! We will...