Kadhai Inc — Restaurant in Maryland

I don't understand these positive reviews. For many years, we ate at Haandi, this restaurant's predecessor with only one complaint in all that time- the rogan josh sauce was white and tasted as bland as the unfortunate color, which should've been a vibrant red0brown, but, if you simply didn't order the lamb curry, everything else was delicious and there was a lot of it as the portions were huge. Having been to the new restaurant several times, once to the buffet and a few times for dinner with friends, it was still our favorite Indian restaurant, so I felt safe ordering delivery a few weeks ago. What a tragedy! When I say that the entire meal was inedible, I am not exaggerating at all; we threw out everything. Into the trash went the tandoori chicken which somehow happened to be dry as a bone and still uncooked and red-raw at the center; chicken masala, whose sauce was perhaps the worst thing I've ever put into my mouth; lamb biriyani, which I'd imagine is a tough one to mess up, but, somehow the chef did just that; saag paneer, which should have been called cilantro and salt as those were the predominant ingredients; and a curried shrimp dish whose name escapes me- probably as I'm still recoiling from the shrimp which were bad as in way past their expiration date and slimy as well as smelly. Even the curry couldn't disguise the fact that the chef cooked and sent bad fish to a customer. The only items that were eaten were the naan and a mango lassi. Stupidly, at a friend's insistence, we once again ordered another go round as she loved the place and opined that our terrible experience was probably an anomaly where for one reason or another, the chef wasn't there and someone else manned the kitchen. Rather than get into a discussion about how kitchens work- that sous chefs should be able to replicate the chef's dishes so the customer has no idea that the chef isn't even there, I agreed to place our order. Inauspiciously, it was 30 minutes late and so everything was cold. Once again, the spinach was so overwhelmed by salt and cilantro that it was too awful to eat; the tandoori chicken was again dry and raw at the center when cut into and her lamb tikka kabob was similarly dried out. The biriyani was simply tasteless and once again, everything went into the trash bin save our mango lassis and the naan. I will never go to this restaurant or order from it again. I have better ways of spending $100 than using it to play a game of restaurant chicken with the principle result of escaping without food poisoning. I highly suggest that you, dear reader,...

A true hidden gem among the Bethesda Eatery, Kadhai stands out among everything else on the strip. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a large group or if you’re all alone, every time I’ve gone I’ve been treated warmly by a friendly face. They check your familiarity with the food, and last time, even warned me that the Rogan Josh I ordered was different from other restaurants, but I dare say it’s perhaps one of their best dishes. The service is fast but you don’t feel rushed, especially not listening to the calm music playing all throughout.

Their rice has complex flavors, but is really light, and I recommend you eat a decent amount before you move on to your main dish, as it’s worth savoring the rice’s flavor alone, and the flavors of most of their main dishes are much bolder. Even if the rice tends to act as a palate cleanser, I think it has its merit all on its own, that it deserves special attention.

When it comes to the main dishes, they never skimp out on any spices or ingredients, and the sauces are smooth despite their complexity. The sauces are always the perfect consistency for dipping naan into, which I recommend so the excess sauce doesn’t go to waste.

As for drinks, their mango lassi is sweet and smooth. If you cannot handle the heat or the spices, it will become your best friend until your mouth adjusts, and if you can, I personally find it a great way to calm your tongue down from a particularly flavorful bite.

My one and only complaint is with their deserts. Their Gulab Jamun has a beautiful soft, honeyed flavor, however, with this one particular dish, the serving size is a little on the small side, and seeing how much of the honey mixture the balls rest in, I think a few more would allow the sweet cordial not go to waste. Even still, I cannot help but order it every time, because it’s the only place around that makes what is honestly my...

Very rude staff and not a pleasant experience.

We went to this place as a group. The first thing we noticed was that there was less crowd. There were 4 of us and we ordered 4 dishes and there was a note that said it comes with rice. So we get the food and there was one serving of rice which was probably sufficient for 2 people. So we ask for the second serving immediately. The waiter gave this look as we are being cheap, but this time the quantity was less. And it was again not sufficient for the 4 of us. So we asked for some more rice. This time the waiter got the rice in a small bowl. I get there is a limit to the rice they can serve you, but why did they have to serve for everyone together and make a deal of it? We paid the food and I was picking up the boxes of leftovers, the waiter who was cleaning the table said 'chal' which means get out. I was taken aback but I was not sure if I can even tell someone there. Because there was no manager sort of guy in the restaurant. I have no complaints about the food. But the way the waiters behaved is worse than what I saw even in India. I hope someone from management sees this and...