Mehfil Indian Cuisine & Bar — Restaurant in Washington

I am absolutely, head over heels in love with this place. Let me start at the beginning. I am a connoisseur of Indian cuisine, and in the day & age of everyone calling themselves "foodie" I truly see myself as such. I have a strong taste of sense and smell, and I've been exposed to the food of many cultures and have traveled and eaten various things all over the world. I am picky, demanding, and not easy to please. Having had a neighbor who was from Bangalore and a classically trained Indian chef at that, you can imagine my bar is set pretty high. Not only did I have the delight of eating literally everything that was put in front of me, I also learned how to cook these things for myself. 9 times out of 10, I can make it at home better than some less than appetizing slop someone has dished in front of me at a hole in the wall place nearby. I entered this place expecting completely to be disappointed but instead I was shocked and delighted. First I want to touch on the cleanliness of this establishment. I'm a bit of a clean freak and study all of the surfaces when I go out. There wasn't a speck of dust on the ceiling tiles, the air vents, the picture frames, OR the fake plants. I mean fake plants are dust catchers and these looked like they had just come out of the plastic! The carpets were free of stains, the booths were in good repair, and spotless, and the tables lacked that "sticky" feeling that most places have these days. Our silverware and dishes were clean, and the glasses we were given for water didn't even have spots on them. I could imagine someone buffing them in the back. The next thing that hit me, or perhaps it happened in tandem was the smell. The smell when you walk into this building instantly makes your mouth water. It wasn't the kind of smell that places get after the scents have all stuck to the walls, it was more the smell of someone cooking when you come home. I was surprised that I was unable to make out exactly what it was because I was interested in eating it. We chose the vegetarian options on the menu, of which there is an entire page of meatless dishes! Hurray! We started with the Samosas which are often overcooked, soggy, and oily just about anywhere you go but here they were perfect! The exterior was free of oil, it was flakey, and soft. They met my approval before our Paneer Palak and Bharta Baingan was brought out. Now I've had a lot of Paneer as it is my favorite, and this did not disappoint! It was a light and soft but still with some meat to it little nugget of cheese in a bed of spicy spinach that had my eyes closing. I think I ate most of my dinner with my eyes closed in sheer happiness. The eggplant was just short of holy in my opinion, and the rice... which I've had 6 ways to Sunday was somehow new but the same all at the same time. Everything was remarkable, so why not finish off with a Masala Chai and some Kheer... also another beloved of mine? I've had a lot of Kheer and am usually met with a kind of crust on the top of a gelatinous blob, but this was not the case. Surprise after surprise I was still waiting for disappointment, to the very last bite. When that spoonful of Kheer hit my mouth I believe I shouted a little too loudly, "It's perfect!" There may have been some squealing that was quickly drawn short by savoring this rice pudding. I'm sure you are also wondering about the chai? Expecting it to taste like a Starbucks reject? Not even on my final beverage did I find the disappointment I was still expecting. This chai was very obviously fresh and made from scratch. It had a body of thickness that was neither too thick or thin for chai, and a bouquet of flavors that sang of spices balanced in perfect harmony. I now have my favorite restaurant any time I wish to eat out, and plan to immediately return with my children and out of town relatives. This has become my new go-to and I can't wait to be a "regular." Mehfil is...

Mehfils Indian Cuisine & Bar is a place I have driven by for years, and we've threatened to dine there for the last few years; and we finally took the initiative and ate there a couple of nights ago. Entering the restaurant, well, I would have never thought such a lovely restaurant would be in this location. I'm not saying their place is in an atrocious or run-down area. Still, I feel this charming restaurant should be a stand-alone restaurant with aesthetically pleasing outside decor, not in front of a bowling alley or neighboring a Safelite Autoglass repair, let alone next to a Money tree. Still, it's not, so I'll move on. Our server Tasi was lovely, soft-spoken, engaging, and caring. I enjoyed having small conversations with her throughout our dinner; people like her make me still believe there are good people still left in this world.

We started with an appetizer, Onion Bhaji, which are onions fritters seasoned with various Indian spices, and were they delicious! We decided to split our entrees, my hubby ordered Butter Chicken, and I ordered Paneer Tikka. We both agreed that it was the best Butter Chicken we have ever had; it was, however, a little saucier than I expected, which isn't a bad or good thing; it's just a thing. My Paneer Tikka happens to be a vegetarian dish consisting of large chunks of onion, bell pepper, and tomato with enormous tofu pieces. That dish was tasty as well, and the tofu stood on its own very well, BUT I couldn't help but add a little bit of my butter chicken sauce to that tofu, which worked as a little sponge and soaked up all these beautiful Indian Spices from the butter chicken, either way, it was delicious!

And last but not least was our rice, I believe it to be basmati rice, the wonderful soft flavor, not too moist nor too dry and it complemented our butter chicken sauce!

The only thing we regret is not telling them a three on the spiciness. Five being the hottest and one most mild, two is what we chose, and it will be three next time!

I Can't forget the Masala Chai; I opted out of sugar but drinking it reminded me how much I love Chai tea, and I decided to purchase some yesterday! It was a flavorful tea with a rich deep taste of all the wonderful spices that make chai tea warm and unique!

The restaurant was clean and organized with warm, rich colors that were soft to the eye and inviting. The decor was simple but told a story. Once again, our server was kind-hearted and personable! Honestly, if you haven't tried Mehfil Indian Cuisine and Bar, you're missing out.

We look forward to returning and trying out many of the other dishes, including some more vegetarian ones; there were plenty of vegetarian options to pick from. Each dish sounded more impressive than the next one!

You can find Mehfils Indian Cuisine at 10600 Silverdale Way NW, Silverdale, Washington. They share a parking lot with a handful of other businesses, such as The American Cancer Society Discovery shop and Western Union. Across NW Myhre Road is 1st Security Bank, and located behind them is All-Star Lanes and Casino.

"Please continue to support our locally own small businesses; it's a win-win all the way around, and please be kind to ALL living...

This place could possibly satisfy your Indian cravings in a pinch, but the best Indian option is Punjab, in Poulsbo, hands down. I ordered takeout from here because Punjab was closed and I was craving Indian. I won't be making that choice again.

For plain rice, there's is ridiculously over seasoned. It totally took away from the entrees, especially the Makhani which even by itself was flavorless and watered down. Besides being oddly pale in color, the only spice or flavor aspect I got was from the Makhani was the added "spice level", and not from the addition of exotic seasonings or herbs. But lots of salt. This was an incredibly salty Makhani for some reason. Tikka Masala had more flavor and richness to it, but was still overall a plain tasting, lackluster letdown; similar experience as the Makhani. The 2 different naans we ordered were basically both dressed up pita - very doughy and thick, and very bread-y. Garlic Naan was not garlicky in taste despite the clumps of dyed minced garlic on top, and lacked cilantro except for a few stems and sad leaves.

Perhaps this place was having an off night, or perhaps they prefer to cater to the white washed palate of the area, but my family and I were overall unimpressed and frankly disappointed by the general lack of flavor Mehfil...