Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Bowie Restaurant Project: (BB6) Royal Kabab

For an explanation of the Bowie Restaurant Project, look here.


For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.

Royal Kabab, 738 Rte. 3 N, Gambrills
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 11/17/2013
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 2
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

With the not-much-lamented demise of The White Tiger, Bowie is without Indian food. Those looking for some Chicken Tikka Masala have to head up Route 3 to Gambrills, to a gas station of all places.

Now one of my rules is, "Don't eat in a gas station," so I hesitated going here. But I had heard such good things about this place that I decided to try it anyway.

My first impressions were not promising. I tried to end up the restaurant directly and startled somebody in a supply close. No, you have to go into the BP mart and then the space Royal Kabab shares with a Subway. (The combined space is not particularly large.)

On my first visit, I got the lunch buffet. The offerings had not been freshened recently, but were still quite good. The proprietor brought us some salad and enthusiastically encouraged me to come back for more once he had put out new food. I ate more than I planned to, and more than I should have, which is probably the strongest endorsement I can give this restaurant. My colleagues who got items off the menu were also quite happy.

The second time I visited, I had the chicken tikka kabab. I enjoyed it, but I was less thrilled. If the buffet is available, I don't think I will plan to get anything else.

I've had better Indian food, but not within 20 minutes of Bowie. If you're willing to drive half an hour, go to Tiffin along Route 193 in Takoma Park. That's a restaurant I could give 5 stars to. I'm hesitant to give 4 stars to a place with the ambiance of Royal Kabab, but as the only Indian option in the region, and a tasty one, it gets 4 stars.

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