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I haven't been to Samosa Garden in a while, so when a group from work said they were going there for lunch I was a little apprehensive. Still I decided to go along with an open mind. What a pleasant surprise - it was great.
Food - I ordered from the menu. Both items I ordered were great, full of flavour and the portions were big (which is why I've rated it high in value too). Very fresh and clearly made to order. I found out that the restaurant has changed hands and they have a new Chef too - I think his name was Khan. He came out to check on the tables and see that people were happy (somethign I always appreciate).
Service - Again this was really good - prompt and friendly.
Ambiance - They have removated since the last time I came in, but you could see that it still needed some work in places. But it was okay - comfortable and clean....nicer than some I've seen.
All in all I would totally go back and recommend it to anyone looking for a good Indian Restaurant. I'm pretty hard to please so that's really saying something for me!
I went to the Valentines dinner and dance. The regular weekend buffet was none existent on Valentines day. Items such as kabobs and gulab jamun which are supposed to be on the menu with a $15 regular buffet were NOT THERE on valentines when we paid $35 per person. There was not even items such as tandoor chicken or butter chicken which are regulars in any indian buffet menu.
Moreover, the ambiance at the party was far from romantic it was not even pleasant. Chairs were kept so close together, we literally bumped into the table behind us when we got up to go to the buffet. The place was hot and humid and everyone was crammed into the front part of the restaurant.
The single fruit salad item kept for dessert was ridiculous. Being an indian buffet and knowing indians love sweet dishes there was not a single indian sweet item such as gulab jamun or rasgolah.
The music was ok but it focused wayyy too much on old songs. Singers were not bad but overalll I did not feel that I got my moneys value for a $35 per person Valentines day party.
The Sunday night "Special" buffet was awful. The buffet had scanty options of items. A private gathering was going on and they too shared the same buffet queue and some were not moving at all. We had to wait a long time and after we finally managed to squeeze into the spot... some of the items were empty( eg. naan bread) and the staff did not bother to refill! what pathetic service!! And only one sweet for dessert( some rice kheer)A TOTAL RIP OFF!( 35 BUCKS FOR TWO!!!) Not worth half the price since in a buffet one might normally expect a wide range of options to choose from. I was really disappointed with the dining experience there and felt we should have checked the review before.Will never go there again.
Well recently took my family to this place after reading mix reviews i took my chance by visiting. I went on the Saturday around 05.30pm. My personal experience for a Buffet Dinner if you really want to enjoy buffet go at the starting time. You will get fresh and hot food. Well the choices of food were really great compare to any other restaurant i have been in Vancouver. Secondly the quality was good and taste was fine only my concern was the butter chicken to be too creamy i think thats the Canadian Butter Chicken style not the Tradional Indian Butter Chicken but my kids were enjoying this butter chicken. Well the service was good compare to many indian restaurant and atleast they smile when we talk to them. The best thing i normally like when i eat an indian food is the Naans and their were really good and soft. The dessert was Gulab Jamun which i find in every Indian restaurant but what i enjoy was their Rice Pudding not same what we are use but nice for a change.
In any how my experience was good and it was quite reasonable for the Bill to be less than $100 for 3 adults and 3 kids. Well i wont mind going back.
Went there with a friend who knows authentic Indian food, who approved of the food. We are both vegetarians and there was a decent selection. Vegetable pakoras were quite good. We used a coupon from entertainment book so the value was fantastic, but even without the coupon it was still decent value as the portions were quite large. An appetizer and two entrees are enough for three. Both of us would go back.
I used to always go to Samosa Garden because they had really good samosas and a great buffet. Times have changed. The last two times I went, service was almost non-existent. It wasn't hard getting a table, but trying to get water/drink refills and paying for the bill is almost impossible. The buffet lunch isn't very good anymore. Quality has slipped somewhere along the way. There's hardly any naan ever, and when they bring some to the buffet table, they only bring less than ten pieces, and it's gone in no time. (Many other Indian restaurants, will give your table your own naan basket) They don't even offer Butter Chicken or samosas for their buffet.
There's always a line-up just to pay and if you're thinking about paying from your table, good luck.
You'll have a much better dining experience up the street at Saffron.
Yes, I'm sorry to say I did not come here expecting much, so maybe that explains why I'm giving it decent marks.
Starting with the entry, I noticed this is not like other Indian restaurants. Hey, it looked like it might be clean!
There isn't really any service to speak of, so good thing we decided on the buffet.
So for the food ... well, it's alright. They had a decent sampling of dishes on the buffet and for Indian style, it leans a bit heavily on the meat side. I managed to sample just about everything they had and it was all , well, decent. That's all I can say. Nothing suprising, nothing super outstanding. Butter chicken, some curry goat, tandoori chicken, etc. It was all edible, except the raita, which tasted like some vanilla stuff scopped from Safeway. It was safe to say that was the worst raita I've ever had. (Maybe it was only pretending to be raita...)
Total cost for the buffet I think was about $16 per person. Given the variety and quality of the food, I would call this acceptable.
So what's the verdict? Is it worth a trip? Hm.... not really. Okay, let me say this, if I had a craving for Indian, this might be one of the top 5 places I'd hit in town, but that is not necessarily saying much since there is such a big gap between the top 3 and the rest of them (my opinion). You could do far worse, but I was hardly amazed or impressed here. This only passing standards. But hey, where else you gonna eat?
I've come to Samosa Garden the most out of all the other Indian restaurants and I can only sum it up as inconsistent.
I'm leery on the buffet there since the trays are usually worn through on my dining trips there so we stick with the menu items. The Butter Chicken is alright decent flavours but oily. Generous on the pieces of chicken, however. The Tandoori is also ordinary resembling moreso something out of a mall takeout joint. The Samosas are pretty good with a nice flaky exterior. I remember my first visit there years ago I ordered some sort of minced beef or pork kebabs and it was loaded with sodium. Yikes. Having never ordering that again I don't know if it was the way it was suppose to taste. Naan bread is large although sometimes a bit charred. Overall the meals I've had here it's been good but having had homemade and at other Indian restaurants it has so much more potential.
Service has been good but looking around I can't help but think it is the owner's children helping out. The are polite but are a bit slow and seem to disappear into the kitchen at times.
Decor is casual without the rich reds you'd see elsewhere.
This place could do way better (most notably their food) but they seem to be comfortable at where they are now.
Been going here almost once a month. We normally go for dinner buffet at $13.95 which we think it's a decent deal since regular menu items are $15.95 or more. We're so used to coming here so we kind of know how their service are: it's not the greatest but we don't really need much service since buffet are self served. For us, it's a laid back place where you can eat for as long as you want. Sometimes the servers are non-existent but it doesn't really bother us. As for paying the bill, we always pay at the counter. Maybe that's how they want it.
I had regular menu items before and they are very good. Their naan bread is enormous! It's like 1.5 ft long! Yummy
I was a little worried about this place because of many negative reviews, but since we had a coupon for a 3 course meal for 2 for $20 and I was in the mood for Indian food, we decided to try this place out. I'm glad we did.
Food: Average of 3. I don't know how authentic the food is so I can't comment on that aspect. Some items like the potato fritters and beef curry were delicious. The samosas were good but not spectacular. The tandoori chicken was too salty. The naan was not bad but not spectacular. The dessert was fruit cocktail in custard cream - again, not too bad, but nothing "wow".
Service: Solid service (actually deserving of 3.5 stars since I think it was above average). They checked on the food and were nice to us even though we were using the coupon. With the coupon, you pick from among 4 set meals. Since the appies of both meals would have been the same, the waitress was kind enough to suggest and allow us to switch one of the appies with the appy from another set so we would get a better variety.
Value: The rating of 5 is based on the fact that we had the coupon. Since we told them right away that we were using the coupon, we only saw the special menu, so I don't know about the regular prices. We had a whole lot of food for $20 - that's only $10 per person for a 3 course meal! We had enough leftovers for a meal or two.
Ambiance: Quite clean and generally pleasant. The only downside is that the paint on the chairs is worn down.
Overall: We will consider returning again.
I've only tried the buffet the numerous occasions I have been here. The butter chicken uses the tandoori chicken as opposed to regular raw unmarinated chicken pieces. Hence the taste difference and possibly sourness(from the marinade). The hot food selection is reasonable and comparable to most. prob about 8 hot items, i think. Never had a freshness issue with the food. but if they serve the same buffet all day. i was not aware, and would be concerned. Like most ayce indian food, there is rice, naan, chickpeas, veggie dahl and curries. and chicken option here, tandoori chicken and butter chicken and a lamb/beef curry option. I found the curries slightly different than that of the Indian town AYCE. The curries is more refined here.
Samosa Gardens was always a place we'd go when we had out of town guests (my family is East African, so it was "food like home"). I am not East African but over the years of eating it, I can say that I have experience in what's good and what's not on the subject.
I've always had a good experience with their food but because it's been a while since I've been there, I can honestly say I don't remember what the service was like, but I don't remember it being poor.
My favorite dish there is the butter chicken, I've tried to duplicate it and must admit, I am pretty close, but nothing compares to theirs. Their samosa's are also very good but my all time favorite food at Samosa Gardens is Mogo with chili chutney!
It's definitley worth the trip out to Samosa Gardens every time for me.
I have been to this place a couple of times as others are always banging on about it. Both times, I had the same experiences. The service is APPALLING. It seems that they only have 1 server who cleary can't serve everyone. Unless you order the buffet, it takes forever to be served. The samosas are very good and tasty with the fillings be well seasoned and spiced. The tandoori chicken, though is the worst I have ever eaten in my life and I would recommend staying well away from it. I do not think that I will be returning.
We been going to this place for the last ten or eleven years and we have not had food this bad in all those years. They have increased the price and decrease the quality and cutt the service The service(what service ?).their used to be a guy who was their for a long time he used to be so good all my family and fiends use to go their because he was so profesonal and helpfull and knowledgeable about the food ( even if the food was not up to par, he would make up for it in service ) I asked the waitress where he was she said he was no longer their....too bad........conclusion DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY FOOD IS AWFUL AND THE SERVICE SUCKS, VERY DISORGANIZED AND UN PROFESONAL
I don't like writing negative reviews.
But I have been to this place about 5-6 times (every time because other people have dragged me there)
And every single time, the food is not good - kind of bland and not very Indian tasting - (It is edible and you won't get sick) but the butter chicken sauce is really sweet and their Briyani is mountain of bland rice with a potato burried underneath it. Over all, it just isn't good food. Somethings aren't bad but what makes a bad situation worse is that everytime I go I get less than good service.
One time - they were busy mind you - no one even made an attempt to seat anyone waiting at the entry or even say "sorry i will be with you in a few mintues". Instead, the servers went out of their way not to make eye contact. It was shocking.
In Burnaby/Vancouver I prefer Himalayan Peak for Indian food and for African/Indian food I prefer Simbas.
But this place is worth a try I guess - I hope they have gotten better.
Had lunch with my colleagues today at Samosa Garden. I was impressed at how clean it was . . . especially for Indian restaurant. We were seriously thinking about trying the buffet, but then we decided to order from the menu. I ordered Masala Halibut. The others ordered kebabs, shahi paneer and butter chicken of course and we all shared the food. The food was absolutely delicious. Our waiter was very good and always came by to check on us and refill our waters. Really wanted to try some dessert but we were all too full. Will definitely come back again!
I've been to Samosa Garden numerous times over the years starting when they first opened. For a while it used to be my favourite Indian restaurant as the food could always be counted on to be delicious and flavourful. I don't know what has happened here lately, but the food quality has really gone downhill.
The service was never great to start with, as none of the staff (servers included) ever smile or even try to make conversation with customers. And once you're seated for the buffet, forget about seeing them again...you even have to get up and go ask for drinks and even the bill. But the food was what kept me coming back.
My last visit (September 1, 2009) was particularly disappointing. On the buffet trays, the rice (both the basmati and the pilaf) was not cooked well enough. (Not a pleasant feeling having to crunch on rice!) The naan bread tray had very little bread in it, and what little was there was cold and hard. The tandoori chicken, while the tray was almost full, tasted a little burnt. The most disappointing dish, however, was the butter chicken (which was my favourite dish at Samosa Garden) tray had only sauce in it and was void of any meat. I had to walk up twice to the staff to ask them to refill the trays. After waiting more than 15 minutes, they brought in a small bowl of butter chicken and put it into the tray. I ran up to get some before the other customers (who had been waiting as long) finished it off. Still no fresh naan bread, and by this time, the burnt tandoori chicken tray was almost empty as well.
I ate, walked up to the counter to ask for my bill, paid it and left...with no plans to come back again. They've just lost a formerly satisfied and loyal customer.
I just came back from the Samosa Garden. It was a terrible experience! We had a big family dinner for my father's birthday, giving them, I thought, great business. The server never refilled our waters, cleared our plates, or took away scrunched up napkins. The whole restaurant looked the same mess, balled up dirty napkins left on everyones tables, while guests tried to drink their after dinner teas around the mess. The giant glass window doors they have everywhere were covered in dirty smears. The food was generally greasy, and overpriced for the atmosphere and poor service.
And here is the clincher: we brought in a cake for my Dad's birthday with candles. The server brought out the cake, with the package of sealed candles and a lighter, and set them down next to my Dad. He didn't light them, nothing! So we awkwardly lit the cake ourselves at the table. The server then brought out paper plates, plastic forks and napkins for us to use for the cake. (Apparently it is Samosa Picnic). And our table was still littered in used dishes, plates, etc. while we ate the cake, despite our asking the table be cleared.
I am not looking to go to the Samosa Picnic again, unless I bring my own wicker basket and perhaps a blanket.
Had the dinner buffet last week, and enjoyed most of the items. Its extremely well priced at 13.95. If you like tandori chicken, and simeple indian dishes, then give it a try.
Though the service from Samosa Garden has suffered greatly, I did enjoy the buffet offered there. I usually tackle the buffet on the weekends, usually around lunch hour where I know the food is fresher.
We have been long time patrons of the restaurant and know the servers there quite intimately so we never had any problems with the service though we have encounter waiting periods for up to an hour when the restaurant is busy.
Recommend the butter chicken, one of the best sauces in town. The naan, though greasy, is big and a must for anyone visiting this lovely gem.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone in a heartbeat.
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