Shish Kabab

My first Unilocal post. No other food has moved me to rave until tonight.
I moved here from California and have been to several indian restaurants out of state and here in Richmond, VA-​Ashland, VA.
I wasn’t expecting that Shish Kabab will be the best I’ve had.
The restaurant might not appeal to someone who wants a more sophisticated ambiance or is bothered by the use of styrofoam dishware and plastic utensils.
If food is what you came here for then good food is what you’re going to get. (*disclaimer* provided you order what i ordered…)
We weren’t impressed with the buffet so food and drink was ordered from the menu instead:
1) chicken tikka masala
2) goat korma
3) basmati rice (comes with the order)
4) naan (came with the order)
5) sweet laasi
Big servings.
Sat down and ate… it was simple and clean. The staff was friendly, the chef/​cook even came out to ask how the food was and we couldn’t stop complimenting him.
Cost was around $ 25.00 which is not bad at all! A definite favorite from now on.

Ok, so it’s ugly, the décor is completely tacky and it’s located in a shopping center. Not exactly what I look for, either. BUT, the food is so great. It is by far the best Indian food I have had in the Richmond area. The staff are very friendly and I am always greeted with a huge smile and a «Welcome back!» The buffet is excellent and is well stocked at peak hours. They have multiple curries, chicken, biryani, salad, raita and picked veggies. The selection is usually half vegetarian which I LOVE. The vegetable korma is my favorite but they are all great! I have also had the paneer biryani from the menu and it was phenomenal! Best naan in Richmond and they keep it coming. No limit and it’s included which is nice. Took a couple friends here today and they both thought it was delish! I’ve been a regular for years and never had anyone dislike it and I’ve never seen anything like what the other reviewers talked about. Must have been a bad day?

Pros:
Good Food
Lunch Buffet
Cons:
Styrofoam!
Needs a remodel
Pricey for what you get
I’d say India K Raja is better but I need to visit again just to make sure…

The four stars are only for take out, if I was to judge it as a sit-​in restaurant the it would be 2.5 to 3 only. The food are good if you order it from the kitchen, the pre-​prepare food left outside, look old and are not well cover. It is more of a take out place so don’t expect good service.

NEVER AGAIN!
When I first walked in, I was looking forward to getting some good Indian food because there is NONE in Miami. Well, I walk in around 5PM to a totally depleted buffet with dried and crusty stuff and two pans down to the bottom. It really didn’t look like there was any intention to stock things until more customers came in. I was about to walk out because that was totally not what I was used to there. Then, they didn’t even have the side half of the buffet stocked, which is usually full of curries, too. The food was not as flavorful as before. Everything tasted the same.
Then, I sat down at the table and it looked clean, but REEKED of GROSS dirty washcloth!!! EWWW!
THEN, get this, my brother goes in the men’s restroom and the grill utensils are hanging on the metal handicap assistance rails. EWWW! I don’t even want to think about why those utensils left the kitchen and ended up in the restroom, no to mention what on earth the plan was for them once they were removed from the restroom.
This place has gone down hill in taste, but even if it hadn’t, needless to say, NEVER EVER will I return!