Nawab Indian Cuisine

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

We are not foodies in the least, but we drove 40 minutes from our home in a rural area to try what we had heard is the best Indian food in Winston. If this is the best Indian food in Winston, do yourself a favor and find an Indian cookbook. We have eaten Indian food around the world but have found some excellent restaurants in the USA that do the cuisine justice. Unfortunately Nawab isnt one of them. It was a Saturday night, and business was brisk, but the kitchen didnt seem overwhelmed. We became suspicious when the appetizer we ordered, vegetable pakura, arrived a minute or two after ordering it. Had it been sitting around and microwaved - or was it ordered by someone else? Although it was hot, the battered vegetables tasted like they had been fried in oil that had been strained but not changed in awhile, leaving a very off aftertaste. Some of the veggies had also been left in the fryer for too long, burning them. The Pakura was also served on a bed of shredded cabbage and carrots that were dry and inedible as well as unappetizing-looking, obviously tossed onto the plate from a bag. The Bhel mix would make a nice breakfast cereal, especially the way it was served in what appeared to be a breakfast bowl. Its flavor was good, but it wasnt as fresh as weve had before. Also a little effort at presentation would have helped - especially to kill my desire to douse it in milk and sugar. For the main dishes we ordered Chicken jalfrezi and vegetable mango. The jalfrezi tasted okay but I made the mistake of asking for it "Indian hot." As a lover of spicy and hot food I couldnt resist choosing the hottest selection - but will next time. The heat overpowered the other spices - but this was my mistake and as best as I can tell the spices were blended well. I dont hold this against the restaurant in the least. The vegetable mangos vegetables were all overcooked. Timing is key in any dish, and the best restaurants and chefs know how to manage the timing of multiple dishes at the same time. Unfortunately tonight at Nawab all the vegetables - the jalfrezi, the vegetable mango, the pakura - were delivered overcooked. Im not sure this is the standard for the restaurant, but its a basic cooking error that is obvious whether one is eating Indian food or barbecue. The hostess wearing a salwar kameez asked us what we thought of the pakura - and we were honest in a diplomatic way. She smiled and said she would look into it. Ive always noted how any business handles criticism - especially when it is constructive feedback. Good businesses welcome the opportunity for an honest appraisal and work hard to get a second chance, either by preparing the dish properly or offering something that is the house specialty and guaranteed to show the restaurant at its best. Tonight the hostess simply drifted away and never came back to the table. It was a lost opportunity for her to improve the quality of the food her restaurant served that could in turn lead to better business. I guess she either didnt care, felt insulted, or thought we were idiots. If this would have been our first taste of Indian food it is doubtful we would try it again, but experience has taught me that Indian is one of the true great cuisines of the world. Its food can be spectacular - even to a former Midwesterner like me. Nawab needs to return to the basics of taking fresh ingredients and cooking them at the proper temperature for the proper amount of time. If it did, it has the potential to become a truly great restaurant. But until then, buy a cookbook.

SA

Sarah Peak

I have been enjoying Nawab for well over 10 years now. It used to be my most favorite place to eat and my #1 for Indian cuisine. I am serious about my favorite place to eat. I used to come so often that they stopped bringing me a menu, they already knew my order, the spice level and the type of drink I liked. However, that has been changing over the years. My most recent visit on 5/18/16 was another bad one. I keep thinking that I am just getting there on off nights but there just cant be that many "off" nights. This place is just getting bad. Never before would my stomach get so messed up and I suspect it is the switch to cheaper ingredients. I was told at my last visit (prior to last night) that their cost for buying certain products had increased and they were no longer giving the chip/cracker and chutney to the tables for free (papadum). This visit my table waited 10 minutes before someone decided to take our drink orders. We waited another 10 minutes or so before getting our drinks. Then I had to flag down our waiter to take our orders. My table ordered papadum with mint chutney. We received burnt up papadum (literally burn marks/half inch into each one was burned) on each one .... which another table refused along with a side of onion chutney. Guess that would be why I didnt get the mint chutney as I had asked. My table also ordered lamb vindaloo at med/hot with garlic naan and the seafood delight at med/hot. Both dishes we at perfect spice level, definitely on point with the spicing. The portion of the lamb vindaloo was really sad. I have never been given so little in this restaurant before. I think there may have been 2 pieces of potato and the meat was very chewy, I had a even a hard time cutting it up. I also didnt get my order of naan. The seafood delight was on point with the spices as well. However, the shrimp was way overcooked and very tough and something was very off about the fish. The dessert was ... ice cream... I guess? I am not sure, it tasted like freezer burnt vanilla ice cream but I cannot be certain that that is what it was. Some of the waiters were very awkward and would just stand at our table as if to watch us eat without saying anything. Very strange. I used to love coming here and enjoying not only the food but the staff too. They used to be so friendly, helpful and eager to please. Now it is like you are a burden for coming to eat and you are lucky if you get decent service and food. It has been this way the past 4 times I have come. I really hoped it was a fluke but a fourth time of this type of experience was the last time. I do not know what happened to this place but it certainly isnt worth the money anymore. A real big shame after it being my favorite place for so so very long.

A

A Private User

Nawab is the best Indian restaurant in Winston Salem. The service is good, the price is reasonable, and the food is consistently excellent. However, there are two very different perspectives people have regarding Nawab, so I will briefly outline them below: the Lunch Buffet and the Dinner. First, the Lunch Buffet: except the food to be mild or barely medium, lightly spiced, and with good variety. Yes, some people will be disappointed that the lunch buffet is not always as explosively flavorful as expected, and some will express concern that a beef dish is almost always on the buffet line. But thats part of being one of the few Indian places in Winston Salem: some compromises have to be made to keep the lunch crowd coming in the door. Even so, the selection is excellent, and the nan and tandori chicken is always well stocked and fresh. There is always a good number of vegetarian selections on the buffet as well. This is a great time of day to introduce people to Indian food. Second, at Dinner time: this is where Nawab really shines. As long as you are familiar with the cuisine, there should be something to please almost any taste on the menu. The staff is happy to serve to fit, meaning if you want to make some changes they are happy to accommodate. The owner is very pleasant and makes a point to engage her customers instead of simply asking, "How was it?" and moving on. If you have a strong palate for Indian food, I would recommend ordering items "Indian hot." Its fantastic, but the cooks dont hold anything back either. Its the kind of flavor youll never find on the buffet line. Nawab Indian Cuisine is one of my "go to" places for going out to eat in Winston Salem. I give it my highest recommendation.