
Sahib Cuisine of India - CLOSED
16474 NE 74th St B. 220
Redmond WA 98052
Ph:425-883-8989
The Better Buffet at the Redmond Town Center
*** Closed as of June 2008 ***
Sahib II has recently been replaced by a new restaurant, Mehfil Indian Cuisine. Mehfil serves the same style of Indian "fine dining", with a lunch buffet and dinner entrees. Our team of reviewers will be putting up a new entree for Mefil shortly.
In the Urdu language, Sahib is a term of respect meaning master or sir. Sahib II is the second incarnation of a small chain of restaurant. The first location is in Edmonds and has established a history of moderate success and fanfare. The second restaurant, aptly titled Sahib II, is located in Redmond Town Center. While it is the second incarnation of Sahib, and although there are better Indian choices in the area, Sahib II still offers reasonably decent food and timely service.
High white walls and a deeply colored carpet decorate the entire restaurant while long draping curtains hang near the back wall and kitchen. From a distance, the decor looks very elegant with its long draping curtains and framed paintings, but upon closer inspection, the carved out holes look uneven and haphazardly made.
Their Chicken Tikki Masala consists of a creamy sauce that is mixed with finely cooked chunks of chicken. Like many local Indian restaurants, Sahib has a tendency to tone down the spices to make the buffet items more palatable to a wider range. We know this because after the first bite we detected no spice whatsoever. But aside from the lack of spice, this dish was the best and stood out distinctly. The chicken was tender and did not feel overcooked. Sahib also offers dishes that cater to the vegetarian diets, such as the Yellow or Brown Curry with tofu and peas.
Sahib's Vindaloo is offered with two types of meats: Chicken and Kofta (Meatball). The Vindaloo had a dark brown sauce that had a tangy flavor and worked well as a complementary dish to the sweet and creamy taste of the Tikka Masala.
When sampling the buffet, we received a basket of fresh Nan that could be refilled upon request. The Nan tasted a little burnt, seemed a tad overcooked, and felt a little dry. Without a doubt, the Nan served at other restaurants is generally better than Sahib's fare. The Basmati rice was firm, but not sticky, and had a variety of spices mixed with the rice that gave it a different type of taste.
Regarding the service, we were seated very quickly and the staff was attentive about clearing dishes and refilling water. Of course, we visited Sahib II at the tail end of the lunch rush and figured that the staff was more attentive during the downtime.
The buffet cost $7.95 per person and while the variety of available dishes is smaller than other restaurants, it is still a decent value. If you happen to be in the Redmond area and have a want to eat Indian food, Sahib is a good place to try.