Curry Leaf

This place is no longer Curry Leaf. It’s now called «Tikka Masala». Please see my review for them under that new name:

Go there if you want decent Indian food which is not too greasy and somewhat authentic. Gave 3 stars as the ambience is just average. The waiting staff is very courteous unlike other Indian places like Udipi. They have one of the best Veggie and Chicken Manchurian, Chicken Lollipop. All other Indian restaurants which try to do general Indian fare and Indo-​Chinese just suck (e.g. Spice Route has horrible Indian Chinese).

We went in for the weekend lunch buffet and were super disappointed. We felt we could have spent our $ 50 better!
Bottom-​line: very pedestrian and subpar. Preparations were totally off-​taste, an example paneer-​masala was sweet, serious sweet! Sambhar was good, however not sure how any cook worth his salt could mess up rasam?
The naans were burnt, the food combinations did not make any sense what so ever.
Generally Indian restaurants are thematic (north Indian/​Punjabi or south Indian/​Udipi), however could not figure out what cuisine was being promoted. It was a hot day and the water was warm and they did not stock ice cubes, maybe they did not know that QFC is right next door?
The décor was cheap Ikea kind of stuff (the curved mirrors), no music although I notice Bose speakers on the walls.
The hostess seemed more interested in presenting bills rather than ensuring satisfaction of the guests.
Sorry!

Update: I came here recently and had their more typical fare — dosa, idli, vada, sambar. I wasn’t impressed. The masala in the dosa we had had something undelightfully crunchy in it. I think whole peppercorns actually. My friend’s mom’s dosa had veggies in it, but the carrot pieces looked like those ones you buy frozen in the bag, you know — the little round chunks with the perfectly jagged surfaces? The tandoori chicken was amazing, but what tandoori chicken isn’t? Guess I wasn’t hungry enough this time.

Yeah, I know I’m really picky when it comes to eating out at Pakistani and North Indian restaurants. And yeah, I know this results in disappointing experiences at most places. But it makes sense, since the food is so heavy and I don’t want to be downing large quantities of mediocre food. It just ain’t worth the food coma afterward!
While visiting the Seattle office for work, I went with out to lunch with a few co-​workers. Curry Leaf’s buffet offers mainly South Indian food, with a sprinkling of North Indian entrees mixed in. Since I lack experience with South Indian food, of course I had to sample every item!
Most of the food was vegetarian, but there were a few meat selections. The fried-​battered-​pakora-​like balls were delicious. The curries/​sauces were thinner/​sweeter than what I’m used to in Pakistani food, and the naan was thinner as well. The red tandoori chicken was tasty. The gulab jaman for dessert was warm and sweet, so definitely a winner! None of the other items were very memorable, so neither good nor bad.
Overall, this place didn’t wow me, but that could be due to my preference for Pakistani food over Indian food. Or it could that I’m picky. :) In any case, I’m glad I tried it and will definitely try more South Indian food when given the chance!

Mediocre at best. The chicken is mostly bones and very little meat. Not worth it for dinner. The lunch buffet is the better experience because it’s cheaper and you can pick at finding something better. The naan, which is like the right arm of most Indians and can be so good, was soggy. It tasted like it had been frozen and then warmed in a microwave. Trader Joe’s has better naan.
I ordered «Hot» looking for real spice and heat and it was more like 2 stars at a Thai restaurant. There are better places in Bellevue, save your 15 bucks and keep looking on your iPhone!

This is a review for the lunch buffet only, and everyone knows the all-​you-​can-​eat buffet hardly shows the best an Indian restaurant has to offer.
Re: buffet, it smells good when you enter, but execution is a little off. Instead of tandoori chicken there was a «Chicken 65», chicken schnibbles in red food coloring with none of the tandoori spices. Lamb curry was OK, a little dry but the sauce seemed a little too cinnamon-​ish; butter chicken was sweet. Kudos for offering pickle on the buffet, as well as good soup & daal (lentils). Desert — blech! I’m a fan of Indian sweets but with runny vermicelli (with hardly any vermicelli) and stale
khulfi it would have been better to not offer anything.
Most Indian buffets are ho-​hum to begin with, and dinner may be way different; yet I feel this could have been better.

Way better to come for lunch buffet. A bargain and great selection.

Boo! and Boo!
The food is still good for people who can take the heat…
1 Boo for having a sucky out of restaurant ordering system. I tried to call a number of times and never got an answer. I wanted to talk to someone in person because I needed to make sure they could/​would make our food milder than our first experience. So, I used the online system. I left them a note about making the food milder but…
Another Boo for the food being way too hot for my gf to eat! I could eat it but it was at my tolerance level. (except for the samosa: both of us could eat those)
Possibly if they had answered the dang phone our severe disappointment could have been avoided. But, they didn’t.
We won’t ever be going back.
If you can eat hot food then go. Their mild = about 3 stars at other places. But, if you can’t handle 3 stars then just skip ‘em.

They serve Kotthu Porrota — which is absolutely wonderful — but very pricey ($ 12+) if they serve it for $ 7-​$ 8, i’d go there everyweek :)
Their chef’s are from a old bellevue restaurant (spice route?) — and make south indian foods very good.
I felt they have priced their food a little bit expensive — so I dont go their often.

Came here for lunch and hit up their buffet. For 8.99 it’s not so bad. I liked their butter chicken best. The food is very flavorful but could’ve added more spicy. I like to eat spicy that’s why. Definitely worth a place to try if you’re into Indian food.
Try and get here before the T-​Mobile lunch rush. Be prepared to smell like curry for the rest of the day. It’s worth it.=)

My friend and I ate here last Thursday after reading about it on Unilocal.Being tucked away in the back corner of a strip mall in the Factoria area, they are a little difficult to find. The décor of the restaurant is nothing to write home about. However, the food is.
I began with the Manchuran veggies appetizers. What reached my table were some veggies rolled in a flour and topped with a sort of Indian barbecue sauce. It also had onions and green peppers in this sauce. Pretty darn yummy.
My dining partner had a chicken dish and an eggplant dish, both from their specialty menu. I had some spinach naan and a fish item from the specialty menu (normally, I’d order channa masala as my standard, first time dish). All of the main dishes were ordered a la carte and as such, each came with a plate of Basmati rice. The main course dishes were excellent. The spices were well mixed and these folks do not skimp on the heat. Even with the heat, I could discern the different spices in the dishes. The spinach naan was OK… not enough spinach for my preferences.
To drink, I had their salt lassi. A very tasty yogurt concoction with spices added to it. Both of mine were tasty, yet each had a different emphasis on the spices in it. So, consistency on these drinks was not there.
Service was very good. Our water glasses didn’t empty, our orders were prompt, our plates were cleared properly, and we didn’t wait long for the bill. It was a slow night, but people weren’t slacking.
I’d recommend that people go here. It’s very good on my first visit. I’ll definitely be returning.

I’m going to include my wife’s impression in this review, because it’s the ONLY reason why I get to enjoy Indian/​Pakistani food. We moved up from San Francisco 2 years ago and we’ve unsuccessfully been able to find Indian food that my wife enjoys around the Seattle area.
*Disclaimer: Although I admit that Naan & Curry (SF) isn’t exactly very authentic, it’s almost impossible to beat it with food quality (taste, variety, aromas) and price. My wife will judge every restaurant based on this standard (keep this in mind). Naan & Curry in Renton is NOT the same as its SF ancestors, as much as the owner claims and promises. I am more adventurous and looking for more spices, scents, etc (throw in lentils, goat, lamb, paneer cheese, etc) in comparison to my wife.
If you don’t want to read more, JUST GO and you will enjoy this place.
Here are some quick tidbits:
1 — minimum order amount for delivery $ 50
(not hard to do since each dish is priced around $ 10 anyway)
2 — lunch is buffet $ 9.99 person
3 — lunch (weekend) buffet is $ 12.99
4 — you can even order online
5 — been in business for 6 months
We ordered for take-​out:
Chicken Tikka Makhani — moist pieces of tandoori chicken breast
sauce was a little on the sweet side
finely minced ginger added to flavor complexity
Aloo Gobi Masala — definitely more potato than cauliflower
medium spicy was perfect (we can eat VERY spicy)
not too dry, not too wet
good spice flavor
potato and cauliflower cooked very well (not too soft)
Channa Masala — same flavor masala sauce as aloo gobi
sauce slightly watery
garbanzos are hard to mess up, but these are great
Plain Naan — standard 12″ cut into 3rds
soft and moist, not dried out
on the thinner side, but had good chew to it
not oily like Naan & Curry (Renton)
Kashmir Naan — not too sweet
decent amount of cherries, sultanas, nuts, coconut
almost as good as India Clay Oven (SF Clement)
PROS: the food is not oily
everything was seasoned properly and not too salty
price is competitive with Seattle indian restaurants
we got white basmati rice included and didn’t even know it
good portion sizes
clean interior
the restaurant is clean (doesn’t smell)
it’s CLEAN
CONS: not enough customers (lunch is probably busier with T-​Mobile)
not easy to see from main street and Factoria (128^th SE)
I’m definitely going back to try their lunch buffet. I’m sure it will be even better because I’ll get more variety and everything will be fresher and hotter. If you have the chance to be out this way around Factoria and crave Indian, give this place a try. You’ll be glad you did.

I like this restaurant’s food so much that I give it five stars, and I’ve never even eaten their food when it’s hot and fresh! My GF works close to this place so I have her bring home a container of the buffet when she gets off. The food is very flavorful and spicy, not like the watered down versions you get at 99% of Indian restaurants around here. It tastes more like food I would get in India or here in an Indian house. If you like Indian food, you have to give this place a try at least once to see if you agree.

All I can say is WOW!!! The best south indian food I have tasted HANDS DOWN! I’m visiting from Chicago, where we have a whole street dedicated to Indian restaurants that I frequent quite often. I tried a few of the dishes at Curry Leaf and there was not one that was not flavorful, fresh, and delicious without being oily. I just got off the phone with my boyfriend raving about the food and wishing that I could ship some to him. I’m very sorry to leave Seattle just because of this restaurant, I’ve been here for 3 weeks on business and wish I had discovered this place from the onset. I will definetely be back if I ever visit the area again, as stated by the other reviewers this is definetely a hidden gem!

This little known place has blown me away. A friend told me its a «south Indian non vegetarian restaurant». It is so much more. We ordered the Goat curry, the Parotha, Malabar fish, Fish Curry, and topped it off with yummy dessert — Rasmalai and Gulab jamun.
Every single dish was EXCELLENT! I have been searching for good Indian food in Seattle — and none of the other restaurants — Chutneys, Preets, etc were cutting it — every place was either too oily or stale or standard run-​of-​the-​mill dishes. Curry Leaf provides a cuisine that I have been craving for — Mangalorian food.
Service was excellent as well. It was sad to see the restaurant almost empty on a Saturday night at 9:30pm. I encourage every one to go try food here — believe me you wont be disappointed.
I plan to go here again and again. I am actually going there tonight!