Laadla Cuisine of India

It's been awhile since I've had the chance to visit Laadla. I was a fan then, and I'm still a fan. The first bite was incredible and flavorful; all the way through.
I enjoy buffets for their variety.
Sometimes buffet food can be of lower quality, but not he buffet at Laadla. I think it's top notch and will be going back again.

In the neighborhood so dropped by for an early dinner.  Kind of wished I hit the lunch buffet.

Fried Paneer was a new thing for me.  Crispy and curdy.  The lamb saag was not the best.  A bit too salty even for my high salt tolerance.  The decor is pretty non-descript but looks unchanged for about 25 years or so.  I think this place normally gets by with the lunch crowd because thsi place was completely empty for dinner.  The price was about $20 which is a bit steep but not unexpected for Indian food.  Service was a bit apathetic.

Probably won't be back for dinner but might check out buffet.

This review is only for their delivery.  If I go inside the restaurant, I will update the review accordingly.

Their vegetable korma is very good.  It was actually bright yellow, to my surprise - most vegetable kormas I have tried are a bright orange color.  They had nuts and an assortment of vegetables.  The only thing I was not a fan of is they used lima beans in their korma.  Most places I have tried don't do that (I'm not an expert on Indian food, but this is just my observation), and I would have gladly done without the lima beans.

Their saag paneer is okay.  It is the very dark green, leafy kind of saag paneer.  I personally prefer the creamier kind of palak/saag but this is okay too.

The garlic naan was also okay, although I think it could have been a little fluffier.

Delivery is not that fast though, it took about 45 minutes even though we live less than a mile away.

But I am rather pleased with the vegetable korma and I will be sure to try other dishes soon.

I have never been a fan of Indian food on the west coast, I was heavily spoiled with all the amazing Indian restaurants in NYC as well as sampling fantastic curries in the UK. I don't know enough about Indian food to know why, exactly, the taste quality is lacking in Seattle, but I've been searching for a fantastic Indian meal since arriving on the shores of Elliott Bay--short of hitting up prasadam at the Hare Krishna temple.

I've driven, biked, and walked past Laadla without ever setting foot inside. Why? The exterior of Laadla seriously lacks visual appeal, to the point where you feel sad just looking at the building. But look beyond the superficial and you will discover some truly good Indian food. The carrot chutney is my new culinary crack and it's the only accompaniment that will grace my papadam. I love how the onion bhaji is more American onion rings redux than onion dumplings fried in ghee. The veg dishes are beautifully spiced and the korma sauce should be illegal, it is that good.

A television is perched high in the corner of the restaurant and plays a steady stream of Bollywood entertainment. Lighting that takes the form of connected strings outlines the middle seating area. I almost wish Laadla would take everything a step further and decorate the interior with so much glitter and light that I feel like I've been magically teleported back into NYC. Garish/opulent décor and Indian food go together like biryani and pickle.

Generally,  I am not one to write up a poor review....but this might be more public service announcement than a review.

The food here is fine.  Not mouth-watering don't think I can go another day without kind of fine....more that pedestrian "I won't be hungry after I consume" kind of fine.

The public announcement is about the delivery service this restaurant is currently using....they are terrible...and the management's inability to remendy terrible is a shame.

The basis of this review:

Ordered take out for delivery at 7:30PM.
Waited patiently for nearly one hour.
Called restaurant at 8:35PM.  "Ten More Minutes"
Waited patiently. Called at 9PM "Ten More Minutes"
Agreed that if food didn't come we would cancel order.
Food did not come.
Called back at 9:35 to Cancel.  "Do you want a discount"
Replied "No,  wanted dinner.".
Responses:  "Ten More Minutes!!!!!!!"

Needless to say,  canceled order after the over two hour wait and frankly  a less than inspiring customer service experience.

Again,  less a review on the food and more of a PSA....If you like this place, maybe dining in would work better.

Send in the health inspector!

Authentic 3rd world restrooms:
* Bathroom stalls need doors
* Bathroom stalls with doors need locks
* Toilets should be flushable
* Hot water should be available to wash your hands
* Hand towel dispensers should contain towels.

Indian food with no tummyache afterwards! It's a miracle!

So I organized a work lunch here and the gang trecked over a little after noony. Plenty of room for our merry band of seven (that's 3/4 of our office). Nice big buffet with the usual selections - chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, curry chicken, the spinach dish, the vegetable dish, good naan, many salads...alas, no desserts.

Someone came over to ask if we wanted anything besides water, and the cashier never rolled his eyes when all but one of us (guess who?) paid one at a time with credit cards. Per person came in at $8 something - similar to my last Indian buffet (two this week - whew!), but lots more choices at this one. And it is within walking distance from work!

Dude! I want my calories back!

We stopped by here for a quick lunch and left sorely disappointed. Maybe I'm just extra picky about Indian food but everything about this place screamed lukewarm. No enthusiasm from the staff about their food, no enthusiasm from any of us upon consumption of said lukewarm food. all of the flavors blended together and not in a good way. the lemon rice was possibly the only interesting buffet item, but even that was depressing since it had been scraped mostly clean and there was barely any of it left. the naan was quite good, but that's not saying much if plain naan is the highlight of your meal.

they also advertise the lunch buffet for $8.95 but after using my debit card I noticed the charge was $9.85 - so either they changed the price OR they charge a whopping $1 fee for using plastic - outrageous if you ask me. With a $1 tip i paid almost $11 for crappy food and wasted a bunch of calories to boot.

overall i wouldn't say this place is awful or inedible, but why waste your time here when there are so many other, cheaper options?

The decor isn't top-notch. After all, this place used to be a "family" restaurant where they sold deep-fried turkey, and what they couldn't do with upholstery they made up for with duct tape.

But look - forget about that. You're not there to look at the walls anyway. Once you start eating, you're going to completely freak out and attain enlightenment. They have a special door in the kitchen that folds time and space. They take your order for Paneer Tikka Masala all the way back to India BC (that's "before Cheebus" and not "British Columbia", by the way), where they cook it over an open fire in the shade of the bodhi tree (ficus religiosa). Then they bring it back to the present, piping hot. You take one bite and your chakras instantly align.

I eat there at least once a month and I have the serenity - and waistline - to prove it.

I am renowned for my hatred of Indian food.  To my palate, Indian food looks and tastes like weirdly spiced baby food -why is everything green or orange and pureed?  However, because my boyfriend misses it in the rotation, I agreed to give it another shot at Laadla.  My lovely friend and her devilishly handsome East Asian boyfriend agreed to be my guide through the thicket of cumin - which I detest.  

And so they ordered.  And it was....good.  I know, I'm still in shock myself.  The fried cheese was addictive. The breads were amazingly light and fluffy and flavorful.  The tandoori was plump and juicy.  The prawns in some sort of coconut sauce were stunningly spiced and evocative of expensive restaurants. [I did avoid the green spinach goo].  

If you hate Indian food, this is the place.  If you love Indian food, you'll love it here.  Plus, if you have a table of 20 to seat without a reservation, you'll get them all in with room to spare.  It was the emptiest restaurant ever. And yet, so tasty.  Puzzling.