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Reviewer's Summary: Even Monkeys Can Cook Better; Poor Service
Blame it on our bad Karma, folks.
For it was bad Karma that landed us at Maharaja on Kirkwood Highway in Newark, DE, the other day.
Maharaja - Not Authentic Indian
After a particularly odious meal, we concluded that Maharaja on Kirkwood Highway in Newark is not an Indian restaurant.
At least, not one serving genuine, authentic Indian food.
Au contraire, it's actually a spice-neutered dump masquerading as an Indian restaurant.
Complete Disaster
Our meal at Maharaja's was a total catastrophe.
When we walked into the restaurant there were few Indians, immediately setting off alarm bells in our mind.
You see, Americans can easily be fooled since they are generally clueless about fine Indian cuisine but it's hard to bamboozle Indians with bad Indian food.
We're Indians and while we may not know our steak and hot dogs we certainly do KNOW our Indian food. And Maharaja certainly ain't it.
With few exceptions, the food at Maharaja was mostly unpalatable. Wrong, make that mostly inedible.
Flavorless Biryani, Hard Naan Bread
Vegetable Biryani, a common Indian entree, is not a complicated item to prepare. But even that humble dish was beyond the capabilities of Maharaja's bozos.
As the name Vegetable Biryani suggests, its ingredients include vegetables, rice and, of course, the peerless Indian spices that provide the zing to this popular Indian favorite. Sadly, the Vegetable Biryani at Maharaja was a tasteless, bland mess. It also suffered from way too much Turmeric Powder, an ingredient that does not usually go into the preparation of Vegetable Biryani.
The two Chutneys were cold, an obvious hint that Maharaja's kitchen was too lazy and/or too indifferent to serve fresh food to paying diners. But the Green Chutney was at least flavorful while the Coconut Chutney was a bland abomination.
Poori was rubbery while Masala Idli pieces were hard. Channa Masala was too watery and the Vegetable Noodles were not fully cooked.
Masala Dosa was not the crisp golden-brown delight we're used to but a whitish crepe and the potato-onion filling inside not fresh, maybe even borderline stale. After a few bites, we wondered if the folks in Maharaja's kitchen could even spell the word Dosa.
In a clear instance of mislabeling, there was no trace of Alu (potato) in the sour Alu Gobi Masala.
Both the creamy Corn Spinach Mushroom Curry and Mutter Paneer were bland creamy curses and to spend any more time on those travesties would be a waste of your time and ours.
Naan Bread was way too crspy, like an Indian biscuit. Sambar was so watery that if any Dal had been added to it, surely it was only in the chef's imagination.
Equal Opportunity Offenders
Eager to prove its lack of credentials on the meat side too, Maharaja's meat dishes were mostly a disappointment.
Tandoori Chicken was a horrid reddish-pink obscenity with absolutely no flavor. If you ask us, we have a festering doubt that it's been recycled from the previous day.
Chicken Tikka in a thin so-so tasting gravy was nothing to write home about.
Ginger Chicken was one of the few palatable items of our meal. A flavorful dish in a thick gravy, it could have been a tad spicier.
Sweetless Dessert; Dirty Cups
The cups kept at the Dessert station were not properly washed. We had to discard two cups because there was icky stuff sticking in it.
Rice Kheer was shamefully low on sugar but the Gulab Jamun was a nice treat in the sweet syrup.
Maharaja - Poor Service
Bad food in restaurants often accompanies bad service.
With a dour expression on his face for the duration of our meal, our waiter seemed to be in a sullen mood. He didnt care to check if we needed water and didn't bother to remove the accumulated plates on our table. The other waiter/cash counter clerk was busy scrubbing the tablecloth of a nearby table in a desperate effort to remove a stubborn stain.
The restroom was stinking with pee all over the floor and the carpet was messy with food particles.
Amateur Fellas
Bottom line, these Maharaja folks are rank amateurs, clueless about Indian food and utterly careless about service.
How this Maharaja dump continues to stay in business is a mystery.
Guys, if you are as passionate about authentic Indian food as we are and if you hate getting ripped off then stay away from this Indian disgrace on Kirkwood Highway in Newark a.k.a Maharaja. - © DelawareIndia.com
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