Location: Mo'ili'ili
This is probably the best Indian restaurant in Hawaii. Sadly, that's not saying much, considering we have about 5 of them, and the other four have atrocious names e.g., Cafe Taj Mahal, India Cafe, causing them to lose any credibility they may have had otherwise. Times like these make me miss Portland... or at least Portland's assortment of Indian, Lebanese, and Thai restaurants.
I came with four others and was amazed that we were immediately able to find a table. The infamous wait is the sole reason I hadn't tried Maharani before. As an "exotic" restaurant, Maharani has an obligation to Hawaii to be impeccably decorated in order to fulfill our stereotypes of a culture about which we know much too little. Thus, the restaurant is beautiful. Warm red tones, art covering the walls, gorgeous silk curtains, themed metal cups, and yes - just as I expected, a TV playing nonstop Bollywood.
The food is served family style, so we shared 3 orders of naan (2 plains and 1 basil), saffron rice, and a bunch of lamb, chicken, and seafood dishes. Everything tasted good, but none of the dishes were very memorable. Or maybe that's because I was tipsy by the end of the meal, thanks to all the wine Matt, Mizuki, and Darin brought (it's BYOB). Not sure how much each dish cost, but our total bill was about $90, which was much lower than what I expected. No wonder everyone loves this place.
I should probably come back (actually, I definitely will, now that I know that it is possible to find a table on a Thursday night without a 2-hour wait) to write a better review. Besides, I'm still mad at myself for not finishing the meal with a masala chai -- how was I able to leave an Indian restaurant without ordering all my usuals? I'm sure it's the best in Hawaii.
