Kyja W.
Yelp
On my way home from work, I decided I wanted to celebrate Friday by treating myself to dinner from somewhere I had never been. Through my Google searching when I pulled into a random parking lot, I found Bismillah Cafe nearby had great reviews on both Google and Yelp, as opposed to the restaurants in the plaza I parked in to search. I placed a pickup order through the restaurant's website, and waited for their confirmation of my order. My first impression of the exterior was that I was a little intimidated, as a girl alone at night. It seemed a little sketchy, to be perfectly honest--no offense intended. However, those feelings I had quickly eased up as I noticed the people outside the restaurant appeared happy and harmless. My order first said it would be ready in 15 minutes, but that kept extending. While my stomach was getting antsy, I decided that that was a positive sign of busyness, which probably meant good food! About 30 minutes later, I got my food! While in line, I realized that I probably would've gotten my food sooner had I immediately stepped in the actual physical line outside, rather than wait in my car. My food wasn't ready, and I could be wrong, but it seemed like they started gathering it once I approached them asking for my order. Next time, I'll immediately get in the physical line to get noticed. That seemed to be the key. On the way home, the scent of the food was making me drool! The moment I stepped in my apartment, I threw my keys on the counter and got to opening the containers. Everything looked great! The one thing I was disappointed about was that I guess I incorrectly assumed I'd be getting one of the green sauces since the website says you can order EXTRA for an extra charge. To me that implied that every order came with one green sauce. Either they don't or they forgot mine. Next time, I'll ask for it, because it sounded very popular!
Anyway, onto the tastes--
-The veggie samosa was a great price and very flavorful! I should have definitely ordered more than one! It had a nice amount of spiciness to it, perfect crunch, and delicious flavor!
-The Malay curry felt less a curry to me and more a marinated lamb. There was a LOT of oil in my container and not really the curry/sauce that I'm familiar with. I had intended to pour my curry on the rice as well as dip my pita bread in it, but with all that oil instead of sauce, that was a no-go. I also expected cubed meat rather than on-the-bone, which is more of a challenge to eat (of course that was my own incorrect assumption, no fault of the restaurant's). Regardless, the lamb itself was yummy minus some fatty pieces. It was so tender, and spicy.
-The texture of the naan seemed more like a cross between naan and pita bread to me, but it still hit the spot.
-Finally, the rice was nice and warm, and a huge portion! I loved how it tasted!
Over all, I really enjoyed my experience with this place. It feels authentic. I am looking forward to trying more dishes and finding an entree that's more my speed.