Review of Seva Cuisine of India
You open a door and are immediately enveloped in a cloud of aromatic ecstasy. You feel comforted, as if by a warm hug. You glance up and to the left to see the welcoming gaze of a majestic peacock, painted most fittingly on the wall. Your eyes finally fall to what has truly called you here, what has hooked your heart as much as your stomach, what has led you to forget your sad bank account: the lunch buffet.
Seva Cuisine of India was my first experience with Indian food, and I could not be happier with the fact that this establishment opened my eyes and my taste buds to this glorious dining experience. The number of positive things I have to say is overwhelming. I’ll spare you all the excruciatingly perfect details and stick to the highlights.
To begin, the aforementioned lunch buffet. From Monday to Friday from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm and on weekends from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm, you can take the rewarding journey to Seva, pay a mere $13 and gain access to a glorious variety of rice, appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts. Oh, and you can experience this over and over, plate by plate, until you’re embarrassed but without regrets about how much curry-drenched naan you’ve inhaled.
The regular menu is just as enticing—sometimes even more so for those of us with dietary restrictions. All of the vegetable entrees are vegetarian, and most of those and many of the appetizers can be made vegan. Gluten-free basmati rice and naan are both available for a small fee. But worry not, wheat and meat eaters, there is more than plenty for you as well. A classic, so I’ve heard from friends who partake in meat, is chicken tikki masala. Apparently, you’ll like this even if you’re not a die-hard Indian fan. A personal favorite of mine is chana masala, otherwise known as an out-of-body experience akin to swimming in a pool of chickpeas floating atop a perfectly softened potato.
Even the richest of dishes at Seva won’t even come close to making you feel as guilty as those four burritos from Taco Bell last night did. They use real ingredients to make real, and really damn good, food.
We now come to an understated but outrageously important contributing factor to my absolute adoration of Seva: the service. Walking through the door of this restaurant truly feels like coming home. You are welcomed with a smile and never left waiting for a table for more than a couple of minutes. Whether you’re dining in, getting food to-go or enjoying the buffet, you’ll be offered free appetizers and small tastes of freshly-baked naan or a new chicken recipe. Hot chai, coconut soup and refreshing mango lycee are available to all customers for no fee. The restaurant’s menu and website proclaim, “Seva Means Service: Adventurers Proudly Dine Here.” They live up to this motto with absolutely no problem.
Now, I know that you are college students because I am, too. I know that paying $13 for a meal seems equivalent to taking out your liver and giving it to a man on the street. However, you can easily make two or three meals out of a Seva to-go order. And the lunch buffet with a handful of beautiful friends is an excellent study break. Sometimes you need to treat yourself, and at Seva you can do this guilt-free.
If my clear and irrevocable reverence for Seva is not enough to convince you, take it from a fellow Seva-lover, William Jewell College’s very own Dr. Milton Horne.
“I love Seva for their great food and wonderful hospitality. They have never disappointed me or the groups of folk I have taken there,” Horne said. “My only regret is that they are in Kansas City and not Liberty. I prefer to support local establishments.”
