Plates & Bowls is a family-owned restaurant serving the best classic Indian, Mediterranean & Middle Eastern dishes for dine-in, delivery or takeout. The reviews have been amazing: Google 4.7/5; Tripadvisor 5/5; Facebook 5/5.

Typical reviewer recommendations include Tandoori Chicken Bowl, Butter Chicken Bowl, and Chicken Wraps. Two kabobs are extra special – the Karai Kabob is handmade ground chicken breast kabob in tomato masala sauce with spices, and the Chapali Kabob is handmade ground chicken breast kabob with spices. Popular side dishes include Aloo Paratha and Kabob Paratha. Many mentioned the Mango Nana Smoothie and the Pongo Peach Smoothie.

Plates & Bowls opened in Smart Centres in June 2019. This operation did not need to climb the rankings – as they started at the top and have stayed there. This is unusual. Most new restaurants need (suffer through) a breaking-in period to figure things out in terms of quality and service, and accordingly collect some unfair reviews.

Reviewers commonly use terms such as “amazing – wonderful – so good – must try.” Impressively, many of the reviewers took time to write 70-100 words about their experience, which is above and beyond the average 12-word review that is usually accompanied by a thumbs up or down.

Hassan Khan, the kind and warm owner/creator of Plates & Bowls, is a Civil Engineer by education. “I used to teach physics and mathematics back home,” he said. Hassan is from a large family of 10 sisters and brothers. He immigrated to Canada in 1991. His first job here was as a pastry chef at Queens Park. Level by level he worked himself up to Operational Manager. “I served many people there, such as Bob Rae and Mike Harris.”

“I sat down to create something to give people a reason to be happy when they leave. Plates & Bowls is all about the ‘Guest’, not the customer. Here, everybody is a chef. Our model is built around flexibility,” said Hassan. He hopes that Plates & Bowls will become a franchising model. For now, he lives nearby and his three sons are each studying to become something great: cardiac surgeon, mechanical engineer and a lawyer.

An experience at Plates & Bowls starts with being warmly invited in with a huge smile by helpful staff who seek to help with the menu, accompanied by “free samples of things we were curious about”. The service is as fast as Fast Food, “but the quality is far above fast food.” The price point is low, while food portioning is very generous.