Bombay Mahal, Waltham, MA

Bombay Mahal Restaurant
458 Moody St., Waltham, MA

For this post, we're back to a good, ol' fashioned Boston area Indian Buffet review, no far away specials, no two-part specials, etc. On another note, I'm beginning to worry and become relieved at the same time that my cravings for Indian food are weakening. I'm worried because it could hinder the thoroughness of my perception of the flavor of the buffet offerings. I'm relieved because I think it's unhealthy (mentally) to consistantly crave the same type of food. While Indian food does contain a lot of zesty spices, variety is the true spice of life... On to our perusals!

The Offerings:

Chutneys/Sauces:

(top to bottom of row, then left to right: pickle, raitha, mango chutney, mint chutney, tamarind chutney, kheer, salad)

pickle: I didn't try it, but one of my friends did and it made him cringe, just as I have when trying this item in the past. I'm guessing it's from the salty/lemony flavor that attacks the taste buds.
raitha: I didn't notice anything different from the usual tangy, yogurty taste it always has, everywhere I go.
mango: n/a
mint: n/a
tamarind: I only got to try a little bit of this because there was no small cup or ramekin for me put it in for dipping purposes. They insisted that the small bowls were for desert ONLY. I remember it being sweet. Other than that, I didn't get much of the flavor because it started mixing with the other curries on my plate :( Partly my fault for being clumsy in the face of sauce-adversity, and partly theirs for putting me in the face of sauce-versity.

Salad: It was pre-mixed with lemon wedges, carrot, and green bell pepper slice over iceberg lettuce. It was much like my other encounters with this method of salad presentation, which make up the majority of what I've witnessed in my Indian buffet adventures. Nothing to discredit them for here, only good.

Bread:

naan: They made the naan available on the buffet line. I've missed this method of obtaining naan. I do love to "naan at my own risk". as far as the quality goes, it wasn't great but definitely didn't suck. It was soft and dry; definitely one of the less flavorful naans I've tasted.

Appetizer:

(clockwise from bottom left (green): saag paneer, chana kabuli, pakora, basmati rice, veg. basmati rice, naan)





































pakora: This would be the second review in a row where I've experienced huge, spinachy pakoras and I couldn't be more happy. I think these ones were even larger than those at Rasoi. They had a good crisp and were savory as hell; nothing bad to say about these.

Entrees:

(clockwise from bottom left: chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, "best mushroom's", chicken chilli)





































vegetable rice: Ah, a rare encounter with a buffet that has two types of rice, plain and augmented with a vegetable/fruit flavoring. The vegetable used in this rice was peas. This was especially interesting because the only rice offered in past buffet experiences contained peas. This rice just contained more than usual.
saag paneer: It was delicious. Perfect consistency: not to think or thin. It was significantly creamy, but unlike Diva, this saag paneer was still packed with sweet, sweet flavor.
chana kabuli: This was essentially chana masala/chole with bits of potato. It tasted notably buttery. It was also a good mix of sweet and spicy.
baignan bartha: As much as I don't care for eggplant, this dish was quite nice to my tastebuds. The sauce was sweet, tangy, and spicy all at the same time, which is why I fell in love with Indian cuisine in the first place.
veg. jalfrezi: n/a. I fucked up and got too full off of the saag paneer, chana kabuli, and chicken tikka masala. I never ended up trying this dish or the grammatically incorrect "best mushrooms".
"best mushroom's": n/a, though I've yet to be impressed with Indian mushroom dishes.
chicken chilli: This dish consisted of seemingly tandoori grilled boneless chicken in a sauce that included roasted peppers, onions, tomato, and Indian spices. It almost reminded me of kadai paneer, except with chicken, instead of Indian cheese cubes. I like it, but I think, in general, it's not my favorite dish. I'm more of a sucker for sweeter, creamier curries.
chicken tikka masala: It was delicious. The chicken was tender, juicy, and pre-marinated. The sauce was simultaneously creamy and tangy. One small criticism of this fine-tasting item was that the sauce was slightly thin for my liking. Something I might overlook depending on my mood.
tandoori chicken: This dish doesn't stand out in my mind as having any notably good or bad characteristics. I believe it was adequately spiced, juicy, and smokey.

Dessert:

kheer: It was on the thicker side and tasted of sweet cream. It was smooth and had a subtle sweetness that I enjoyed.

Price: $10.08 (weekday w/ MA meals tax) Average.

Final Score: 4.8/5

They did a damn goo djob on most of their offerings. Also contributing to their high score was the decent size of the buffet. I really wish they had bows that could've been used for salad chutney though. Basically we're looking at (mostly) North Indian cuisine done pretty damn well.

Diva, Somerville, MA (Battle of the Davis Square Indian Buffets, Part 1)

Click on picture to see the full image

In Davis Square, (a goldmine for restaurants and bars in Somerville, MA) lie two Indian Buffets some 5 doors down from each other. This epicenter of good eats is just down the street from where I intern. The first time I set foot in Davis and witnessed the dual Indian Buffet situation, I felt as if I had dies and gone to heaven. Having already started this blog at that time, there seemed only one logical course of action: to have these two buffets battle to the death. This is a battle to the death that consists of me surveying both buffets, and deciding if there is one that reigns supreme in medium-spiced goodness. If they both deliver equally, then I suppose nobody dies or gets hurt. If you haven't been to either restaurants, and you find yourself in Davis Square craving all-you-can-eat Indian food, this two part series useful to you. And now begins the first installment of the series. The battle shall begin with the restaurant that is known as Diva Indian Bistro....

Diva Indian Bistro
246 Elm St., Somerville, MA

This may be the most chic Indian Buffet I've been to. Click the link above. Their website will give you an idea, as well as show you photos, of the interior and subsequent vibe of this restaurant. The fancy, tall, copper pots in which the dishes were contained added even more to the posh, sophisticated, aura of this place.

The Offerings:

Chutneys/Sauces:

tamarind: This one was exceptionally sweet. I tend to lean towards the tangy chutneys. It wasn't bad, but not ideal for my tastebuds, which crave a tangy whipping.
mint: n/a. This is what I'll put for now if I didn't try it. Sue me.
onion: n/a
raitha: It tasted like it usually does, refer to post so I don;t have to sound like a broken record describing the flavor. I had it on my salad.

(Clockwise from top-left) sliced melon, sliced apple, tamarind chutney, raitha, onion chutney, mint chutney, orange wedges, tomato slices, red bell pepper slices, sliced cucumber, and iceberg lettuce.



































Salad: Holy crap this was user friendly! Not only did they separate the ingerdients, letting you build your own. There was also an assortment of fruit. We've seen a model similar to this at Pongal.

Bread:
pictured below: garlic naan



































garlic naan: It was basket to the table service. Upon my being seated however, I was given the option of regular or garlic naan. Smooth move. I chose garlic. It was crispy, full bodied, and oily. Thumbs up.

Soup:
also pictured: spicy chickpea salad (I couldn't discern if there was an actual name for it)

minestrone? It was minestrone soup: shell pasta w/ vegetables, but with and Indian spiced broth. I still don't know how I feel about these Indian covers of other culture's food. I suppose it's because I love seeing food I've never heard of.
"spicy chick peas": I suppose I'll put this here because it was next to the soup. I'm guessing it's to be eaten like a salad. Most likely, in my knowledge of Indian food, this was some form of chaat. It was spicy and lightly sauced. The chick peas dominated the flavor, along with the spiciness.

Appetizers:

left: pappadum, right: aloo pakora



































aloo pakora: What we have here, in essence are battered, fried potatoes, cut into sticks. Wait, this looks familiar. In America, I think we call them "french fries". I think I prefer the Indian variation. Instead of flour batter, they are battered with lentil, in true pakora fashion. I'm noticing a continuation in the subtle cross-cultural cuisine theme...
papadums: Here they are again (once again, see Pongal). This time, less on the Muncho flavor and more on the spicy flavor.

Entrees:
front to rear: tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, aloo samgar, saag paneer, aloo chole





































































above (same as previous, from opposite end): aloo chole, saag paneer, aloo samgar, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken.

aloo chole: I love it when I find potatoes tossed into a chickpea curry. More to love. This was nice n' spicy n' tangy.
saag paneer: This one gets more points on how promising it looked than how it actually tasted. It LOOKED thick and creamy, perhaps slightly on the lime-green side. However, its TASTE was probably the mildest, dare I say blandest, saag paneer I've tasted. That's not saying much though, because I still enjoyed it. I've tasted worse.
aloo samgar: The curried potato dishes always seem do have different, confusing names. I couldn't actually find one picture or recipe of this dish online. Either they made it up or I'm getting the name wrong. I do recall that the label noted that there was turnip in the dish too. It tasted alright to me. I didn't see much difference between this dish and the Kashmiri Dum Aloo that I had at Mehmaan. Lightly sauced, starchy, and spicy.
chicken tikka masala: Ahh it's time to asses the classic tikka masala bid. Well, it was good, but not great. The chicken pieces were rather large and slightly dry. The good part was that the sauce was creamy, very creamy.
tandoori chicken: n/a
chicken patties? This left me befuddled. A pan full of chicken patties garnished with cilantro. I tried them nonetheless. What I got was something with a completely unique flavor that tasted almost likea completely different meat. This was an interesting wa to pick up some points.

Dessert:

lemon-poppyseed mini muffins: FAIL. I don't want fucking mini muffins for dessert. What the hell are they trying to pull? They're neither Indian nor dessert food.

Price: $9.63 on a weekday (w/ MA tax). Nice n' cheap.

Final Score: 4.0/5

Well I don't know how much headroom a 4.0 is going to give you. It's one of the lower scores I've given out. I heard Namaskar's buffet is a nickel cheaper than Diva's. Speaking quality-wise, Namaskar only has to have slightly better food to win. Diva has a nice ambiance, but I don't take that much into account, I never was very sensitive to ambiance...

Stay tuned for part 2...

Cafe India, Nashua, NH

Cafe India

6 Elm St., Nashua, NH

The thing that I despise most about blogging is the formatting, and how the posting applet works differently in different browsers. Google Chrome won't let me resize images. Internet Explorer won't cut and paste images. Chrome keeps giving me an error every time I try to clear formatting. Internet Explorer randomly double-spaces my posts. I know what you're thinking, that I haven't mentioned Firefox yet. That's because when at home, I blog on my dad's computer, which doesn't have Firefox. My 2004 Compaq PC runs very slowly because I have 20-some-odd gigabytes of music on it and its six years old. Right now, I don't have the money to afford a new computer (preferably a laptop) and a new, properly functioning iPod. I'm knee deep in non-working, outdated electronics...

On to the buffet...

Looks like we have some rather unique Indian cuisine on our hands. Im gonna guess Northern. It can't be South Indian.

The Offerings:

Chutneys/Sauces:

-tamarind: Of course it was my go to sauce. It was thick and slightly chunky in texture, much like the kind at The Pongal. The flavor, however, was milder.
-mint: Didn't try it.
-onion: Didn't try it. It looked like what I saw at India Palace.
-raitha: Didn't try it.
-pickle: Didn't try it.

Salad:

-fruit salad: There was not green salad, only fruit salad. The kind you would see at a summer cookout, but with apples chunks. Why not?

Bread:

-naan: From what I remember, it was slightly oily and soft, like Italian pizza dough. Once again they served it to the table. We're 3 for 4 on this method of naan serving. I asked the waitress for two baskets and she shood her head 'no' and told me that my friend and I would only be recieving one basket at a time. I felt shut down. However, I realized I had misunderstood her when she brought twice the amount of naan in one basket. Problem solved.

Soup:

-lentil soup: No fancy Indian names here. Just a plain English name which explained the soup in a nutshell. Lentils in a slightly spicy broth.

Appetizers:

left: veg. pakora. right: basmati rice

-vegetable pakora: These were the largest pakora I've ever seen; more cusion for the pushin'. Good move, Cafe India.

Entrees:

(pardon the greasy lens) left: katta mitta baignan. right: kadai paneer

left: veg. vindaloo. right: dal

left: tandoori chicken. right: goat

-katta mitta baignan: First time I've seen or heard of this dish. Below the label, it explained that 'katta mitta' meant 'sweet and sour'. So in English terms, sweet and sour eggplant. This dish was definitely sweet. The sour owed more in part to that tangy curry flavor of most Indian dishes. May I also note that the pieces of eggplant where quite big compared to how I've seen vegetables prepared in curry in prior adventures. My buffet accomplice, and I both agreed that it was delicious.

-kadai paneer: Also another buffet first sighting. I've seen this as a boil-in-bag, instant meal in Indian Groceries. It was pretty much sauteed peppers and onions, a little bit of sauce, and paneer (Indian cheese cubes). It was good, but doesn't stand out in my mind, and that's what counts to me. I want to lie awake in bed at night thinking about how good a certain dish is, and crave it badly

-vegetable vindaloo: This was nothing like what I saw at India Palace. The sauce was bright red and chunky. It looked like tomato sauce. There was corn and broccoli in it. It was more tangy than sweet. It seemed similar in flavor to the katta mitta baignan, only milder. I liked how they were generous in topping this dish with cilantro. I love cilantro. I don't know if this is unfair to say, but I didn't like the texture of the corn and broccoli. Something about the dish seemed American to me. There are plenty of places I can go in NH for American food.
-dal: Finally, a dal with flavour. Even Ashley noticed this. It was sweet and tangy. I love when and Indian dish is sweet and tangy. I suppose this goes with Cafe India's theme of having off-kilter dishes. It works to their advantage with this one; not so much with that veg. vindaloo though :-/
-tandoori chicken: This was right on; moist and rich in spice.
-goat curry: There were bones in it! Nooooo! I suppose this is merely a preference thing again. Perhaps I'm lazy, but bones to me means more work having to pull the meat from the bone, as chewing and/or swallowing bone does nothing good for me. The sauce was tasty. It was your typical brown curry sauce that
-chicken korma: I've heard about this dish, and finally I found it. The sauce was like candy: creamy and sweet. There were bits of cashew in the sauce too; amazing. The chicken was moist too, but I found that if the piece was big enough, it warranted for a slightly dry and flavorless center. I wish there was some was to make all chicken as flavorful as that of chicken tikka masala or butter chicken. Perhaps this is because for these two dishes, the chicken is usually cooked on a kebab and pre-mariniated. Maybe once again we're diving into the realm of personal preference.

Desert:

left: chicken korma. right: gulab jamun

-gulab jamun: Ah, so we meet again. Honestly Sir Jamun, I liked you better at Priya. You were more syrupy and larger. At Cafe India you were smaller, the syrup was thinner, and you were drier. The syrup was yellow. I don't know how or if it affected the flavor at all.

-kheer: This kheer looked promising. There was ground pistachio on top of it almond slivers and golden raisins scattered within, but it totally dropped the ball in flavor. It was bland as hell.

Price: $10.85 (including N.H. meals tax) If it's below $11 w/ tax.

Final Score: 3.9/5

Cafe India definitely wins points for the originality of its entrees. It really drove it home with a couple, namely the dal and katta mitta baignan. However, the other dishes were kind of forgettable, and where's the salad? Pongal had both fruit salad and green salad. You've got some explaining to do, Cafe India. Making a lasting impression on the avid Indian Buffetier (I hope I just coined a new term: 'buffetier') is what counts in my book.

-

The Pongal, Billerica, MA

The Pongal
786 Boston Rd., Billerica, MA

Ah, the excitement of South Indian cuisine! South Indian food strays from the usual curry/naan deal, and incorporates some drier, more solid dishes, as well as a favorite of mine, rice lentil crepes which they call dosa. The food here tasted very similar to a Lowell Indian buffet that I may or may not post on here very soon. Alright, let's see what they had to offer on this random Tuesday...

The Offerings:

Chutneys:

-tamarind: I loved it, moreso than our last review, and maybe one of the top three in my dining experiences. Oh, I forgot to tell you I'm biased towards a tangy-ass tamarind chutney. So what? I'll also note that it was chunky, which didn't add to or detract from my chutney-ing experience.
-mint: Yup, this place had it. I want to make a point to survey this chutney more deeply. As the this and the last post, I've yet to sample the mint chutney.
-coconut: It was of a watery consistancy, and the tast was watered down as well. What I could taste, and have tasted in this flavor chutney before was both nutty and coconutty.
-tomato: What strikes me about this chutney is that every time I encounter it, it looks like somone dyed the coconut chutney tomato red. It was tangy and spicy. It reminded me, slightly, of tikka masala sauce, but that probably has to do with them both being tomato-based sauces.

Salad:-

left to right: fruit salad, papri chaat, lettuce, 'green salad', kheer, raita, and tomato chutney.

-fruit salad? Fuck yeah. If you need or want fresh fruit, it's there. Assorted melon and grapes? Why the hell not? This marks the first time I've ever found fruit salad at an Indian buffet and even though I didn't partake in any, I was pleasantly surprised.
-raitha: I forgot to mention this item in the last post. I need to pay stronger attention to this item. I suppose I'm not too picky when it comes to this tangy yogurt sauce/dip. I'll add that I like it on salad.
-lettuce: 'Twas nothing but shredded iceberg lettuce. I suppose this can be convenient for those who like to use lettuce as an accesory to everything they eat. Then again, I'm not even sure if those types actually exist.
-green salad: From what I saw, it appeared to be an array of the sliced Indian buffet salad vegetable usuals: red onion, lemon, tomato, cucumber, and carrot. I think there was some lettuce beneath all of the veggies. if not, that must have been what that bowl of shredded lettuce was about...
-papri chaat: As of yet, I'm not sure if this was labled correctly. The Wikipedia article for papri chaat describes it as something entirely different. Whatever this was it was delicious. It came in the form of a chickpea salad with cilantro, onion, and a savory green sauce.

Bread:

(left pic) top to bottom: naan, dosa, and tamarind chutney. (right pic): papadum

-naan: It was served to your table in baskets, cut into four wedges. I'm usually wary of this system because, in the past, it has proved to leave me naanless as I would finish off the basket and have to wait 5-10 minutes for a fresh one. This time I thought ahead and asked for extra naan as I was being seated. The server brought me 2 baskets! Big points for the service for that one. I, however, proved to be the asshole in the end when I found that I couldn't finish all of the bread. Be careful what you wish for. The quality of the naan was dry and soft. I tend to like oilier, crispier naan. It's a preference thing, I suppose.
-papadum: Two words: giant Muncho. Remember Muncho potato chips? They had a nice texture and flavor, but not something for which I found myself craving seconds.

-dosa: This gem is a staple of South Indian cuisine; essentially a large lentil crepe curled delicately around a spiced mixture of potato and vegetable. I love dosa. They served me two! Usually buffets only serve one dosa per customer, although, I have been to a buffet that has a dosa bar where endless dosas are made to order, but that's another story. These dosas were rather small in size, could have been crispier, and could have used more filling. The taste was still right on. You can bet I slathered them in Pongal's delicious tamarind chutney

Soups:

-sambar: This spicy soup is another staple of South Indian cuisine. The soup contains a mixture of veggies, the broth usually tastes of lentil, and is quite spicy Their sambar was no exception.
-rasam: I like to think of this soup, which is also South Indian as the darker, spicier, tangier, wilder sibling of Sambar. I didn't try it, but I think, in general, I prefer this soup to sambar.

Appetizers:

left to right: mysore bondi and aloo tikki

-aloo tikki: These appear to be India's spicy take on tater tots, or tots are America's oily, salty take on Aloo Tikki. My favorite of the two apps being offered.
-mysore bonda: This appetizer struck me as the munchkin form of vada, the South Indian lentil donut appetizer.

Entrees:
(left pic) left to right: lamb khorma and chicken tikka masala. (right pic) clockwise on plate: naan, tandoori chicken, 'mushroom pepper salt', bindi do pyaza, veg. avial, beans poriyal, and rice in center.

-rava kichadi: It reminded me of curry-flavored cream of wheat. It was dry, mealy, and spicy. Not my cup of tea. If this dish were more moist, I think I would have enjoyed it more. Maybe it's supposed to be more moist. Maybe we'll encounter an instance of this in our future travels and will look back upon Pongal and scoff. Who knows? My judgment in regards to their quality of this dish is pending.
-beans poriyal: This was another non-saucy, drier, dish. The dish consisted of sauteed green beans. They were moist and flavorful. I could taste hints of coconut.
-bindi do pyaza: I don't recall having tried this dish before. It was almost like a curried version of roasted red pepper and onion that you would put on a steak and cheese or Italian sausage. I liked it, but not more than my favorite saucy dishes.
-dal makhani: I'm beginning to get the impression that this dish is supposed to be more on the bland side. Their dal makhani was thinner than the one I tasted in our last review. It also was spicier and contained kindey beans.
-'mushroom pepper salt': Perhaps what was written on the card below this entree was meant to divulge what, aside from chicken, this dish contained. Then again, I honsetly couldn't tell if there was even chicken in the dish, maybe it was more mushroom. This is the closest resemblance to this dish I could find. It reminded me of Chinese food, i.e. salt and pepper chix/veg/beef. Perhaps this was one of those Indo-Chinese fusion dishes.
-vegetable avial: In my eyes, this dish takes an assortment of chopped vegetables and simmers them in coconut chutney. That's a good thing in my book. I enjoy the sweet and savory experience of vegetables with coconut flavoring.
-chicken tikka masala: Their tikka masala was quite creamy in flavor and pale in color. The chicken pieces were tender and juicy. Really good, but not last good as India Palace.
-lamb khorma: I'm used to dishes that feature a creamy korma sauce having that sweet, creamy taste, almost reminding me of broccoli cheddar soup. This sauce, while still yellow in color, was more watery and all I could taste was the lamb. This gives a new meaning to the term 'weak sauce'. The good I can say about this dish is that the lamb chunks were boneless, juicy, and tender, all aspects of meat in Indian cuisine that I favor.

Dessert:

carrot halwa





















-carrot halwa: I enjoyed Pongal's carrot halwa. I always like carrot halwa. Perhaps this is because it usually tastes the same no matter where I go. The variables can be the addition of nuts (cashew and almond) and I've even seen golden raisins thrown in. Their halwa had a slight amount of cashew and was sweet, cardamomy, and buttery-tasting as usual.
-kheer: Compared to India Palace, I enjoyed this kheer more. It was thinner, I could taste more cardamom, and there were bits of pistachio thrown it. Who doesn't like pistachios? (some people, just not me).

Price: $11.66 on a weekday (including MA tax). A bit steep.

Final Score: 4.0/5

Maybe I would've given The Pongal a higher score if I had never been to an Indian buffet that has very similar offerings, but a lower price and a quality that caters more to my liking (that I may or may not be reviewing in the near future). Is this a bias? Maybe, but isn't context a large part of how we form opinions and rate things based on quality? Who knows. I did enjoy it, and did eat until I was inches away from bursting, so that had to be a good sign. The servers were attentive to my needs; also a good sign. They had more than the average number of offerings of any given Indian buffet. Still, I was not blown away by the food quality. It had its high points, but I'm not having dreams of The Pongal at night.

-Eric

India Palace, Nashua, NH

Beforehand, I would like to apologize to the readers for the absence of images of the actual dishes in this first review. I was a bit nervous that I would anger the staff my first time though. In future posts, I'll overcome my timidness and actually snap pics of the actual buffet. This first post will be purely descriptive, as well as provide a basic introduction to some of the more popular Indian dishes. There are, in the absence of actual photos from the buffet, links to pictures I found off of Google, just to give you a general idea of what each item looks like. So, let this be a disclaimer: none of today's images are from the today's buffet (except for the image of the restaurant-front)

For your convenience, I'll link items and terms that I have a hunch you may not understand to a corresponding Wikipedia article (or something of the like).

Now, on to our first review!



India Palace in Nashua is the closest Indian buffet to my house, which means I am lucky, because for the typical Indian fare, this place (or "palace") has quite the delectable buffet. It is part of a chain, of sorts, that has restaurants in Manchester, NH and Chelmsford, MA. I've yet to visit either of these buffets. I plan on it, though, to see if they can match (or better) the saucy excellence of their Nashua location.

The Offerings: (This is where I describe the buffet's offerings, a.k.a., the meat, potatoes, and spices of the post. (pun intended))

Chutneys:
A little info to get us started: These saucy accompaniments are an integral part of any Indian buffet. It can be used on your salad as a dressing, or as a sauce for your appetizers (pakora or samosa, for example). Think of it as the Indian equivalent to blue cheese or ranch dressing. I don't find it necessary to use with the entrees, as they already have their own sauces. I find it rather redundant.

-mint chutney: Looked like pesto. More pale in color than mint chutneys I've seen elsewhere. This chutney combines the taste of mint with cilantro. The result is a cool (in palatal terms) tastiness
-onion chutney: Looked like diced up onions, dyed red. Tastes like diced up onions, slightly seasoned.
-mango chutney: It looked like peach jam, and tasted like honey with a hint of mango; not bad, but too
-tamarind chutney: My favorite of all chutneys. It has a vinaigrette consistency and taste that is a balance of sweet and tangy. This buffet's tamarind chutney leaned more on the sweet side.
-mixed vegetable pickle: All buffets I've been to in the past include an Indian pickle accompaniment. I had never tried it up until this visit. Theirs' was a "mixed vegetable pickle". All I could taste was salt, with a hint of vinegar. The taste proved for too abrasive for the likes of my taste buds. I'll bet you could get the same flavor from filling your mouth with salt and then slipping a small piece of carrot, onion, or cucumber in there too.

The Salad Set-Up:
Most commonly (in my observations) the salad can include a mix of iceberg lettuce, sliced carrots, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, chopped cliantro, and lemon wedges.

That said, this buffet proved to be an anomaly to the aforementioned system. There was straight iceberg lettuce and, in a separate bowl, a diced, relish-like, mixture of (what I think to be) all of the previously listed Indian salad veggies. My natural instinct was to combine to two, which is what I think you're supposed to do.

Bread:
Indian cuisine features various breads. The breads are flat, which makes them perfect for scooping up all of the delicious sauce your lame-ass fork left behind. Personally, I often find myself substituting the bread for a fork. I'll introduce each type of bread as we encounter it.

-naan: is the most common of South Asian breads. It comes in various flavors. India Palace really delivers with their naan. It's slightly crispy and oiled. They keep it hot and stocked in a pan on the buffet line, I highly prefer this as opposed to places that serve baskets of naan to your table, I always end up have to bug the waiter for more. They also offer Garlic flavored naan! This is the only place I've ever witnessed regularly offering 2 flavors of naan at their buffet. Big points here.

Appetizer:

We'll encounter various forms.

mixed vegetable pakora: This was the only appetizer being offered today :/. It was good though. Light and crispy bits of what appeared to be fried spinach and potato. As always, I dipped them in the tamarind chutney. The result was delicious.

Entrees:
Various meats (usually chicken or goat), vegetables, lentils, and/or paneer in savory, spiced, sauces. Oh, and tandoori chicken.

-dal makhani: This is a dish composed of lentils in a creamy tomato sauce. The dal that I tasted here had no tomato taste to it, as promised in its description. I felt slightly let down. Its taste was purely bean-y, like black bean soup.

-palak paneer: One of my personal favorites; Indian fried cheese cubes in a spiced spinach sauce. Theirs' did not disappoint. The sauce was smooth, creamy, and slightly spicy all at the same time.

-mushroom mattar: This dish featured mushrooms and peas in a brown sauce that was savory and slightly tangy. This dish is slowly teaching me to appreciate peas.

-vegetable vindaloo: This is a dish which featured vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots) and potatoes in a brown sauce, which tasted very similar to the Mattar sauce.

-chicken curry: It consisted of boneless (thumbs up), cubed chicken in a brown sauce. I will note that at the time I tried it, there was barely any chicken left in the pan, so I mostly got to try the sauce. The sauce was tangy and I could taste hints of something sweet, like cinnamon or cardamom. They lose points for not keeping the chicken stocked, but gain points for the sauce being so damn delicious.

-chicken tikka masala: This dish, I've observed, is usually the starting point for most people's venture into the world of Indian cuisine. It features pieces of (usually boneless) chicken in a creamy tomato sauce. I could eat India Palace's tikka masala for every meal of every day, and I wouldn't grow tired of it. As a matter of fact, I'm craving it right now. From the deep red hue of the sauce, to the twice-as-large pan the kept stocked, to how it delivered in its creamy-yet-tangy, flavor, the Palace has surely knocked this one out of the park.

-tandoori chicken: I didn't have any room left to try their tandoori chicken this visit, but it looked like what I'm used to seeing at the buffets: Red-colored grilled chicken drumsticks sprinkled with cilantro and garnished up the wazoo with sliced onion and lemon wedges.

Desert:

-kheer: This is essentially what everyone one knows to be rice pudding, given an Indian spin. The spin involves a thinner consistency, the addition of pieces of (one or two of the following) pistachio, almond, cashew, saffron strings, and the hint of cardamom. India Palace offers a thicker rice pudding. I've never really tasted bad kheer, but I think I would've enjoyed their Kheer more if it was thinner and milkier.

-mango pudding: Delicious. Its thinner and lighter than American pudding, which makes it that much more addictive. India Palace even goes the extra mile by tossing in bits of other fruits too.

Price: $10.36 on a weekday (including N.H. tax). Not bad.

Final Score: 4.5/5

For now, we'll be using a five-point system in half-point increments. Why? Cuz I said so.

-If I was scoring the India Palace buffet solely on their ability to serve up standard North-Indian delicacies, this place may have scored a perfect 5, but that's not entirely what I'm looking for. Sure, quality is a huge part of the point-system, but I have a dream. That dream is that there is someplace out there that can provide a buffet, at a relatively low cost, with relatively high quality, and offer both North and South Indian delicacies.

I'll be going to a buffet that specializes more in South Indian dishes in the near future, so stay tuned. For now, I bid you farewell. Keep it spicy.