What Defines a good Indian Buffet for a Chowhound?

Question

The typical sprawl is
- saag paneer
- curry chicken
- tandoori chicken
- butter chicken
- tikka masala
- a dish made with chick peas
- rice
- either really good naan that's in short supply, or plenty of bad naan.
- doughnuts and/or rose water desserts

thanks in advance,
WIA

Answer

To me it is not only the region of the spread (as mentioned above, the dishes in the prompt are N. Indian/Mughlai, Punjabi), but the quality of the food. Everything should be well seasoned and well made. No lumpy gloopy glop. Far too many Indian buffets just taste like flavorless mush to me. The seekh kababs are hard and have food coloring, the dishes are all too creamy and under seasoned. Yuck. A good buffet has well cooked food, period. 

I don't generally like buffets of any kind, but I think many Indian dishes are very suitable for buffet style serving because they can sit around for a long time and the taste develops more. It doesn't have to be piping hot fresh for many Indian items. So one can often find good Indian buffet items as opposed to buffets of other cuisines.

The best buffets I have been to have all of the dishes that can sit around on the buffet table sitting, but the best-fresh items served fresh. The naan, roti, or in some cases baati (for Rajasthani buffet/thali) or some Gujarati breads, or dosa (a S. Indian buffet) or whatever bread is served fresh to the table. This makes a huge difference then picking up old stiff naans at the buffet table. Also, some places do a buffet/thaali combo where you pick up some foods, but they serve some things to you.

Also, the fried items like fried fish or samosa or pakora are done in small quantities and frequently replaced so you never get an old one. Same with fresh barbacued/tandoori meats. 

I love a buffet place that does a varied menu, even if it is varied by day of the week only. So you get to try different things everytime you come. Also, for N.Indian, Punjabi,-Pakistani, I love it when they have a chaat and salads table, too.

If it is a regional buffet, I love it when they have extra special touches like a special drink included. Some Gujarati and Rajasthani buffets have special chutneys and also buttermilk or smoked buttermilk. Another place I go has excellent naans served fresh to you while you eat, both roghni and qandahaari, none of that stiff cracker white flour stuff. It really makes you feel like you are having something different and interesting, and you go backto the resto again for those signature things.

I think strategic placing of the food is important. There is this well known buffet place near to me which serves pretty good food and good naans, but they keep the naan basket next to the fish fry. The naans taste like fish. I have mentioned this to them, but they never change it.

I never like buffet gulab jamun. It is always milk powder or boxed mix stuff. You have to get real good gulab jaman at a sweet shop, really. Sometimes they have okay jalebis. But I prefer when they don't do those milk powder jaman and instead do home cooked type sweets like kheer or shaahi tukray. That kind of stuff always comes out better in the buffet context. The N. Indian-Pak buffet industry should leave the gulab jamans to the halwais.

Answer

It seems to be a standard thing around these parts (Marin County) for lunch to be an AYCE buffet for $8 - $9. At those prices you don't get high end stuff -- you see lots of rice and gloopy curried whatever and several chicken options, but you're lucky to see any lamb, and never any shrimp.

My favorite things from these lunch buffets are saag in any form - if they have it - and battered deep fried vegetable tidbits of one sort or another (cauliflower is especially good.) One local buffet has a soft-serve mango ice cream which I like a lot.

Also, I like to see them come around with nice fresh hot bread for our scooping pleasure.

Answer

That typical sprawl sounds like a whole lotta chicken. Luckily, I have a few decent standby Indian Buffet joints near me. They usually only offer the buffet for lunch. I would consider more varied meat options "good:"

Chicken Makhani (butter chicken)
A non dairy chicken dish (chili chicken, or chicken kerahi, perhaps)
A lamb dish (rogan josh, vindaloo, kerahi)
A beef nihari

Aloo gobi
Saag paneer
Mutter Paneer
A dal dish

Plain basmati
Biryani
raita
chutney
achari

rotating fried things / tandoor offerings
kulfi
Hot buttered naan

I would much more enjoy the buffets that would actually use a decent amt of chile heat in the dishes they label as "hot." I understand that they have to dumb the food down for many ppl, but it would be nice to actually get that bite of heat from dishes that are typically served kind of spicy, and that the restaurant labels as (hot/spicey) on their buffet. Also, as long as the dishes are prepared with pride, and not just slopped out. I'd rather have
fewer dishes of decently prepared stuff than a sprawling buffet full of garbage.

Answer

Gernally, I don't usually rate buffet meals too highly. But I think sub-continent ones can be divided into two.

First there is the exclusively buffet all-you-can-eat sort of place. These are almost universally vile, catering to the lowest common denominator. I know of only one place in our metropolitian area that is worthy of me spending money. And, as they are catering to a limited budget, dishes are either vegetarian or chicken. The key to the success of this place (and it is very successful) is freshness. The chefs work on view immediately behind the serving area and are constantly replenishing the dishes. 

The second type of buffet is the Sunday lunchtime/afternoon buffet that quite a number of restaurants offer. Again, catering to a budget means lots of chicken and vegetarian but a good sign for me is a dish (or dishes) of something other than this (and I'm not really fussed what it is). Have to say I rarely eat these buffets as a large lunch on Sunday isnt our thing. 

Inevitably in our part of the world, food is generically Punjabi/North Indian (although the vast majority of places are owned by people of Bangladeshi heritage)

Answer

The inclusion of Indian desserts both savory and sweet would win me over.
Mango lassi and a variety of well made ladoo, would place me over the moon.

Answer

As a rule, I don't patronize buffets. I've seen too many disgusting things occur with buffets to have much of an appetite for them. Thus I always order off the menu.

Answer

Your description doesn't describe many of the Indian buffets here in Southern California.

I personally want a breadth of vegetables (I don't care for meat in Indian cuisine, never have). Around here a typical buffet will have dal, chana masala, palak or saag paneer, aloo gobi, chicken tikka masala (ugh!), plain tandoori chicken. For appetisers they normally put out samosas and pakoras, and for desserts normally gulab jamun and kheer.

My favourite makes a special vegetable dish for each day, like stuffed karela, malai kofta (or malai korma), peas cooked with coconut, bengan bhartha, kotthu roti or stuffed peppers. They always have one special rice (lemon rice or maybe biryani) too, and occasionally carrot halwa.

Answer

I understand those who don't like buffet restaurants, but when done right, they can be great. After all, it's a way for people to get to sample many different things to find out what they like and what they don't like. Ordering off the menu is an expensive experiment unless you already know you like certain dishes. Once they put that thing you order before you, you're committed to it.

To answer your questions, a good Indian buffet needs to have really great tandoori chicken and naan. That's my opinion anyway. Not that those are the only things I like. It's just that restaurants that care enough to perfect these two things usually care enough to make everything else right too. But that's my experience. 

Oh, and if they have the Bhel Puri spread (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhelpuri) for you to mix yourself to suit your own taste, I call that an excellent Indian buffet.

Answer

The buffet of my dreams:

Chutneys, including mango
Battered/fried veggies/meats
Rice cooked with powdered spices rather than whole- I like the taste of cloves/cardamom, but can't stand biting into one
Dosai
CTM -thigh meat only
2nd chicken with sauce dish
Lamb (or goat) meatballs in a mild Khorma sauce
Lamb (or goat) meatballs in a rogan josh sauce
Chicken Wings- deep fried
Dry (deep fried) Okra
Aloo Gobi (heavy on the Gobi and well cooked)
A thick non watery red lentil based daal- yes, I know soupy dal is the tradition, but I like the heartier nature of thick dal
Saag- using fresh greens and coconut milk (as a change in pace from the base sauce+cream taste of everything else)
Paneer Tikka Masala- no squeeky paneer and no peas
Naan served fresh from the tandoor using a very light puffy recipe and blistering heat for good oven spring
Gulab Jamon
Mung halwa- no dried fruit
Kulfi on ice

No tandoori chicken- it's almost impossible to keep warm and is far tastier with a sauce- better to allocate the buffet space towards something else.
No horribly pale lettuce
No paneer yogurt based salad or paneer based desserts- unless I'm in India and the paneer is made by someone who knows what their doing.

So far, I've tried to keep it relatively feasible. These are all dishes I've seen locally at one time or another, but never at the same place. If I were to go further into fantasy, I would love a heavily spiced beef keema (or other beef dish) as well as a seafood option. I've never seen a mulligatawny soup at a buffet, but that would be nice as well. Divided plates would same me the time of separating everything with rice (I like tasting everything separately).

Oh, and a keg of real ale (a guy can dream can't he?)

Answer

I'm not a buffet gal, but if it's got chicken 65, a good dahl/daal, butter chicken, and a tikka masala, I'm good to go.

Answer

The buffet of my dreams (which I once encountered in real life at a New Years celebration in Goa and was so mad I couldn't take full advantage of since I was in a tight dress -- boo!) would include a chaat bar, a dosa station (where someone makes you fresh dosa to order) complete with great sambar, freshly fried vada, bhindi masala, avial, baighan bartha, tambuli, aloo gobi with tomato, lots of fresh fruit and a sample of offerings from just about every region in India.

Don't usually want Indian desserts after stuffing my face shamelessly at a buffet. But the restaurant gets major brownie points if they have a full bar with a good selection of digestifs. If I do somehow have room for sweets, I'm a fan of carrot halva or kaju katli / kalash / rolls.

Topics

Locations

Your post has been published!

What Defines a good Indian Buffet for a Chowhound?

Chowhound Recommends

Q&A

Great British Bake Off's Chetna Makan Dishes on Her Favorite Spice (& More!)

More from Chowhound

Guides

The Ultimate Spring Produce Guide: What's in Season & How to Use It

Recipe Round-Ups

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes for Less Morning Stress

Guides

How to Care for Enameled Cast Iron So It Lasts a Lifetime

Home

The Best Tool to Clean a Wood Cutting Board Is Probably in Your Compost Bin

Trending Discussions

Chowhound Recipes That You are Saving

A Final Goodbye for Chowhound

Favorite Chowhound Memories

NY Times: Chowhound Closes After 25 Years of Food Obsession, Wisdom and Debate

January–April 2022 Baking COTM: DESSERT PERSON by Claire Saffitz

Quick Links

Latest Discussions

Cookbook of the Month

Dish of the Month

Weekly Menu Planning

Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox

12 Irish Foods to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day That Aren’t Corned Beef and Cabbage

Chowhound

Policies

Community

Editorial

Content