Sherman's Food Adventures: Ashiana Restaurant Cuisine of India

Ashiana Restaurant Cuisine of India

After a so-so revisit to Bombay Se, I had this constant urge to go visit another Indian buffet.  Well, I have constant urges to eat in general, so this was nothing unusual.  Of course, with any type of buffet, reasonable expectations need to be observed.  That means, we should not compare it to an a la carte meal.  With that in mind, Yodeling Girl and I prepared to stuff our faces with a colourful array of curries with naan and rice at the nearby Ashiana: Cuisine of India.

Naturally, I tried the Butter Chicken first and it was pretty good.  It was a nice balance between creamy and tomato paste.  There was a hint of heat and spice.  The consistency was on the thinner side, but that didn't detract from the flavour.  I particularly liked the chicken as it was really moist and soft.  Another solid item was the Goat Curry.  It had depth-of-flavour where there was an appealing gaminess.  There was only a mild spice, but at the same time, I could really taste the cumin and coriander.  As for the goat, hidden within the many bones the meat was tender and gelatinous.  Also on my first plate, I gave the Paneer Masala as well.  With the ample amount of onions, there was a noticeable sweetness to go along with the predominantly tomato paste zip.  I found the paneer to have a nice firm exterior texture giving way to a soft, somewhat squishy interior.

Onto my second helping, I had some more goat curry in addition to the Dal Tarka, Punjabi Curry, Veggie Masala and Chilli Fish. I actually liked the dal as it wasn't super watery as it sometimes can be.  The flavours were familiar (since there was the usual mix of cumin, coriander and turmeric) with a touch of spice.  I wasn't a huge fan of the fish because it was dry and overdone.  However, fish is rarely done right in any buffet due to being kept in a warming tray.  I found the flavours to be mostly sweet with only a touch of chili flakes.  The Punjabi Curry was thick as expected due to the chunks of pakora.  It was certainly creamy as well with the familiar flavours of the usual spices.  For a buffet, the food and selection was above-average.  Furthermore, the young lady who was working at the time was friendly and attentive.

The Good:
- Decent buffet selection
- Above-average food
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- As with any buffet, some of the items were off texturally (ie. fish, pakora)
- Limit to 2 plates only (I was full, but for some people this might be an issue)

Ashiana Restaurant, Cuisine of India on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

LotusRapper said...

"Limit to 2 plates only" ?? Was that a stated policy by the restaurant ? How much is the buffet ?

Sherman Chan said...

@LR Yes, right on the wall... Buffet was $10.99 I believe.

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