New India Buffet

I'm sure most of you have heard about the new Tandoori Flame Indian buffet that has opened up on the North Delta/Surrey border.  With plenty of social media hype and advertising, it really isn't hard to not know about it.  I've been there and although I really enjoyed it, the distance for many doesn't make it practical to visit.  Furthermore, the pricing is a whole lot higher than what we've been used to for an Indian buffet.  However, there is an alternative that is sitting right there on Broadway in Vancouver.  New India Buffet boasts a wide range of dishes featuring both meat and vegetarian options.  I recently attended a tasting where I got to do a comparison with my visit to Tandoori Flame.

Of course in terms of physical space, New India Buffet is smaller, but the selection seemed to be pretty extensive.  It featured many different curries with no actual repetition of sauces  (in terms of meat vs. vegetarian).  There was also a salad bar to go with the nearly 2 full sections of savoury items and decent dessert options.  Seating was actually quite plentiful including an excellent patio in the front that was nicely shaded by the building next door.  I ended up sitting out there since it was a warm day and it was cooler outside.  For my first plate, I got Naan, Basmati Rice, Papadum, Tandoori Chicken, Aloo Gobi, Lamb Curry and Butter Chicken.  Well-charred, the naan was soft and had some good elasticity.  I would've preferred made-to-order though.  The butter chicken was flavourful with a balancing tang and spiciness while it finished up creamy.  Tender and exhibiting a good spice, the curry lamb had layers of flavour including the usual cumin.

For my second plate, I sampled the Oven Baked Veggies, Palak Paneer, Fish Curry, Chicken Curry and Beef Keema.  Of these, the chicken curry was my favourite as it sported tender nuggets of meat within hits of sweet spice and gingery notes.  The fish curry was good too with flaky fish in a mildly spicy sauce.  As for the beef keema, I could taste more of the tomato and garlic than the beef.  It was tender and still tasty though.  On the third go-around, I put as much as my plate could hold including the Egg Curry, Manchurian Chicken, Dal Makhani, Chana Masala, Eggplant, Tava Vegetables, Crispy Cauliflower, Spring Roll and Mini-Samosas.  Creamy while surprisingly not overdone, the Egg Curry was rather delicious.  I also thought the chickpeas were good being tender but not mushy.  Lots of sweetness from the onion combined with spice.  The lentils were also tender enough with a big hit of cumin and spiciness.  Tasting similar to the butter chicken, the tava veggies were bath in a balanced creamy tanginess.

Mid-meal, we were presented with a sizzling cast iron plate of Chicken Tikka.  Naturally, when compared to the bone-in Tandoori Chicken at the buffet station, this ate more hot and fresh.  It featured tender and moist large nuggets of breast meat.  It was nicely spiced and charred.  For dessert, I filled my plate with Saffron Sweet Rice, Carrot Halwa, Gulab Jamun, Sooji Kalwa, Fruit, Jello and Kheer.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of these types of desserts since they are so sweet.  However, other than the gulab jamun, the rest weren't too extreme.  I particularly enjoyed the saffron rice as the texture was on point and it was aromatic.  Overall, I was surprised at the selection and overall quality of the food at New India Buffet.  Yes, there are compromises to be made when food is served in chaffing trays, but for the price, it is a good and cheaper alternative to Tandoori Flame especially if you want to stay in Vancouver.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Good selection of dishes
- Above-average eats especially for a buffet
- Food was always replenished

The Bad:
- Naan was okay but I would've preferred it to be prepared to order
- Restaurant was rather warm