I’ve only eaten Indian food once or twice in my life, so if you were to sit me down at an Indian restaurant and ask me for my order, I would just blink back. Looking at thenames alone —Gujarati Kadhi Pakora, Saag Paneer or Vegetable Pakoras — I wouldn’t know which dishes would most excite my taste buds.

However, I was in luck last Saturday when my dining partners and I paraded into Taste of India. To our delight, a buffet greeted us from the corner. 

Offering a lunch buffet every day for only $8.95, Taste of India allows people who have no real knowledge of Indian food to try a variety of different (and delicious) dishes without having to rack up a gigantic bill. 

Located at 124 Dell St., Taste of India serves up traditional Indian cuisine just around the corner from the Papa John’s on Westcott. Street. Getting there only requires a short walk from campus, providing the perfect excuse to head outside and enjoy the lovely autumn weather while en route to your food. 

When I stepped into Taste of India, I first noticed the brightly colored streamers and dangling paper decorations lining the ceiling. Having opened roughly two weeks ago, Taste of India still carries a feeling of newness. Inside, a mix of tables and booths are set up. Indian tapestries and art hang on the walls.  Directly over the comfy blue booth that we chose to slide into, a television played Indian music videos, and the music added to the atmosphere of authenticity. 

Right away, Gagan Singh, our server and the son of Taste of India’s owner, poured us water and set us loose for the buffet. 

At first, it was overwhelming to see so many intriguing options, but we quickly remembered that we would have the opportunity to try a sample of everything, so long as we didn’t fill up too quickly. 

Singh told me that Taste of India has about 288 dishes on its regular menu and that the buffet changes day to day, as different options are switched in and out.  A few customer

favorites and staples remain part of the selection all the time, like the Tandoori chicken, vegetable pakoras (fritters filled with assorted vegetables), rice and naan (teardrop-shaped bread baked in a tandoori oven). But, for the most part, every buffet experience you have at Taste of India could be completely different. 

‘Sometimes we will have specials in the buffet that aren’t even on the menu,’ he said with a smile. 

That day, options included chicken jafrezi (chicken in a hot curry), mattar paneer (peas in a spicy sauce served with cubes of traditional Indian cheese that have the texture of tofu), dal (a lentil stew) and chicken tikka masala (roasted chicken chunks in a creamy, orange sauce). Several different sauces were also included atthe front of the buffet line, like raiti, a tasty yogurt sauce that helps keep your mouth from burning up due to the spicy food. 

Needless to say, I filled my plate. 

Everything sampled was excellent. The naan was particularly delicious, and thick enough to soak up the extra sauces leftover on my plate. I had never tried mattar paneer before, but the soft texture of the peas won me over. My favorite dish was the chicken jalfrezi which was spicy with lots of vegetables and thick, juicy chunks of chicken. Even eaten over rice, it packed a fiery punch. Luckily, the mango lassi I ordered provided the perfect cool-down for my burning mouth.  A thick yogurt drink, mango lassi is sweet, but the yogurt keeps it from tasting too sugary. 

It wasn’t long before our stomachs were near bursting, so it was a nice consolation when Singh assured me that Indian food is, for the most part, very healthy.  When we got to the register to check out, we found out that Syracuse University students receive a 10 percent discount with a student ID: a perfect meal made even better.  We walked out the door smiling. 

Comfortable, welcoming and an instant new favorite, The Taste of India provides just that: a chance to savor a mélange of different, authentic Indian dishes — and all at a college-student approved price. 

jidonfro@syr.edu

Published on September 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm