Critic's Review
I was looking at a new Indian restaurant that doesn't have a buffet, and I just can't do that. To just order 1 dish it too risky with Indian food, with a high chance that I won't like it. It then dawned on me that I've never tried Royal India, which is closer and more relevant. I checked to see if they were open on Monday, and they have the buffet 7 days per week.
It's pretty far down Griffin; past Big Fat Greek and The Field. There's a sign on the road but strangely no sign on the structure itself. They have a sign on the door clearly outlining their hours; it's good to know when a buffet is ending.
When you walk in there's a hostess station / cashier and a hallway with a life size figure by the restrooms. Very ethnic, as all Indian restaurants seem to be.
They have (at least) 3 dining rooms, and they have the buffet stuffed into 2 in the rear. There were a lot of cars in the lot, so I knew it wasn't dead empty. I got a table in a raised area that was kind of cramped with a big mirror along the wall; Decor left over from the 80s. The room below is open; no comfy booths here, at least not in the main buffet room.
It's not a very personal system; the woman sent me into the dining room and one of the servers pointed at a table. I was supposed to know how things work. Some buffets you pay in advance (think Sweet Tomatoes) and others have semi table service. None of them bother to tell you how their system works.
I ordered an iced tea. I said "extra lemon" as she was speeding away; I didn't think she heard me, but apparently she did.
A server asked why I was taking a photo of my iced tea; well now you know, babe.
I started with the soup. They call it Vegetable Soup, which I suppose it is. obviously frozen mixed vegetables in a tomato broth; there were even lima beans in it. Memories of Green Giant. It wasn't bad, surprisingly. I just had a couple of spoonfuls.
The buffet was fairly small with only 10 items, all on a couple of folding tables. The salad was empty when I arrived, so that was out. I got some rice, Chicken Curry, Lamb Sag, Chicken Tikka and Naan bread.
Those of you who read regularly know that Indian food isn't my favorite; I'm not a fan of many of the spices. Curry I can deal with, but everything else usually is just slop to me. But I liked everything on the plate. The Chicken curry was superb; the balance was just right and the chicken was cooked just right; no overcooked pieces or bones; a lot of places just chop up a chicken and put it in, leaving the customers to pick the gristle and joints out for themselves. The bread wasn't brushed with oil, but it was warm and fluffy and went well with the curries.
Chicken Tikka is usually good; this was about the usual. The color always kind of creeps me out, though.
Time for a second pass. Crowded buffets can be a pain, as there is waiting. Still the salad was empty.
I didn't get much lamb the first time, so I dug out a couple of chunks. The only new item was Aloo sag; better than others I've had but I didn't want the potatoes. And some lentil dish that was mostly liquid. Clearly the big tomato chunk was taken by mistake.
During the entire experience I was treated to the musings of a Colombian chick at the next table; part of the public experience. I have to admit I was surprised when she dialed up a plastic surgeon and started inquiring about getting a nose job; all on speakerphone. Some other people seemed baffled/annoyed as well. She blurted out her number loud enough for stalkers in the next dining room to hear it clearly. Personally, I'm waiting to see how the nose job turns out. After the call she was marveling at before and after photos on the doctor's web site.
Insider Tip: They don't usually put pictures of the botched jobs on the web site. ie Michael Jackson
Rhinoplasty, If anyone is interested, costs roughly $9K with a year wait for an appointment.
I went back a 3rd time, for more chicken, lamb and bread. The beauty of a buffet. Still the salad was empty; it had been 25 minutes that the salad bowl was empty. Unacceptable at 1:45.
While finishing this up, I noticed a large black man filling his plate with salad; they'd finally refilled the salad "bar", which was really just a big bowl with iceberg, onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. I'm guessing that he asked them to refill it, since he took a giant plate and seemed like the salad was what he wanted most. I grabbed a bit myself. Not much choice of dressing, nor was it labeled. I think what I got was creamy Italian.
As I was ready to pay, I had no idea whether I payed the servers or on my way out. There were two girls in the dining room and neither of them seemed to be assigned to any particular table. I asked one as she walked by, and she seemed to ask me to wait. So I assumed she was bringing me a bill. But she never did. Eventually she pointed towards the exit, so I flew out and paid at the counter by the front door.
Conclusion
I think that the food here is somewhat "Americanized", as they don't even spell Naan correctly on their menu. There wasn't a lot of spice in the food, which is fine with me since I don't particularly care for Indian spice. The curry was well done and the meats were tender (and they actually HAD meat, which some Indian buffets seem to leave out). I would have liked to try a Vindaloo or some Butter Chicken, but I liked what they had. Aside from the salad, the buffet was fairly well stocked.
The fact that they had a good crowd is a big positive; when buffets are dead the food gets old and it doesn't get replaced. However is seemed to me that they didn't like late arrivers, as that would force them to restock and likely have too much leftover. Buffets in the last hour are always suspect; get here by 1:30 to be sure you'll get everything available.
