jean b.

Hi folks,

I have now been at the luncheon buffet at Kathmandu Spice two
days in a row--that to try to assess how repetitive it would
be. My findings are as follows.

On Tuesday, they did not open at the posted time (11); rather
it was closer to 12. When another customer asked about that,
the answer was rather vague. It is not clear to me when they
opened on Wednesday, because they forgot to change their
sign--and I went later. I mentioned this in one of my chats
with personnel....

The staff seems to be quite receptive to and interested in
comments. Indeed, I had quite a long pleasant chat with the
chef (Kalaivanan Chandrasekaran) after my meal on Wednesday.

Buffet Offerings on Tuesday:

Greens and salad ingredients.

Raitas, etc.

Lentil Bukhara--very nicely flavored. Probably the best
version of a dal-type dish I have had, although later it
seemed to be more spicy.

Bonda--deep-fried puffs of batter containing a bit of
cilantro. (I am not sure what, if anything else, was in them.)

Lamb Biriani--lamb very tender; rice good but not particularly
flavorful. Note this may, indeed, be exactly how it is
supposed to be!

Bean and Potato Curry--mildly spiced and a pleasant contrast
with the more spicy dish. The beans were obviously fresh.

Chicken Manchurian--spicy, and a tad sweet and sour. In
addition to the chicken, this contained peppers, onions, and
possibly other veggies. A very nice dish.

Mustard Greens with Paneer--the earthy and slightly pungent
greens were an interesting change from the more-ubiquitous
spinach version. Not pureed like the usual dish of this ilk.

Tandoori Chicken--very slightly dry and not the most
interesting rendition I have had.

Suji Halwa--cardamom-scented semolina studded with golden
raisins and almonds; a fitting end to the meal.

There is also a choice of garlic or plain naan, which comes
with the meal. The garlic naan was a bit acrid-tasting;
perhaps it was made with dehydrated garlic? And the texture
was not the same as the more-elastic, yeast-based plain naan.

Buffet offerings on Wednesday:

Lentil-Vegetable Soup (the Indian Sambhar)--nice, with veggies
that were not extremely overcooked.

Uttapams (unlabeled; not sure what they will call
them)--little 3-4-inch ones, with a smattering of onion and
cilantro. Not the most succulent ones I've had, but they are
hard to find in this area.... The usual accompaniments,
besides the sambhar) are with the raitas, etc.

Lemon Rice--not very lemony but with the other obligatory
ingredients (dal, mustard seeds, ? leaves, cilantro...); a bit
spicy.

Mushroom Muttar/Mutter (the label said mutton; then they
changed it)--and excellent mix of mushrooms, peas, onions,
tomatoes, etc.

Kung Pao Eggplant--a good, simple rendition, but don't compare
it with its Chinese counterparts.

Chicken Korma--creamy; indeed, cream is the predominant flavor.

Tandoori Chicken (I didn't look carefully at the label, and it
may not have been called that today)--had a better texture
than yesterday, and better flavor too. Very subtle... It
turns out that this was a different prepartion from Tuesday's
offerings.

Dessert was noodles in boiled-down milk, scented with
cardamom. It also contained a bit of ghee and cashews. Nice.
I am thinking of falooda, but that may be the totally wrong
word.

I also ordered mango lassi, which was one of the better ones.
The small straw was totally inappropriate though.

All in all, I would say it is quite worth trying and
supporting this restaurant.

Kathmandu Spice
166 Massachusetts Ave. (corner of Egerton Rd.)
Arlington
781-316-1755
http://www.kathmanduspice.com

Hours: daily lunch buffet 11-3; dinner 5-11
Note: they do NOT serve from the menu for lunch.
--
Jean B.

uri guttman

JB> I have now been at the luncheon buffet at Kathmandu Spice two days in
JB> a row--that to try to assess how repetitive it would be. My findings
JB> are as follows.

JB> On Tuesday, they did not open at the posted time (11); rather it was
JB> closer to 12. When another customer asked about that, the answer was
JB> rather vague. It is not clear to me when they opened on Wednesday,
JB> because they forgot to change their sign--and I went later. I
JB> mentioned this in one of my chats with personnel....

i went on tuesday around 1:30. it was very empty. an indian customer
later sat down and was obviously a friend of the owner (who chatted with
me). he mentioned the food was cooling off so they have to work on that.

JB> The staff seems to be quite receptive to and interested in comments.
JB> Indeed, I had quite a long pleasant chat with the chef (Kalaivanan
JB> Chandrasekaran) after my meal on Wednesday.

my chat with the owner was very nice. i told him the arlington list was
chatting about them and he did mention tuesday lunch was much busier
than monday's. also monday night was very chaotic. you might want to
wait a little while before checking them out for dinner until they
settle down a bit.


JB> Raitas, etc.

no onion chutney. they had the usual cilantro and tamarind
sauces. something pinkish which had some mild heat.

JB> Lentil Bukhara--very nicely flavored. Probably the best version
JB> of a dal-type dish I have had, although later it seemed to be more
JB> spicy.

i liked that. the owner said it had black lentils and also several other
lentil types. a lentil thick stew/soup with some bite but not killer hot.

JB> Bonda--deep-fried puffs of batter containing a bit of cilantro. (I am
JB> not sure what, if anything else, was in them.)

he said lentil flours. sort of like hushpuppies but lighter. good with
the tamarind sauce.

JB> Lamb Biriani--lamb very tender; rice good but not particularly
JB> flavorful. Note this may, indeed, be exactly how it is supposed to be!

i found it pretty good. rice had some spice and the lamb was good. rare
to see any lamb dishes in a buffet in any indian restaurants. and they
weren't skimpy on the lamb though it is a rice dish.

JB> Bean and Potato Curry--mildly spiced and a pleasant contrast with the
JB> more spicy dish. The beans were obviously fresh.

i liked those too.

JB> Chicken Manchurian--spicy, and a tad sweet and sour. In addition to
JB> the chicken, this contained peppers, onions, and possibly other
JB> veggies. A very nice dish.

interesting dish. not sure if i would order it. could have been hotter.

JB> Mustard Greens with Paneer--the earthy and slightly pungent greens
JB> were an interesting change from the more-ubiquitous spinach version.
JB> Not pureed like the usual dish of this ilk.

yeah, it was different. good.

JB> Tandoori Chicken--very slightly dry and not the most interesting
JB> rendition I have had.

but i felt it was the spiciest version i ever had. to me most tandoori
chicken is very mild with that red dye flavor (even made some at home
from a jar and the red gets everywhere!). this version had some kick and
tasted like they wanted it that way. the dryness was ok for me as i like
my chicken more that way than raw and rubbery

JB> Suji Halwa--cardamom-scented semolina studded with golden raisins and
JB> almonds; a fitting end to the meal.

i didn't try that.

JB> There is also a choice of garlic or plain naan, which comes with the
JB> meal. The garlic naan was a bit acrid-tasting; perhaps it was made
JB> with dehydrated garlic? And the texture was not the same as the
JB> more-elastic, yeast-based plain naan.

i had the garlic naan. it needed the onion chutney that i usually put on
my naan!

JB> Buffet offerings on Wednesday:

i didn't go today. but since the menu is changing (again, unlike so many
indian places. saag paneer and chicken masala, tandoori chicken are
ALWAYS there).

JB> Lentil-Vegetable Soup (the Indian Sambhar)--nice, with veggies that
JB> were not extremely overcooked.

JB> Mushroom Muttar/Mutter (the label said mutton; then they changed
JB> it)--and excellent mix of mushrooms, peas, onions, tomatoes, etc.

JB> Kung Pao Eggplant--a good, simple rendition, but don't compare it with
JB> its Chinese counterparts.

JB> Chicken Korma--creamy; indeed, cream is the predominant flavor.

that is a rarity on buffets. wife likes korma as it is very mild but
definitely indian.

JB> Tandoori Chicken (I didn't look carefully at the label, and it may not
JB> have been called that today)--had a better texture than yesterday, and
JB> better flavor too. Very subtle... It turns out that this was a
JB> different prepartion from Tuesday's offerings.

good to hear.

JB> Hours: daily lunch buffet 11-3; dinner 5-11
JB> Note: they do NOT serve from the menu for lunch.

didn't know that. but i like the lunch buffet

BTW, the lunch buffet is normally $7.95 and it is 10% off through the
end of october.

uri

--
Uri Guttman ------ uri@stemsystems.com -------- http://www.stemsystems.com
--Perl Consulting, Stem Development, Systems Architecture, Design and Coding-
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