A plate can take several directions at this Richardson restaurant: rice beneath a spoonful of goat curry, a piece of fresh naan dragged through tikka masala, a vegetarian curry alongside paneer, then perhaps a little tamarind chutney for sweetness. The food is rooted in familiar North Indian standards, but lunch encourages a bit of curiosity.
The dining room is roomy and clean, with Indian-inspired decorations and seating arranged for different-size parties. Its bi-level layout gives the place some shape without making a meal feel formal, and the atmosphere can remain pleasantly relaxed even as tables fill with conversation.
At lunch, the buffet is the easy introduction. At dinner, the menu opens into a more traditional shared-table meal of curries, grilled dishes, biryani and naan. Either way, this is a place built for people who would rather taste broadly than settle for one thing.
The lunch buffet has room to roam
The buffet is arranged for building a plate in layers: rice first, then curries and sauces, naan on the side, salad accompaniments for contrast, and dessert when the savory portion of the meal has run its course. Dishes are labeled, including the vegetarian selections, which makes the line easier to navigate when several pots are calling your name.
A typical spread may include around eight entrees, with a notably strong vegetarian showing. Paneer, several meat-free curries, rice, naan and salad give non-meat eaters a genuine meal rather than a collection of side dishes, while chicken and goat preparations give carnivorous diners plenty to investigate.
Selections vary by day, but samosas, tikka masala, chicken tandoori, goat curry and naan have appeared among the buffet offerings. Tandoori wings have also shown up, an enjoyable detour from the standard curry-and-rice routine.
The food is served hot and replenished through the meal, so it works well for an unhurried lunch with a few return trips. You can make a disciplined plate if you like. More likely, the second pass will involve something you skipped the first time.
Curries worth making room for
Butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are reliable starting points for diners who want the creamy, tomato-rich side of North Indian cooking. They are the sorts of dishes that make a fresh piece of naan disappear quickly.
Goat curry is another recurring favorite, offering a deeper, more robust option than the chicken dishes. It is available at the Richardson location along with chicken biryani, a useful detail for diners who arrive with those two specific cravings already in mind.
Chicken biryani brings rice, spice and tender chicken together in one more self-contained dish, while lamb masala, chicken masala and chicken with mushrooms offer other avenues on the dinner menu. A meal can easily become a spread: two curries, biryani, a stack of naan and enough sauce left over to justify one last tear of bread.
For a more specialized order, daal gosht has been served with either boneless beef or bone-in goat. Fish fry can start the meal, and seekh kebab or stuffed naan make particularly appealing choices when ordering pickup.
From the tandoor to the bread basket
Chicken tandoori provides the grilled counterpoint to the saucier curries. Its presence on the buffet gives a plate some smoky, charred character, especially beside rice and a spoonful of curry.
Naan deserves its own moment here. It arrives fresh and is especially useful as an edible scoop for the sauces, rather than merely a polite starch parked at the edge of the plate. Several pieces are not an unreasonable dinner-table decision when butter chicken or tikka masala is involved.
Tamarind chutney is another small but worthwhile addition. Its sweet-tangy flavor can brighten salad and curry portions, and it gives a plate a little zip between richer bites.
A gentle landing in dessert
Lunch buffet desserts may include rice pudding, gulab jamun and a fried sweet soaked in sugar syrup. They offer different kinds of sweetness: creamy, soft and syrupy, respectively.
At dinner, kulfi makes a fitting finish after a table full of curries and naan. Chai and rasmalai are also among the more traditional items that have appeared on the restaurant's offerings, useful for diners who prefer their dessert with a warm cup of tea nearby.
Spice, service and the useful little details
When ordering from the menu, mild and regular spice levels are available. Regular can carry a noticeable kick, so diners who prefer a gentler meal can say so plainly when ordering.
Staff keep an eye on the practical rhythms of a meal, refreshing water and clearing used plates as the buffet plates accumulate or dinner dishes empty out. Help with the menu and buffet is readily available, which is handy when a group includes both Indian-food regulars and people deciding between their first curry options.
Dinner can include a personal touch, with food occasionally presented directly at the table. It suits the restaurant's generally welcoming manner without turning a straightforward meal into a production.
For groups, quick meals and pickup orders
The range of seating makes the restaurant workable for an individual lunch, a small table sharing several dishes, or a larger gathering. The buffet is particularly convenient when everyone has different preferences, since vegetarians, curry loyalists and tandoori fans can all assemble their own plates.
A free parking lot is available, though space can be easier to find at some times than others. For meals at home, delivery-app pickup ordering is also available, with seekh kebab and stuffed naan among the items that travel nicely from a more substantial order.
Buffet labels help identify vegetarian dishes, but diners with nut allergies should still ask about ingredients. Some buffet preparations may contain cashews, and a label alone is not a substitute for checking with the restaurant.