Indian Lunch Buffets [General]

2012 Apr 13
Been to about 4-5 Indian Buffets throughout the city.

None of the ones I tried: Little India Cafe, Aahar, Ceylonta (Somerset), Taj and the New Nupur, were mind blowing. Nothing spectacular that makes me wanna race back to.

Am I missing a really good one in the city ? What's your fav , and why ??

..... and another thing, do others notice that Indian resto's 'dumb down' the food that goes into the buffet as opposed to the dishes that are made from scratch ? Less spicing ... less boldness ... less taste ... to better please the masses ?


2012 Apr 13
Host India. I've gone to New Nupur..def pref Host India.
I wouldn't say mind-blowing but its best Indian food I have had.
They have a tandoor chef. Their tandoori is great. butter chicken.

2012 Apr 13
Captain Caper I would vote for East India Company on Somerset. I confess to have not actually eaten at the resto yet but they have a stall set up at the Tulip Festival every year. I'm not sure how it would compare to Indian food made from scratch but the flavours of the food there is definitely top notch. And they definitely have a buffet.

As for Indian resto food I am pretty sure they do in fact "dumb down" the spices. I used to work with a Pakistani lady who occasionally brought me home made samosas. I told her once they were very good but not as spicy as I would have expected. She told me that she either reduced the amount of spices or omitted them because her Canadian friends said they were too spicy. She brought me a samosa once making them the same way she did for her family and the flavours were lovely.

2012 Apr 13
I have ventured to Aahar a few times, and I'll agree that its not Mind Blowing - but I find the small selection to be solid. You can get the buffett "to go" and fill up a container to the brim. - This will feed two people - so fill up a tray and have an Indian picnic lunch!

2012 Apr 13
Captain - I have to agree with your assessment of most of the Indian Buffets in Ottawa and I have been to most of the ones you mentioned. I actually went out Tuesday with a group from work to Rinag www.rinag.com/. Its not your typical Buffet since the food changes daily. I had to admit that this was the one of the spicest buffets to date. Interseting side note - the owner actually took me for a tour of the kitchen area where they cook for parties/resale/wedding etc.. and I noticed that they were loading the truck with food. she indicated that several small Indian Buffets do not have the room in the kitchen to prepare for a large buffet versus from a Menu and order tame down food from them for their buffets. Another worthly place is Ceylonta on Somerset www.ceylonta.com/ Have yet to try the Carling location

2012 Apr 13
East India Company has the best and most authentic selection. Coconut Lagoon has a smaller selection but fantastic food. And Haveli has never let me down and will have some authentic dishes in with the dumbed own ones.

2012 Apr 13
In my opinion, East India Company has the least authentic and blandest indian food in Ottawa. I've been there too many times. The only thing that they're good for is the mango ice cream. A decade ago he had a chef directly from India who was trained at the Taj. He did decent dishes a la carte, buffet was meh.

Good buffet with reasonable flavor can be had at host India and more so at little India cafe.

2012 Apr 13
Which Ceylonta did you go to? I've found the buffet at Ceylonta on Richmond Rd. near Bayshore is good quality, fresh and with a nice level of spice. Don't know the downtown branch.

2012 Apr 13
Although my knowledge of all you can eat Indian buffets is not so rich, I enjoy Host India's weekday lunch and sunday dinner buffet as it feeds my hunger for butter chicken, samosas with tamarind sauce, tandoori chicken, and tons of naan.

Their are also various salads, 2 or three different types of chicken and lamb, and some vegetarian options including palak-paneer (spinach with indian farmer's cheese and curry).

To me the food is decent, although the menu is not as full as their dinner one (which is pretty awesome).

Its a great way to feed that indian craving, eat a ton, and save some money while doing so.

This place is great for students, or should I say anyone with the appetite of a fratboy.

2012 Apr 13
Have to agree with Ravi that East India Company's food is inauthentic and bland. To be fair though, I haven't been there since forming this opinion and it's been a few years.

I much prefer Coconut Lagoon's brunch buffet. The only thing with CL is that sometimes they nail it and other times not (e.g., using lesser cuts of lamb). On balance, I've had far more good experiences than bad, but it's why I've never given them an outright thumbs up as a fave vendor. But I'd say it's in my top 3 and definitely the place I'd recommend as worth trying in town since it specializes in South Indian cuisine. Their fish curries are generally excellent and a nice change.

India Palace on Albert Street has a rather good lunch buffet in my opinion and it's consistent. It also has a nice blend of veg and non-veg dishes, so it's a good choice if you're with a group.

I've never tried Rinag, so will have to check it out.


2012 Apr 14
Coconut Lagoon offers really good Indian food!

Also, in reply to Captain Caper, many restaurants have no doubt tried to present their food as close as possible to "the real thing" - but if the customers leave it uneaten in favour of a blander dish, they learn to make it milder, right? Nobody likes to waste good food.

2012 Apr 14
Rinag does some really authentic and specialty dishes, foods that you only generally see on special occasions in Indian homes. Pretty yummy stuff, pani puri, chat papdi etc

2012 Apr 17
My favorite place is the East India Company on Somerset. It was my first Indian experience ever, read into that what you will. I tried the other downtown restos but they all squicked me out to some degree, whether it was sketchy meats or just overall greasy/sloppy looking dishes.

I am a hot sauce nut so I can't comment on the spiciness, but my partner finds their spiciest dishes are at the upper end of her tolerance - flavourful but manageable in small quantities. She won't eat hot wings or jalapenos, so the heat is nothing to be scared of. They are quite generous on the salt, I like it but it might be just a tad too salty for some folks.

I cannot speak to their authenticity, I don't know what real Indian food should be, but to me the EIC is comfort food. It's probably been "westernized" a bit, as even my fussiest friends love it, but I certainly would not call it bland.

2012 Apr 19
My family likes Ceylonta on Somerset as their favourite buffet for this style of food. All agree that the "buffet" is not the best. I do not Often have Indian food but I do know that buffets in general simply do not provide awesome food. Warming plate, lack of presentation, wrong combinations of food (and hopefully not but too frequent, lukewarm food). A take away in Britain--there you go!

2012 Apr 19
I vote for Rinag.

2012 Apr 26
Having never been to any buffet that I would describe as excellent I don't set my sights too high.
Ishina in Bells Corners is one of my favourites. While the ambiance is poor this place is really about the food which while limited in choice is excellent quality and changes daily, fresh and tasty, friendly staff, and the freshly cooked naans are amazing and brought to your table straight from the tandoor. Highly recommended but not for that "special date". Oh, it's also one of the cheapest in town.
Little India Cafe and Host India are decent quality and reliable. I've been to both on many occasions and have never been disappointed.
We tried the Carling Ceylonta location for the first time the other day. Watery, rubbery chicken, dry hard beef, reheated naans, yuk. Neither my wife or myself were impressed.

2012 Apr 26
Avoid Moni Mahal like the plague, just read their unacceptable sanitiation record on Ottawa eatsafe.

There are no mind blowing Indian buffets in Ottawa in my opinion.

The absolute holy grail of Indian Buffets is in Brampton: www.tandooriflame.com/
I find that it's an indian version of the GTA hit restaurant Mandarin (which also puts any and all asian buffets in Ottawa to shame).

By far my favorite is Ceylonta. It's small and modest tho. Go for the take out option, and you can walk away with mountains of food if you tetris it properly.

Oh also, if you go to Ceylonta and have some kind of dietery restriction or allergy, they will whip you up somthing a la cart, for no extra charge. I have seen them do this on more then one occasion.

India Palace is pretty good - but the flavors and such are dumbed down for the masses.

Golden India - www.ottawafoodies.com - is a fantastic Indian restaurant. I have had their a la cart offerings and I was very impressed. They have a lunch buffet every day of the week, I would love to hear if anybody has experienced it?

2012 Apr 26
I'll second Ishina...the food is always delicious.