Lunch Ladies: India Palace
A sampling of the Lunch Buffet at India Palace in Provo, including naan, rice and Chicken Tikka Masala. Photo by Lyndsi Seltz
A sampling of the Lunch Buffet at India Palace in Provo, including Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Tandoori, Yellow Curry Chicken and Daal. Photo by Sylvia Abbott
A sampling of the Lunch Buffet at India Palace in Provo, including the Curry Pakora. Photo by Jennette Esplin
A sampling of the Lunch Buffet at India Palace in Provo. Photo by the Lunch Ladies
A sampling of the Lunch Buffet at India Palace in Provo, including Aloo tiki, Chicken Korma and Vegetable Briyani. Photo by Gabby Harris
A dish of heartburn, a side of indigestion, a sampling of bloating, all topped off with a dash of regret … oh, and don’t forget, you paid for it. This is what I feel like a lot of trips to buffets entail. We try to combine spaghetti with grape gelatin, cherry cola, and a side of salmon, only to find the combination does not sit so well with us. Surprise, surprise.
And to make matters worse, a lot of places have sub-par dishes, food that has been sitting out, and since the items are not custom made, they are not fresh or catered for you specifically, leaving you with a lackluster palate and a stomachache.
With this mindset, I usually shy away from most buffets. Sure, as a kid, I loved indulging in three types of drinks, two desserts, and a mixed concoction I think would be considered a smoothie by no one’s standard but my own — and maybe some 12-year-old boys. But now, as an adult, I know better.
However, when Lyndsi suggested we hit up India Palace and enjoy their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, I knew that was one buffet I am always up for!
In the past, I had wanted to try Indian food, but had been a little hesitant because I wasn’t sure what I would like. I was worried I would order something only to find it was too spicy, or that I didn’t like the flavor after one single bite, and then I would have wasted my money. I wanted to be adventurous and try lamb and a variety of things, too, but didn’t want to break the bank experimenting or necessarily ordering seven dishes to find out what kinds of Indian food I liked best — because after all, I was pretty much starting from scratch.
Well, luckily a good friend of mine suggested we try out the lunch buffet at India Palace so I could try a variety of foods and see what I like, the safest way to be adventurous with new foods. At first I wondered if my prejudice for buffets would prove to be valid, but it wasn’t in the slightest.
India Palace serves up a buffet that actually works. And instead of heartburn being the order of the day, the flavor combinations become one of those rare fusions of opportunity that allow you to try a tempting array of dishes in one sitting, and for one great price.
My first experience at India Palace was fantastic and, since then, I have ventured back numerous times. When you go at lunch time, you can choose to order from the menu or just do the buffet, which is self-serve, and has a soup portion, main dish and sides segment, then salad, fruit, and dessert section. The Lunch Ladies all chose to enjoy the buffet.
Here are some of our thoughts:
Sylvia: Lunch Buffet $9.95
Indian Food — not pretty, but boy does it taste good. I selected the Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Tandoori, Yellow Curry Chicken, and Daal from the buffet. At the first bite of all this soupy Eastern goodness my mouth was doing a happy dance. Everything was delicious, but I went back for more of the Curry Chicken and the Sweet Potatoes and I’m talking a pile of the sliced Sweet Potatoes; they were roasted and spiced to perfection. We Lunch Ladies really need to treat our taste buds to India Palace more often.
Gabby: Lunch Buffet $9.95
Delicious, delicious, delicious! Everything I ate was great, but some highlights for me were the Aloo tiki, Chicken Korma, and the Vegetable Briyani. The Aloo tiki was a seasoned, crispy potato patty — loved it! The Chicken Korma featured big chunks of tender chicken drenched in a slightly sweet, creamy sauce — adored it! The Vegetable Briyani was rice cooked with mushrooms, green beans, peas, carrots and seasonings — demolished it! And the Briyani covered in the Chicken Korma was an enjoyable flavor combination, not spicy, a little sweet from the sauce and a little salty from the rice; fantastic! I rounded it off with some cool fresh cucumbers and radishes, and then finished off my meal with a cup of delightfully fresh watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, apple and cantaloupe. Definitely a perfect lunch!
Jennette: Lunch Buffet $9.95
I chose to have the lunch buffet and I was glad I did. I didn’t dislike anything I tried, but one dish was my favorite: The Curry Pakora. This dish wasn’t like regular curry dishes I had tried in the past, this one had what tasted like cornbread stuffing pieces covered in the mildly spicy curry sauce. I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed it. Also, the Tandoori Naan (bread) was quite amazing. They also serve Diet Coke but I would try a Mango Lassi, they are delicious!
Lyndsi: Lunch Buffet $9.95
Indian food is probably my favorite food; I could seriously eat it every day. I was very excited when we decided India Palace was our lunch destination. I joined everyone else in the buffet line and piled my plate full of deliciousness. There is really nothing on the buffet that I don’t like, but my favorite thing is to get a couple pieces of the Naan bread, rice, and Chicken Tikka Masala. I then mix the rice and chicken, pile it on the Naan and eat it like a pizza slice. If I go and don’t get the buffet, my favorite thing is Chicken Makhani, also known as butter chicken. If you haven’t tried it, you need to order it the next time you go! I enjoyed a couple trips to the buffet and this time around, I finished off my meal with a small dish of rice pudding, a perfect ending to a wonderful lunch.
Well, as you can tell, we were all very satisfied. Great, attentive wait staff made sure our glasses were always full, and we made sure our plates were always full as well! A delicious meal was had by all; no buffet casualties, and no regretful stomachaches.
— India Palace: 98 W. Center St., Provo. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Sundays. Lunch Buffet Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.