TANDOORI CHICKEN, NAAN AND KHEER
Tandoori Chicken
It is a family-owned and operated joint in the heart of Fremont, Calif. Taste of India is Fremont’s oldest Indian restaurant, serving hot North Indian buffet and sweets for a little over 26 years now. In a way, this business is an inspiration for small business owners for its consistency and quality control. Kudos! to the owners for running it, flawlessly. Their menu offers a wide variety of North Indian food, as well as a reasonable buffet. They also have a sweets counter and Kulfi. The restaurant buffet has more items than what we could review in a single trip, so here’s a brief take.
If you are in the mood for a quick bite of Naan, chicken, chholé, gulab jamun, and the likes in Fremont, Calif., Taste of India should top your list, write Siliconeer foodies Vansh A. Gupta and Rohan Kumar.
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Taste of India
5144 Mowry Avenue, Fremont, CA 94538
(At Mowry and Farwell)
Phone: (510) 791-1316
www.tasteofindiafremont.com
Cuisine: North Indian
Cost: $. (Dishes are under $10 each)
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Rating: ✯✯✯½
✯✯✯✯✯ | Extraordinary
✯✯✯✯ | Superior
✯✯✯ | Good
✯✯ | Mediocre
✯ | Poor
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Points
Ambience: ✯✯✯½
Service: ✯✯✯½
Taste: ✯✯✯½
Price: ✯✯✯✯✯
SCORE: 77%
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First Impressions:
A welcoming feeling with warm colors, a dimly lit environment, and the aroma of tasty desi food. This restaurant is the oldest Indian restaurant in Fremont, Calif. and has a homely feel to it. The food has a variety of flavor, hot, spicy, mild, sweet, tangy, you name it, they got it.
Service
Impressive. The owners, Sarbjit and Davinder Pabla, and their daughters Sonia and Monika, as well as the staff were welcoming and attentive. Food arrived promptly and water was refilled quickly. When the buffet ran out, it was restocked even before we noticed! The staff was also very welcoming. We also observed that they are really attentive and patient with people who take time in selecting sweets for to-go orders.
Food
We had a choice between ordering from a menu or savoring the buffet. We decided to hit the buffet, after all it was under 8 bucks. The buffet had considerate amounts of sides, meat and veggie entrées, starters, and desserts. As there are more meat items in the buffet, we recommend vegetarians should order from the menu.
Pakoras: The outside was crispy and the inside was well cooked. These definitely go great with red onion chutney. It is something you eat as appetizers, before going for the main courses and desserts.
Tandoori Chicken: Well marinated and well grilled chicken. Soft on the inside, but crispy and flavorful from the outside, cooked Punjabi style. If you eat chicken, this should be top priority.
Naan: The naan was fluffy, crispy and came out hot, fresh, and fast.
Chili Chicken: It had the zesty, Indo-Chinese flavor that people look for in Chili Chicken. The onions and bell peppers were also well done. Although it was quite delectable, it was a mild version of the real thing. We feel that the restaurant should consider serving Chow Mein or Fried Rice in the buffet as well, to accompany the Chili Chicken.
Daal: Filled with butter, which made it more flavorful, the daal was as mild as can be. Kids would definitely dig this.
Butter Chicken: The Butter Chicken had a satisfying taste. It was buttery and spicy. The best part was that it wasn’t overloaded with cream or sweet. There was a good balance of flavor and texture, and it was also accompanied with bell peppers and onions, which was quite interesting.
Mixed Vegetable Korma: A decent vegetarian dish in the buffet, it is pretty creamy and has a sweet flavor that should appeal to kids and those who stay clear of the spicy stuff.
Veg Biriyani: It was more like mattar pulao. It was basically salted rice with peas and turmeric. A little more vegetables and masala (spices) could have brought it more close to a biryani.
Butter Tofu: We were a bit surprised with this dish. The gravy was creamy, tangy, salty, perfect for Shahi Paneer. The addition of tofu does not work out well in a Shahi gravy. If there was paneer instead of tofu, the dish would have been a delight.
Desserts: Badam, Chocolate, Pistachio Burfi: The barfis were excellent. All were great, but Chocolate barfi was the best. The flavors really burst in your mouth as soon as you take a bite. Chum Chums: Delicious, although one might need plenty of water because they were a bit dry and spongy. Keeping it in the buffet is not a good idea as leaving it out in open air makes the beauty deteriorate. Kheer: The kheer was so good, that even after a full stomach, we felt like eating more of this. It wasn’t too sweet and it was very well balanced.
Verdict: A well-prepared buffet. The owners are nice and their recipes are time-tested for over 26 years. The restaurant has a homely, comfortable feel. The service was pretty good. What more could you ask for under ten bucks?
The Authors:
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Vansh A. Gupta is an intern with Siliconeer. He is an avid foodie and likes to explore world cuisine. He lives in Fremont, Calif.
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Rohan Kumar is an intern with Siliconeer. He is an avid foodie and loves to try out new places to eat. He lives in Fremont, Calif.
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