Friday, February 17, 2006 

Food Friday #3: Tandoori's



Tandoori's
7740 Transit Rd, Buffalo, NY 14221 (See Map)
Phone: (716) 632-1112
Web: tandooris.com

Open lunch buffet M-F 11:00am to 2:30pm
Sunday dosa brunch 11:00am to 2:30pm
7 Nights for dinner starting 5:00pm
Our Average Cost: US$15/person

Kevin opinion:
After a fun-filled drive, we finally arrived at our exotic destination of the day: Tandoori's. We've been staring at this place for the longest time ever since we often found ourselves camping across the street at Atlanta Bakery Cafe (decent food/beverages, free WiFi!). From the outside all might seem quiet, but once you're in the restaurant, your senses tingle with the smell of saffron rice and the bright colors of traditional indian fabric adorning the space around you.

Once seated by our friendly server, the mood was set as he lit our table candlelight. In a flurry, we were served traditional indian crackers and three fried vegetarian pattes (one for each of us). These "meat balls" as I called them were quite tastefully deceptive... While the server told us they were made of vegetables, they tasted like the juiciest meat to the rest of us! These complimentary appetizers came immediately with two difference sauces, one sweet and the other spicy, perfect for those starving and can't wait for their entrees.

The Boti Peshawari I ordered made an entry as it sizzled on the hotplate (watch the video for that unmistakable sound). As I mentioned, although the meat was intentionally dry, you could taste a lemon flavor to the tender chunks of lamb. The juicy sauted vegetable added crunch to the soft meat, making this a well balanced, mildly spicy dish. The fragrant Saffron Rice I added went perfectly with this hearty meal, making this a highly recommended combination. Simply delightful! (Kevin gives 9.5/10)


Kelvin's opinion:
I didn't really expect much from this place. I thought: Just another Indian restaurant around the Buffalo area... I stand corrected! From the moment we stepped in, I knew this was a restaurant that valued its customers and would go the extra mile to make their meal a gastro experience. The backdrop of the restaurant was sprinkled with soft dim lighting but ornamented with bright multicolored fabic that is synomous with the Indian culture.

The Kadai Gosht was amazing spicy (I ordered it "HOT"). The lamb was just tasted right with the amount of spicyness from the curry. I'm not a spicy eater but I will eat spicy food if they are worth it, and trust me, this is worth it! You can also have it prepared mild or medium spicyness too. I got the wheat bread with mashed potato inside it. It tasted pretty good too with the lamb. As Kevin said, "This is like a trip back to Singapore without the expensive plane ticket." I agree, the standard of this restaurant is comparable to authenic Indian food in Singapore. The waiters were also very professional and helpful.... giving us useful descriptions of the dishes and what would be closest to the kind of dish we wanted. What I would like them to have to make my experience even more enjoyable? More Indian music... and a little more lighting. (Kelvin gives 9.5/10)


Penny's opinion:
Yummy! (Penny gives 10/10!)

Go with a friend and use this coupon which gives you 50% off a second main entree. If you're still not convinced, here are what others say about Tandoori's.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 

Food Friday #1: Steel Drums Caribbean Restaurant & Bar


So this is our first stop in our Food Friday (FF) series. The idea behind FF is really to be adventurous, step out of our safety zone and try different restaurants in and around Buffalo. Lest we leave Buffalo like the frog who just stares up from the bottom of a well.

The investigative method is simple. Each Friday, we will dine at a restaurant that we have never been before. We will take turns to research on the restaurants
(i.e., Newspaper reviews, internet reviews, word of mouth), and then try out the restaurant on friday. Then we will rate the restaurant and its food based on our subjective measures. Yes! We make the rules because we can. If it bothers you, go start your own FF. Or better still, you can called it something else (like Makan Monday)... and remember this, we called it first!

Steel Drums was somewhat a cultural-exchange for us. The setting was pretty cool, a little like a 60s swing dancing bar. Almost looks like the patrons were going to spontaneously burst out into a song. A salsa CD was looping throughout the night but it was ok, pretty nice music that suited the restaurant's food.

Two words to describe the food.... Deliciously tender! Reminds me of Kong Ba (stew pork). Really good stuff. Worth checking out for the food and ambience (if you want to escape the thought of wintery Buffalo for a few moments). (Kelvin says: 8.5/10) (Penny says: 8.5/10)