4 out of 5 stars

Kadhai, which is hidden in the back of a Ross and Marshall’s shopping center off Glenwood, has a good quality buffet at a reasonable price. Affordable Indian food is hard to come by in Raleigh, so it’s nice to find one so close to our house. We stopped in on Saturday afternoon to check out the food. The entrees here are normally pretty expensive, in the $15 range. However the buffet was $11 when we visited Saturday at lunchtime.

The buffet has a good number of items, including fluffy rice and fresh naan. There were three chicken dishes- butter chicken and two types of chicken curry. They also had lots of veggie options, of course, including a chickpea dish, a lentil dish, peas and mushrooms in sauce, sauteed cabbage, and some other items. Another small area had two types of vegetable fritters and samosas, and the cold bar had a selection of sauces and relishes plus fresh cut fruit and rice pudding. I gorged myself and felt quite full!

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3 out of 5 stars

As far as my exploration so far as shown me, you have to leave Raleigh altogether (Morrisville or Cary being the ideal destination) to find some decent Indian food. Hubs lured me along on this trip to Chapel Hill, the same way he convinces me to go anywhere, with the promise of food if I come with.

We stopped at Tandoor based on a generally good Urbanspoon at about 1:30pm. I got good vibes as we entered because we realized that it’s in a basement. Don’t often the potentially dankest surroundings breed suprisingly good food? Well this place actually has cute decor.

For lunch today Tandoor had no menu to order from, the only option was the buffet. A buffet is always a bad way to judge a restaurant, since it is usually lackluster and lukewarm. The buffet here was not too bad, nor especially good. Options included a tasty tikka masala with firm, nicely marinated chunks of chicken, naan, dal, cabbage strips, tandoori chicken chunks (hubs said they were not good), zucchini chicken, and 2 or 3 other items. The naan was plain and not crispy chewy but just dry. One of the better items was the saag (creamed spinach and chickpeas) although all of dishes seemed to be completely devoid of spiciness. The buffet also included salad, chutney, and a few other fresh-looking condiments. I did enjoy trying the desserts. Kheer was a tasty version of tapioca pudding, and the other dessert was what my google searching leads me to think was gulab jamun. A donut hole like thing soaked in a cold sweet sauce.

Compared to my previous Indian experiences in Raleigh, this one is superior for the following reasons: service was existant and efficient, food was plentiful, warm, and “good enough” and the buffet was around $22 for the two of us including a beer and a beverage. I would like to come back when I could order off the menu and get something that wasn’t so bland, as I guess buffets normally tend to be.

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4 out of 5 stars

In one triumphant visit, my husband has been convinced that Indian food has a place in his low carb diet. Taj is nestled behind a gas station and a Sheraton very close to the airport, conveniently very close to his work.

Don’t be frightened by the strange fountain flowing with with day-glo green colored liquid just in the doorway. Recently Taj has upgraded their interior form dingy to cozy, with white tablecloths on the glass-topped tables and comfy booths.

I had the buffet, which I enjoyed – fresh basmati rice and naan, chickpea curry, tikka masala, chicken curry, palaak paneer (spinach with cheese), and other items. It was reasonable at $9. Glen ordered Tandoori tikka, which was tender and came with seasoned onions and a tasty but spicy sauce made of mint, peppers and cilantro. The staff were particularly helpful, answering questions about the dishes. They were open to customizing anything that we wanted to order.

I admit I am a novice to Indian food, but I felt this was better than Taj Mahal on Capital, both in service and in freshness.

Taj Indian Cuisine
(919) 460-3339

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