FOOD-DRINK

Namaste Indian Restaurant great introduction to Indian food

Wichita

Today I was on my own after my buddy had an emergency come up. It was after lunch time and I decided to head over to Namaste Indian Restaurant in Century Plaza.

Inside Namaste Indian Restaurant.

I've seen posts from friends on Facebook that it was buffet, and I was excited about getting to try different Indian dishes I hadn't had before. 

When I walked in, I noticed the place was clean and the man at the register said I could sit anywhere. Since I was on my own, I went straight to the buffet.

The buffet area isn't very big. It all fit against one wall in the back of the restaurant.

Some of the food looked like it had been there a while, but as I was standing there deciding what I wanted they started changing the food out for fresher dishes.

For my first plate, I grabbed a bowl of chicken tikka masala, white rice, a vegetable fritter and tandoori chicken.

The flavor of the masala was very good and aromatic. The rice was, well, rice. I only got the rice to help eat the sauce from the masala and, frankly, I'd eat that sauce by itself.

The tandoori chicken also very good. The color was the deep red you would see at a Chinese place, but the taste was like barbecue chicken. 

The fritter was OK. I also dipped it in the tikka masala.

As I was eating, the employees would come by every so often with fresh butter naan. The naan was wonderful. Not too soft, but fluffy with a little crunch. 

On my second trip to buffet, I saw that there was some naan set out. They probably put it there after they walked around asking everyone if they wanted some.

I decided to pick up the chicken biryani and another one of the curries. I'm not sure which one it was. I thought I picked up a beef one, but the meat was definitely not beef. It was still attached to the bone. Maybe it was goat? 

The signs weren't always very helpful.

Signs on the buffett at Namaste Indian Restaurant.

Whatever the curry was it was good with a spiciness that slowly crept up on me.

The biryani was aromatic and the spices were great. As a mixed rice dish I don't think you can go wrong if that was the only thing you got there.

I headed back to the buffet for a bowl of the vegetable kurma. I'd been eyeing it each time and since I was nearing capacity I needed to get it soon.

It was interesting. It was a bit sweet and the carrots and cauliflower were cooked well. I probably won't get the kurma again but that's why you go to a buffet to try new things.

After finishing off the kurma and biryani, I went back to buffet for the last time and picked up a small serving of the mango custard. 

The custard was thinner than I would have liked. The mango chunks were nice and fresh. It's not a very sweet dessert and I think it was a good way to end my meal.

If you go the best part about the buffet is trying new things and figuring out what you'll like. This is a great setup if you've never had Indian food before.

The price for me after lunch time was $11.90 before tip. Namaste is listed on Bite Squad if you want to order delivery.

If you go

What: Namaste Indian Restaurant

Where: 2617 Plaza PWY, Suite 720 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308

When: Tuesday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Contact: (940) 613-0082, www.namasteflavor.com, @namasteflavor on Facebook

Rating: 4 forks