r/VictoriaBC • u/tanknator • 20h ago
Help Me Find Good Indian Buffet
I’ve noticed a lot of South Asian restaurants in Victoria seem to have sketchy or fake reviews on Google just to boost their ratings, which makes it tough to tell what’s actually good. Anyone know any legit Indian buffet spots in town with solid variety and real flavor?
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u/mommatiely 16h ago
Another take out only joint I enjoy is Four Spice. However, if you insist on buffet, Royal Spice is pretty decent.
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u/thedivinemissc 19h ago
Fresh Tandoori Flavour have fantastic food. I saw on their website that they have a lunch buffet. Has anyone gone?
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u/Foreign_Pineapple209 14h ago
Has anyone tried Himalayan Flavors on Quadra? They have a lunch buffet
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u/Mysterious-Lick 19h ago
Beware most of them use food coloring and substitutes like heavy amounts of sugar and heavy oils. Essentially it’s worse for you
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u/Any_Collar8766 14h ago
u/OP
Alright, South Asian North Central Indian here. First things first. I am not sure if there is a proper Buffet in South Asian food, but if you still want one, go with Mantra. Apparently they have a buffet. Do remember, they had some sketchy stuff going on in hygiene inspections some years back, but it may just be history by now. I personally do not do Buffet and go for A la Carte .
So, there are almost 2 billion of us spread over 6 countries and Maldives, most folks in Canada believe South Asian food is just something Tandoori. Far from truth. That's like saying grill is the only things North Americans have. So, depending upon what type of South Asian food you want to eat, you have (had) choices.
First up, Punjabi North Indian stuff... The most common stuff and this is what people have in their mind ... mostly... when they "South Asian". So all restaurants or diners that serve any kind of Punjabi food will have this. But still, there are varieties.
a. Snacks : Stick with Loveleen's in DT. All sorts of sweets, spicy starters, fried stuff, you name it. Issue with them is that they operate mostly in evening hours and they take money first before they serve you anything (I don't like that but whatever). If you want to try out Samosa, check them out. Pretty good stuff and really good filling. Look out for your LDL and HDL levels because this stuff is often fried, rich in butter and sometimes sugar.
b. Main Course : This is where you curries etc fit. This is way too common and people have way too many opinions but I personally like Varsha in DT. They have a good selection of Punjabi dishes.
Second is Tandoori, the most common name you see in "Indian food".
For this I will say stick to Sizzling Tandoor. They have a great selection of dishes and they do it mostly right.
Third is South Indian / Sri Lankan food.
In Victoria this is dominated by Tamilian and Keralite cuisine. So off you go to Dosa Paragon. I have a hunch that folks who run it are from Sri Lanka but it is hard to say. Need to say, their cooking is top quality. If you like really spicy and hot in mouth kind of stuff, this is where you go. It spicy without being Punjabi. Try Dosa and variants. Try their Idly and Vada and Uttapam. Its a surprising contrast with typical Punjabi stuff.
Then there is Cafe Malabar which is Keralite food. They have a lot of similarities with Dosa Paragon but specialities that you should try are Malabar Biryani, a Kerala twist on typical rice Biryani. Then there is Laccha Paratha, a speciality of Kerala again. A lot of stuff they make use a liberal dose of black pepper so you get these lingering heat in the mouth. Wash it down with a cup of Kerala coffee.
Interestingly, Biryani is ALSO South Indian dish but! Practically no one around here knows how to make it properly. Still if you want to try a rich rice dish loaded with meat or veggies, try Biryani Palace. They come closest. My aunt used to make killer Dum Biryani and it used to take whole god damned day. What they call Biryani around here is actually Pilaaf. Nothing wrong with it, just aint the same ting.
Fourth is West Indian stuff. This part of India is known for its business and fast life so food stuff from here is also ... kind of fast-foodish. Sadly Gujarati dishes are hard to come by but Maharashtrian food has been added recently. Try the "Indian Burger Joint" and their sandwiches. They are fairly close to what they sell in Mumbai. There should be more variety on this front but ... sadly the last known other great west Indian restaurant in entire Canada closed in 2021.
Then there is this joint called Shashwat. And they make Dokhlas, which is a soft spongy sweetish dish made out of pulse batter and then steam cooked but that's the extent of it. Oh, while you are at it, try their Momos. Momo is a Nepali dish but apparently now it is a pan Indian snack. Theirs is okay.
Last but not the least is Eastern Indian (including Bengali), North Eastern Indian and Nepali food.
Sadly there are not restaurants dedicated to this cuisine. Stuff from here are sold all over other places. Kuku's has few dishes. And as I said, Shashwat has Momos.
That being said if you are ready to venture out to Vancouver, there is a killer place that serves the best Nepali food I have eaten in my life. It's called Gurkha's Kitchen on Davie Street. You have to nevigate a stair to reach their place but it is the best in Nepalese cuisine. They have a single plate having a wide collection of dishes and man it is fulfilling.