Business & Tech
Indian Battle Roundup: Anis versus Tandoori King
Whose cuisine will reign supreme? Our reviewer compares Anis and Tandoori King in our Indian Food Battle.
We’ve met the contenders. In one corner, , in the other . Both have good reasons to be a contender, but as they say in Highlander, there can be only one. In the spirit of fairness, I tried both buffets on a Friday at noon so there would be no issues of one having a slow business day while the other was jammed to the gills. Let’s see them duke it out.
BEST BUFFET ITEM:
Pro: I dream of the delicious kofta balls at Anis.
Con: They were ice cold.
Pro: Any food that good when badly prepared is probably heavenly when done right.
Con: How severely do you want to torture your fillings by inflicting ice cubes and steamy hot sauces on them simultaneously?
Winner: Anis. The kofta balls were that good. I went back for seconds despite knowing full well they’d be cold.
BEST BUFFET PRESENTATION:
Pro: Anis had twice as many offerings as Tandoori King.
Con: None of the sauces were stocked. Whenever someone meandered out from the kitchen with a few scraps to pour in the steam trays, every chair in the restaurant scraped back as we raced to see who would win a bite of food.
Pro: Tandoori King served American style cuts of all white meat chicken breast, and lots of it.
Con: If you like the extra flavor and texture in traditional cuts of meat, boneless and skinless chicken breast can seem a little flavorless. If you’re that kind of adventurous eater, you’ve probably also tasted things like kale, ostrich and haggis, though not in the same meal. Congratulations.
Winner: Tandoori King. In addition to hearty gravy based sauces they had stir fries and dry curries. Everything was well stocked and included generous portions of meat.
BEST SERVICE:
Pro: Tandoori King offered three complimentary beverages including mango lassi.
Con: Anis refused to refill my water because the waiter wanted my table for more deserving guests.
Pro: Tandoori King’s waitress brought fresh loaves of naan to buffet diners tables.
Con: The waiter at Anis told me to finish fast because a table for one was a waste of space.
Pro: Tandoori King’s waitress patiently answered a first time diner’s questions.
Con: As part of his hustle to get me out the waiter at Anis refused to take a drink order from me.
Winner: Tandoori King. Being told to get out of a restaurant makes me want to do exactly that.