Tag: review

Food Review: Flavors Indian Cuisine in Bentonville

This review is going to be short and sweet. There’s only so much you can say about near perfection.
First off, in my travels, I have been to over 20 Indian lunch buffets. This one is. the. best. Even better than Star of India in Little Rock. Even better than India Clay Oven in Branson. Even better than my previous favorite in Nederland, CO.  Here’s why:

The Environment

This restaurant has nothing special going for it, asthetic-wise. It is located in a shopping center. The inside is pretty bland. However, there is a whole room devoted just to the lunch buffet….because it is huge!

The Food

Here are pictures of most of the buffet. I did not get a picture of the section with salads and chutneys and other sauces, because I got too hungry taking pics of the other food. Sorry, not sorry.

There were so many options on this buffet, I only got to try about half of them before I could eat no more.
Some of my favorites included the “mix veg saag” which was a creamy paneer, full of not only spinach but plenty of other vegetables, such as peas and carrots. It was delightfully sweet and hearty, all at once. I think
The shahi paneer was also extremely tasty. While I am not a fan of the cheese blocks, the sauce was sweet with just enough kick of heat to keep it interesting. I think I dipped everything else on my plate into these two dishes. They were both my favorite versions of these specific dishes.
The butter chicken was also fabulous. One thing I noticed in all of the dishes was how finely chopped all of the veggies and meats are. This creates tender, easy to eat options, which I really enjoyed. So, the butter chicken was extremely tender (an issue I usually have with chicken dishes at Indian buffets are the toughness of the overcooked meat) and was definitely butter with just enough heat.
One interesting thing about this place is there some dishes with Asian influence. There are cold Asian noodles, which are quite refreshing in the heat of all of the heavier dishes. There were even chicken dishes with a sort of sweet-and-sour chicken flavor you would get at a Chinese buffet. These were nothing crazy good, but unique for an Indian buffet.

The na-an is found on the buffet, and I found it cooked perfectly. It had bites that were a little soft and chewy, and bites that were crispy and charred, my favorite! Though, no outstanding flavor. But when you are dipping it into all of those delicious sauces, who cares?!
On the table, we were given a gluten-free, very crispy cracker-type of bread. I am not sure what this was called, but it was a nice contrast of textures against all of the softer, chewier items.

For dessert, there was a deliciously spiced rice pudding (a lot of cardamon and cinnamon was detected) as well as those typical donut balls (sorry, don’t know the name and didn’t try them) and some mango custard, which was very tasty and helped calm down my acid reflux after this perfectly spicy meal.

Overall
My new favorite, must hit up, Indian lunch buffet. Not only was the buffet huge and delicious (I still need to go back to try half of it that I could not fit in my belly) but the service was very kind and generous. While we arrived at opening time (11:00 on a Friday), the buffet was not yet filled. So, the waitress asked us to wait about 10 minutes. In that time, we got our drinks, and almost every worker came by to chat. They asked how we were doing, if we had been there before, if we had any questions. It was not overbearing, but simply friendly and appreciated. On our way out, I was asked how the meal was and I ranted about how it was the best I have had. The smiles of pride given at that moment show how important this restaurant is to this family and its employees. They really care to be the best and make everyone’s experience top notch.
The price for this buffet was around $11 per person, which I believe was a steal. I ate…well, a lot. I can’t wait to see you again, soon, Flavors!

Food Review: Taste of Thai in Fayetteville

Northwest Arkansas has such great food variety, including multiple Thai food restaurants from which to choose. I have now tried three Thai food restaurants around the Fayetteville area, and this one is definitely my favorite. Here’s the breakdown:

The Environment

Located in the downtown Fayetteville square, Taste of Thai (the original) is in a great location. We happened to be in the area right after Christmas, so all of the square’s Christmas lights were still bright and shining.

We arrived around 7:30 on a Friday night and did not have to wait for a table for four. The interior is a bit on the small side, and we were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurants, surrounded by other tables.

The Menu

The menu is huge! I believe you can find something fitted for even the pickiest of people here. Our friends that came along mentioned that this place is known for their amazing curries, so this is where we focused the majority of our attention.
*There is also a page solely dedicated to vegetarian dishes, which is pretty nifty.

          

              

The Food

Fried Spring Rolls. $6.95
Description: Thai style spring rolls stuffed with clear noodles, mixed vegetables and deep fried. Served with sweet sauce and ground peanuts.

   


Our table split the fried spring rolls appetizer. There was nothing special here. The rolls were stuffed mostly with noodles and cabbage. The sauce was pretty typical for what you expect with this appetizer. The rolls were at least not too greasy, which can be an issue with this app.

Green Papaya Salad, $7.95
Description: Shredded green papaya mixed with garlic, tomatoes, and fresh lime juice. Served with cabbage.


I wanted to eat a  little lighter/ healthier, so I figured I could fill up on the papaya salad and take home any leftovers of the heftier curry entrees.
The salad was large, but whoa, it was difficult to eat. The only flavors I got were extreme heat and lime juice. It was very acidic. I could not have eaten this as is. So, I dumped our leftover “sweet sauce with chopped peanuts” that was left over from the fried spring rolls all over it. This helped tremendously, and I was able to eat the whole salad. Though, I still did not enjoy it. Others at my table agreed, and I was left to finish it off all on my own.
To be fair, I have only tried one other papaya salad in Portland, which was even spicier. Perhaps I am just not a papaya salad kind of girl?

Kang Pa-Nang Curry with Beef. $11.95
Description: Choice of meat (chicken, beef, or pork…or pricier for shrimp or a combo of shrimp, scallops, and salmon. You can also order with tofu) with Pa-Nang curry sauce, green peas, ground peanuts, basil, and coconut milk.

HOLY MOLY! This was the best pa-nang curry I have ever had. I love pa-nang curry, never met one I didn’t appreciate. However, this one was a little extra sweet and the beef flavor really helped give it depth. I also loved the crushed peanuts on the top. This gave great texture as well as a little extra flavor.
All curry dishes come with either white or brown rice, which is served separately from the curry. I did not eat even one bite of rice. I don’t have belly room for a filler. This curry (as well as the mas-samun) was too tasty!
While the price seemed cheap for what I usually see for curries at Thai restaurants, the dish was actually pretty small. Spoiler alert: no leftovers were taken home. So much for filling my belly with salad first, right? Oops.

Mas-Samun Curry Tofu. $11.50
Description: Tofu, potatoes, onions, peanuts, cauliflower, broccoli, and coconut milk in mas-samun curry sauce.

We ordered this dish off of the vegetarian part of the menu. I hardly ever see “mas-samun” curry on a menu, but when I do, I get it….it is delicious! I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked by the waiter if I wanted my tofu fried or steamed. Fried, please! In my opinion, there is nothing worse than ordering tofu in a dish and getting huge blocks of steamed, mushy tofu. This was the exact opposite. The tofu was cut into nicely sized bites and fried just enough to give it that crispy texture on the exterior. Thank you, Taste of Thai!
The curry sauce was divine. It was sweet with a little more heat than the pa-nang curry (both were ordered a heat level of 3/5), but still with a ton of flavorful depth.
The vegetables were cooked perfectly al dente, so there was still crunch and chew to the broccoli and cauliflower. The veggies were also plentiful. This dish was amazing. Think any of this got taken home in a to-go box? Nope….impossible not to eat it all in one setting.

Overall
Our friends were right. This is the place for the best curries. These were absolutely the best curries I have ever had. When, not if, I return, I don’t think I can order anything else than the pa-nang and mas-samun curries. They were too perfect.
As for the appetizers we tried, I will definitely skip out on those. Maybe trade them in for another type of curry dish?
As for the prices, they seem low, which is great. However, the portions are smaller, so there is no room for leftovers, which I usually have at other Thai restaurants. So, I suppose that is fair.
The service was fine, nothing great, nothing to complain about. The restaurant is a little crowded, but who can blame them? This place is delicious and in a wonderful, buzzing part of town.
Will I return? Hell yea.