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| - I have to say that I've had mixed experiences here. The meals I've had have been hit-or miss, but the buffets have always been satisfying (as long as I don't arrive at the end of it!). One of the first dishes I've got from here was vegetable Chettinad, an item not often on Indian menus, and for good reason. It's not terrible, but I imagine most people would never find occasion to order it a second time, as is the case with me. I quite enjoyed the presentation and taste of the navrattan korma, which is very nicely topped with a cherry that adds to the dish in a pleasantly different way. However, I can't get past the notion that the ingredients are rather cheap-ish; while I cannot be sure, I get the impression that the vegetables are canned, as are many of the tomato-based sauces I find myself eating. Very recently I also had a mango lassee that was somehow off... at first it was served to me warm, which my waiter happily corrected, but even chilled, it had a syrupy texture, and less yogurt-y like I had wanted. Part of the premise behind ordering a mango lassee is so the dairy in the beverage neutralizes the acidity/spiciness of what you're eating. I didn't have to wait for my food to arrive to realizing what I was served would fail to serve that role. The waiter, however, was very accommodating and took it off my bill. Yet I feel that lassees I've had in the past were just fine. I realize this may be a silly thing to split hairs over, but it confuses me nonetheless.
I'm willing to take this in stride, though. Tamarind is in a very good location, and has very low prices, especially with the buffet. A common trend among restaurants is that lower menu prices correlate with cheaper ingredients, and Tamarind is no exception. I still have to qualify that the food here is still much better than other Pittsburgh-area Indian restaurants that share its price level. Because of this, I don't find it too hard to look past this reality and simply allow myself to enjoy the experience.
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