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| - Tandul is a quaint, new Indian restaurant in Tremont. I recently went to try the lunch buffet and found it sparse compared to other Indian buffets in NEO. The main offerings were basmati rice, lemon rice, two chicken dishes, a vegetable dish, a dal, samosas, and gulab jamun. That's quite a few options, but one of the chicken dishes was essentially gone and was not refilled and there were only about three pieces of naan left when we arrived. There was still about an hour left for the posted buffet hours, so that was a bit disappointing.
What we did sample was tasty. The butter chicken had good flavor, the samosas were quite spicy (though oddly cut in half), the lemon rice had cashew bits, and the gulab jamun was perfect. I don't often see it at Indian buffets as the process to make it is time consuming, so I was happy to have it at Tandul.
I did order a mango lassi after sampling a samosa. I wanted something to tame the heat, and this lassi was ideal for that purpose. It was probably the thickest lassi I've ever had, with a pronounced yogurt flavor. I might not order it with the buffet again, but I think it would be an excellent choice for something like a fiery lamb vindaloo.
Toward the end of our meal, our server did come out with hot, fresh, buttery naan. That made my mouth happy; I just wish it had been presented at the beginning of the meal! However, our server was so genuinely kind and attentive. It seemed like he definitely cared about our experience and wanted to make sure that we left happy, and that carries a lot of clout with me.
My rating is somewhere between a 3 and a 4 as I was a little underwhelmed by the buffet, but the fresh, hot naan, the thick mango lassi, and the superb service from our waiter would give me reason to come back.
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