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| - Swagat has become the 'go to' option for Indian food in Madison for my family and I. Their lunch buffet is very solid, making this a frequent destination of choice for a few of my colleagues and I as well. Let me say upfront that in a slightly more perfect world I'd love to give Swagat 4.5 stars, which I think is the perfect rating for them, but in the end I think the 4 star rating is the most fair and accurate option.
I'll start with the lunch buffet. Every time I've been in for lunch there have been a wide variety of very tasty options to choose from. There's always a curry of some sort, soups, desserts, appetizers, a salad, naan, a couple rice dishes, a couple veggie dishes, as well as chicken tikka masala and a single 'Chinese' dish. The variety is what really makes the lunch buffet an awesome option and I've always found at least one or two stand out options each time I've visited. If they have the chili pakora when you visit it's a MUST have (check the appetizers). These are delicious! The chicken tikka masala is probably the most consistent dish on the buffet and is always very good, although I do find that I need to add quite a bit of spice in one way or another. It makes sense to cook for a relatively mild midwest palate (especially as a buffet) and fortunately there's a really nice chutney and sauces bar to help perk things up a bit. The most unexpected element of the buffet is the single dish cooked in the style of Chinese food that seems to be present every time I go in. Not only is this unexpected at an Indian buffet, it's almost always REALLY tasty, so I guess on the whole that's a win. For me, the dishes that are not scared to be on the spicy side are almost always the best overall, but I've rarely had anything bad. Sometimes, but not always, the table is given a basket of hot fresh naan and there's always garlic naan as part of the buffet so that cornerstone is firmly in place. As a great friend of mine is very fond of saying it's the melange of flavors that really makes Swagat an excellent choice for lunch!
Outside of lunch I've order food to go from Swagat a number of times. Many of their made to order dishes never seem to show up on the buffet because they're EXCELLENT! Again, I understand the economics involved but dishes like the palak mushrooms and chicken vindaloo are SO good it would be awesome to catch them by luck from time to time. the take out option is great, but there's just nothing like enjoying a dish hot out of the kitchen and some dishes certainly travel better than others. My wife and our kids all have favorites from Swagat and they're prepared consistently well.
So, take home message, great food and very good service; but a bit light handed with the spice (and occasionally the seasoning). Lunch buffet is a very solid option, but dining in off the regular menu is probably the best if it'll work. If not, take out is another great option (and executed well) but some dishes certainly make the trip home more easily than others.
Thanks Swagat, you guys are great!
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