A sumptuous Indian buffet nonpareil

We live on the East Coast and discovered Indian Hot Spot for lunch buffet during our visit to Berkeley. The restaurant is in San Ramon, about 40 minutes from Cal/Berkeley dorms. Parking was free and accessible; the place was right across from a Safeway and a gas station. The experience was so great that I decided to write about it in detail. 

Entering the restaurant, the doors open into a large area, sectioned into two columnar spaces, the left of which has regular tables and seats, and the right has colorful sofas done with great taste. There are four large posters on the wall, one depicting a vibrant jarokha. A mithai shop on the right displays a meticulous presentation of cham chams and other sweetmeats. The souvenir shop on the left showcases thalis, rakhis, and other shimmering trinkets. 

After a short walk through the seated masses of hungry families gobbling down delicious spicy momos, young kids sipping on their mango Lassi, and the singles engaged in ethereal topics, a delightful area right next to the door to a patio at the end of the hallway overwhelms my senses of vision and smell. A sumptuous buffet awaits me among all this mild hubbub. I position myself at the end of a long line. In a resolute inner voice, I promise to devour every single vegetarian dish. Still, the excessive amount of time aunty jis spend in front of every dispenser of tasty delights is beyond my comprehension. Instead of thumbing on my phone, I play the culinary version of fantasy football in my head and scan the buffet inquisitively to gather information for expediency at my turn.

There are almost as many people in their seats as in the buffet line, and I wonder where everyone filling their plate will deposit their butt, yet I don't see anyone eating standing up. The line is long, and the taste buds yearning to be doused with pani pooris must wait. The slow-moving, meandering train of humanity, along with my body, now committedly chained with it, passes through vistas of tawa fry on the left and disproportionately large paneer tikka on the right. As the junta halts temporarily at each savory station, some hesitate about whether mouth-watering Hakka noodles should be loaded now or later. Others ponder about slathering their chaat with fresh-smelling green chutney or red or not using any altogether. The unabashed grab too many extra pieces of freshly buttered hot, steamy, and soft naan lest they miss their chances for the seconds for reasons beyond their control. After all, it is a bustling place today and one should get it while the going is good.  All these independent decisions cause the line to move at an unpredictable speed. I become less sure when my stomach will receive sustenance as I have just picked up a plate and tried to finagle a spoon from the table under the elbow space of the tall man ahead of me. The cutlery is solid, and the spoons are big. The forks are shiny, but there is no knife. I will be ok, I tell myself, but then realize my idiocy as I don't need a knife with Indian food. As the line trudges along, I pick up a paper cup and fill it with thick yellow, sweet, and sour mango Lassi. I am tempted to take a swig of it, but my sense of propriety takes over. An old lady cuts through the line to pick up a couple of naans, and the crowd begrudgingly forgives her.  After all, wouldn't you do the same if you were short of a naan or two?  

Finally, I, too, make it to the round chafing dishes filled up to the brim with creamy mutter paneer, pindy choke flecked with protruding horizontally cut thin red onion slices, a mountain of fragile fried Papads, with holes acquired during the rolling of the dough with Kali mirch, a round dish with assorted deep fried pakoras cutlets and samosas. I do what I can to stay true to my goal and gently pour almost everything into my plate. Still, there are just too many items, the plate has finite space, and I have only two hands, which are getting tired by the weight of the food and the awkwardness of carrying the Lassi cup, which is leaning like the tower of Pisa under the plate. The plate is dangerously lurching in all unpredictable directions and on all axes.  There isn't much time to decide, lest it alight and shatter on the floor; besides, those sweet, dark, syrupy Gulab Jamun and the granular, sticky yellow Moong Daal halwa must be accounted for, and that too in small separate katoris. The circumstances have defeated me, and I have no option but to return to the buffer later. 

I head out to the patio and struggle to choose between the high table and wickerish love seats with chairs. I pan a glance 120 degrees around the circumference of the patio; I look up. The sky is clear blue, and the breeze is refreshing.  The sun is harsh, but the triangular patio awnings are blocking the sun, effectively, leaving only slivers of sunlight to pass through where the awning pieces join. I settle on a barstool and start eating the delectables on my plate which is placed on top of a vividly beautiful laminated table mat.  

Everything I eat tastes different from everything else on my plate; all taste nonpareil on their own. I find a long cinnamon stick in daal makhani, then cardamom in pulao. There are no common base palates like I experienced in the dishes at other Indian restaurants. I know now with greater certainty that the dishes have been prepared without shortcuts. The owner walks around, asking guests how everything is. This is a welcome change from other Indian restaurants, where they rarely ask me about my experience. Encouraged, I try some more of the same and a few other untried dishes. The buffet has so many items, and there is no way I can enjoy them all, but there is always next weekend.  For now, I regret becoming full before tasting them all. 

The feast lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, and I decided to return. While driving, somnolence set in. Fortunate to have driven just in time to home, I slept peacefully for a couple of hours. 

I have traveled to many US places but have not encountered such an extensive, high-quality buffet. Both quality and value-wise, it was an incredible experience. The food was excellent, and the staff was presentable and courteous. Although I tried to describe it in my review, the satisfaction was indescribable.