My girlfriend and I had a lovely lunch at the Royal Taj, 8874 McGaw Road in Columbia this week. They put out a spectacular Indian buffet every day of the week, starting at 11:30am. Although they are also open each night for dinner, the lunch buffet is an awesome deal at $11.95 per person (weekdays) and $12.95 on the weekend. If you enjoy Indian food, then you will absolutely love this place. If you are new to Indian food, and you're up for an adventurous meal, then this is a perfect place to start.
The lunch buffet at Royal Taj is enormous. I have also tried, and liked, the lunch buffet at Akbar's and Indian Palace, both off Snowdon River Parkway in Columbia. However, Royal Taj is a cut above the others. The selection of appetizers includes freshly made dosas (crispy pancakes enclosing warm potato filling), Alu Tikki (mashed potato patties dipped in spicy chickpea batter and fried golden brown), and vegetable pakoras. They offer a hot soup called sambal which I have never tried. There is also fresh salad, raita, and chutneys for dipping. The naan is fresh out of the tandoori oven, steaming hot and chewy. Everything looks and tastes very fresh and delicious.
The main entrees always include lots of vegetable dishes. We almost always find saag, a yummy spinach dish cooked with spices. This week, we also sampled the vegetable korma, a mixture of veggies in a curried yogurt sauce. Punjabi kadi was a spicy vegetable fritter in a creamy curry sauce. There were also several boneless chicken dishes, such as chicken tikka masala in a creamy tomato-based sauce. Although the restaurant serves seafood and lamb entrees, these items are not usually found on the lunch buffet.
For dessert, and you simply must save some room, there is always hot masala chai. If you love chai, as I do, you will not want to skip this milky, sweet, perfectly-spiced beverage. In addition, there is usually a large bowl of kheer, a chilled rice pudding studded with golden raisins and almonds. Sometimes you might find gulab jamun, an Indian version of the doughnut hole. These deep-fried balls of cottage cheese dough are swimming in sweet honey sauce. If you are up for a splurge, do not skip over them! And we sampled a mildly sweet, cooked carrot concoction with raisins, nuts and spices. I liked it very much.
If you eat as much as I did, this one meal should last you at least 24 hours! And I am only slightly kidding! This was my third trip to Royal Taj and I have never been disappointed with a single dish. The staff is always very friendly and the service is excellent. I hope you visit them soon.
Photographs by Karen Kelly.
hocofood@@@
The lunch buffet at Royal Taj is enormous. I have also tried, and liked, the lunch buffet at Akbar's and Indian Palace, both off Snowdon River Parkway in Columbia. However, Royal Taj is a cut above the others. The selection of appetizers includes freshly made dosas (crispy pancakes enclosing warm potato filling), Alu Tikki (mashed potato patties dipped in spicy chickpea batter and fried golden brown), and vegetable pakoras. They offer a hot soup called sambal which I have never tried. There is also fresh salad, raita, and chutneys for dipping. The naan is fresh out of the tandoori oven, steaming hot and chewy. Everything looks and tastes very fresh and delicious.
The main entrees always include lots of vegetable dishes. We almost always find saag, a yummy spinach dish cooked with spices. This week, we also sampled the vegetable korma, a mixture of veggies in a curried yogurt sauce. Punjabi kadi was a spicy vegetable fritter in a creamy curry sauce. There were also several boneless chicken dishes, such as chicken tikka masala in a creamy tomato-based sauce. Although the restaurant serves seafood and lamb entrees, these items are not usually found on the lunch buffet.
For dessert, and you simply must save some room, there is always hot masala chai. If you love chai, as I do, you will not want to skip this milky, sweet, perfectly-spiced beverage. In addition, there is usually a large bowl of kheer, a chilled rice pudding studded with golden raisins and almonds. Sometimes you might find gulab jamun, an Indian version of the doughnut hole. These deep-fried balls of cottage cheese dough are swimming in sweet honey sauce. If you are up for a splurge, do not skip over them! And we sampled a mildly sweet, cooked carrot concoction with raisins, nuts and spices. I liked it very much.
If you eat as much as I did, this one meal should last you at least 24 hours! And I am only slightly kidding! This was my third trip to Royal Taj and I have never been disappointed with a single dish. The staff is always very friendly and the service is excellent. I hope you visit them soon.
Photographs by Karen Kelly.
hocofood@@@
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