The Leptologists Eat at The Taj Palace

Candice: We're heading to Hilliard today, to the Taj Palace.
Paul: Indian food sounds good. Let's go!
Candice: It smells great. There seems to be a good lunch crowd today, maybe fifteen people eating at the buffet.
Paul: We are seated, order drinks, and proceed to the buffet.
Candice: This looks like normal buffalo chicken wings and an American-style salad bar.
Paul: There's soup, Madras Soup, which is tomato with some grated coconut in it.
Candice: The naan is gone and they've only been open 30 minutes. That's annoying.

Paul's Plate #1

Paul: The soup... tastes like Campbell's Tomato Soup from a can. I can barely taste the coconut.
Candice: They were out of naan, but the waiter brought us fresh to the table. That was good of him. And this is very good naan: light, fresh, and tasty.
Paul: This chicken wing is... just a chicken wing. It seems out of place on an Indian buffet.
Candice: The Saag Paneer is bland. I expect more spice in my creamed spinach. The cheese is solid though.

Candice's Plate #1

Paul: The chickpeas, the Dah Rajrani, is bland as well. There's no flavor, no spice here, and worse yet, it's not heated through.
Candice: Did they not expect a lunch crowd?
Paul: The Beef Korma is spicy, however. And the beef isn't dry.
Candice: I'm not sure I am comfortable with an Indian restaurant that serves beef.
Paul: The Tandoori Chicken however is dry and not flavorful at all.
Candice: This pickled onion is interesting. Try it.
Paul: Um....
Candice: Your face just scrunched up like a five-year-old eating Brussels sprouts.

Paul's Plate #2

Paul: Pickled onions are not my thing.
Candice: I like the mint chutney. It's fresh and with the right consistency. The Tamarind Paste is tartly sweet. The hot sauce is chili sauce and strong.
Paul: It is.
Candice: Yet I'm not happy with anything here, except the naan. Why do you let me pick?
Paul: We have that in writing now.
Candice: It's official. I am not allowed to pick for a while.
Paul: I head to the buffet a third time for the mango custard.
Candice: How is it? On par with the rest of this ghastly lunch?

Candice's Plate #2

Paul: It is cleansing my palate with its bland, slightly mango-ish taste. It's smooth and seems like a basic, bland, institutional custard. Nothing special.
Candice: Bland about sums this lunch up. Nothing provided the zip of what I expect from Indian food. Where is the subtle layering of flavors I expect?
Paul: Americanized Indian food is a bad idea. I want something that excites my mouth when I eat Indian.
Candice: The Eggplant is inedible. The Chicken and Mushroom is uninteresting.
Paul: But it smelled good. Too bad it ended up so badly.
Candice: I don't ever want to come back.
Paul: Let's pay and get out of here.
Candice: It better be cheap.

	Candice	Paul
Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?