India Palace

What? An Indian buffet within five minutes from my house? Excuse me. I’m going to have to go buy bigger pants… Seriously. With my favourite Thai restaurant open in Burnside, my (second) favourite sushi restaurant open on Portland Street, and now a great Indian restaurant further up on Cole Habour Road — my whole ‘complain about the suburbs’ shtick might be coming to a delicious end.
I’m the first to be skeptical about restaurants opening in the strip mall district of Cole Harbour but as soon as you walk into India Palace, you’re going to lose any of those concerns. The décor is upscale-​cozy with comfortable fabric-​wrapped chairs, beautiful light fixtures, and a gorgeous bar. The staff are warm, welcoming, and genuinely excited that you’re going to try their food. We also were thrilled with a couple of visits from a lady who was very proud to have done all the cooking herself — she was absolutely delightful and I just want to make her teach me how she does it. Oh — and she gave me grief for not paying for my female friends. I THINK she was kidding.
From what I could tell, there’s no actual menu but rather just the buffet which they change out all the time. Well, that’s a complete guess based on the fact that Lacey H. had a completely different selection. Either way, our server (who I also think was the owner) was very patient in explaining each dish and making sure us vegetarians kept within our own safety zone. During our visit there was plenty to choose from. There were about five meat-​free options with two beef dishes and one chicken to appease the carnivores. That said, we all agreed the Chana Masala was a stand-​out with perfect spicing that had kick without making you break out the sweat bands.
At about $ 14 per person, I can’t say it’s exactly cheap enough to become a regular destination for me, but it’s definitely going to be fantastic for keeping those cravings for a solid Indian feast at bay!

An Indian buffet cropping up in an unlikely Cole Harbour strip mall is both divine intervention and a sign of ever expanding horizons.
I was thrilled to hear the news, reported to me by my mother, that there was indeed a new Indian restaurant where Café Michele once resided in the relatively compact community of Cole Harbour. I made my way over yesterday to readily indulge in spicy offerings, but lo and behold, closed on Mondays.
Today, another voyage across the bridge in search of rich, saucy dishes brought us into this quaint resto around noon. A friendly lady greeted us and directed us to any table we so desired. The furnishings are leftover from Café Michele, creating a fairly tasteful and cozy atmosphere.
Grabbing plates, we arrived at the row of platters, three veggie options and three carnivorous choices. The dishes were fresh and amply topped, with daal makhani, pad thai and aloo muttar along with rice and naan making tracks onto my plate. The most boisterous of the dishes was the aloo muttar, bringing together chunky vegetables, buttery spice, and a plethora of flavor sensations.
I was pleased overall with the gentle spice and the well rounded flavors, finding the dishes more finely tuned than those at the sister restaurant in Bayers Lake. We received a craft of water, and indulged in a gorge fest of flavors and conversation.
Andrew and I were pleased with the offerings, but concluded that the addition of some raita and maybe pakoras or samosas would round out the meal. The cost is higher than the Halifax location, due to less customer flow and a perhaps a higher building rental fee.
For two people it came to about $ 30, which does seem like a steep price for our entirely veggie meals. Nevertheless, price seems inconsequential when you’ve pined for Indian buffets in the HRM for years. When your prayers finally make it to the top of the list, you thank your lucky stars instead of counting pennies.