Narayanni's - Succulent Indian Buffet (Edmonton 30 in 30)

Its interesting how things pass by you on the first go around. During medical school I would spend many hours frequenting the restaurants and bars on Whyte Avenue and would often pass by Narayanni's, discounting it for its drab exterior and lettering out of the 1980's. It was with a double take when I perused through its Urbanspoon reviews and realized it was selected as Avenue Magazine's top Indian restaurant of 2013. With a smile and chuckle I realized I had missed a hidden gem, a wonderful hole in the wall restaurant featuring quality Indian food. Well I simply had to reverse that and with genuine excitement I was out of the door to Narayanni's.

Lo and behold, the restaurant exterior had not changed one bit. The exterior resembles an airport hanger and at first glance one might miss the fact that it is a restaurant. The blue lettering is readable in the best of light and illegible at night. Shame though because the interior is actually beautiful. A multitude of large tables surround a central buffet table lined with trays of delectable Indian delights.

The owners of Narayanni's only offer a rotating dinner buffet from Tuesday to Sunday. They list a large number of items on their website but each night takes a select number depending on availability of ingredients and chef preference. Special mention needs to go to their Tuesday night Vegan buffet which I imagine must be a hit within the vegan community.

Appetizers include Onion Bhaji and Papadums served with Mint Chutney and Spicy Mango Chutney. The papadums here are nicely fried and light and goes well with the two chutneys. Special attention falls to their mango chutney which has a nice balance of fiery spice with cooling chunks of sweet mango.

Their soup today was a Ginger Carrot Soup. Normally the soups at a buffet are mediocre at best, but this was incredible! The base of vegetable broth had a strong ginger flavour which was contrasted with the sweetness and savouriness of the carrot. I was impressed by the bold use of flavours and the depth imparted into the soup.

Salads at the buffet included a Cucumber Raita, Lemon Pickle Dip, Wedding Salad, Greek Salad. Although seemingly secondary additions to round out a meal, I was excited by the unique twists added into each fresh and tasty salad: the paneer in the "Greek salad" and the spicy dressing in the wedding salad.

Vegetable options included, top going clockwise: Dahl, Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Potatoes, Green Beans, Mushroom Masala, Roasted Okra and Tofu Curry with Basmati Rice in the middle. The litany of options here was impressive and while each dish had a carefully crafted flavour profile, the best of the bunch was the okra and tofu/paneer curry. The soft whole okra was cooked perfectly and was devoid of any slimey-ness and paired with a wonderfully rich curry sauce.

There were two protein options including Chicken Curry (right) and Grilled Masala Chicken (left). I was slightly disappointed by the variety of protein options available, but nevertheless was surprised at the succulent grilled chicken that had a warm crisp skin but juicy meat. The chicken curry had a rich deep spicy curry flavour mixed in with the cubes of tender chicken breast.

Two desserts offered were Cinnamon Infused Rice Pudding (left) and Chocolate Mousse (right). The aroma emanating from the cinnamon infused rice pudding was mouthwatering, even after having all the aforementioned food, and the flavour was a nice balance of mild rice with nutty cinnamon. The chocolate mousse was well done but nothing extra-ordinary.

Overall Narayanni's is a hidden gem in a city packed with Indian food. It is obvious the chefs put in tremendous effort to make sure each offering is authentic and tasty, a commendable task for a buffet. While the variety could have been improved, especially for protein options, each item was top notch and well flavoured. Narayanni's is an absolute recommendation for anyone looking for quality Indian food in Edmonton, just ignore the lackluster exteriors.