Who would have thought that the "little city" of Allen would become a battleground for Indian cuisine? OK, maybe not a battleground, but we've got some great choices now right here at home, and Spice Creations has just jumped to the top of my list. I visited on a Sunday afternoon to take in the buffet. The space is warm and inviting, yet modern. The buffet itself definitely focuses on quality over quantity, but isn't quality what you really want anyway? I loaded my place with a sampling of most of the dishes, and here's what I found:
Naan - Brought fresh to the table by the server, this was an outstanding example of the traditional bread. It had the right amount of crisp, the right amount of browning and it was lightly brushed with either oil or ghee.
Hara chara chicken - Served bone-in, this dish had a blend of spices, with coriander, mint and a little chili for spice. It was tender, moist and tasted great.
Chicken korma - Another nice dish, with a good garlic taste as well as notes of ginger and cloves. The sauce was very savory without being overpowering.
Chicken sikh kebab - If there was any of the dishes that were just really good instead of great today, this was it. Still, the chicken was moist and had a good flavor. Adding a little green chutney woke it up some as well.
Chicken makhani - Also known as "butter chicken", I've never had an example that was as good as this one. One could actually taste the curry and other notes, instead of just a bland sauce like so many other places. This was a favorite.
Chicken jalfrezi - The spiciest dish of the day (but still not crazy hot), this dish really brought the yum with chilis, cumin, coriander and a rich tomato sauce base. It was so refreshing to see this instead of the typical tikka masala.
Kashmiri dum aloo - A potato based dish, I've read that this is often a sweeter (and non-authentic) dish, but this example had a mildly spicy sauce with just a touch of sweet flavor and tender yet not mushy potatoes.
Methi malai paneer - Absolutely the best paneer (kind of an Indian cottage cheese, but more firm) dish that I've ever had. The paneer had a perfect amount of "give" to the bite, and had great flavor on its own, even outside of the outstanding curry based sauce, which featured nutty, spicy and methi (fenugreek) notes. If I had to ever swear off of meat, this would be a mainstay.
Idli - I had not had this typically South India breakfast food before, and it was a very nice accompaniment to the meal. These little rice-based cakes were served with two chutneys, one tomato based and one cilantro based, as well as a bowl of sambar, a kind of vegetable stew. They were tender, with a mild nutty taste, and went well with the sauces.
As you might guess, this was an outstanding meal. This place is right about putting "Spice" as the first word in its name, because they excel at this. And I don't mean "hot"; yes, there are some spicy dishes, but this restaurant is big on FLAVOR. These are not just bland sauces over forgettable chicken like many buffets; care has clearly been taken in crafting these dishes.
I also spoke to my server about buffet rotation; he assured me that the dishes did indeed rotate and that goat curry, one of my personal favorites, was in that rotation. I'll be back to try that for sure. Well, if you've stayed with this review so far, you should really consider checking this place out. If you live in Allen or otherwise near here, it's a no-brainer. I feel confident that you'll love it! read more