I stopped at India Garden for the first time today. I was hungry, driving home to make some pasta, when I saw the lunch buffet signage. I'm not one to pass up a buffet, and I've only been in Lakewood a few months so I haven't checked everything out yet. I thought I'd give it a shot.

Let me tell you, the food was delicious! By no means am I a connoisseur of Indian food. I've been to about 5 different places in the Cleveland area, a lunch buffet in Charleston, WV, and I had a housemate from India that cooked for everyone at Diwali. I really have to say, this is the best Indian food I've ever had!

There were plenty of options to sample; I was able to try a little of almost everything. The tikka masala... I could have gotten a whole bowl of just that! The chickpea salad and hot and sour pickles (green mango w/ spices) were different and delicious. The tamarind chutney was sweet, and the mint chutney was refreshing and spicy! If you're worried about things being too hot, everything was about 1-2 spice level. I'm not the biggest fan of heat, but it was bearable for me! For reference, I love Pad Thai and get it at a 3, and usually give up halfway. If you like your food spicier, I'm sure Ram, the server, will be happy to accommodate you!

Speaking of service, Ram and Joe were great. The restaurant is intimate, I liked the music, and it was nice and cool, not that it's been very hot lately. I know I caught them right at the end of service (I showed up around 2:00-- the place was cleared by the time I was done), but they didn't give it a second thought. Ram offered me some of his personally made "very spicy" mint chutney, but I politely declined, as I wasn't feeling that adventurous today. We had a nice chat, I met the cook (Mantram, I think?), and it was just a lovely experience!

I gotta say, I think I made the best lunch decision I've ever made by stopping there! I was pleasantly surprised at everything!