Nalan Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Lemoyne

The restaurant is but 1 week old, replacing Mezza Cafe - a Lebanese restaurant. I was eager to try it out and there's no better way than a lunch buffet to sample many of its offerings. At $10.99 per person, you have access to about 10-12 dishes. Here's today's line-up:

Tandoori Chicken Chicken Biryani Chicken Chettinad* Chicken Tikka Masala Mirchi Ka Salan* Aloo Gobi Vegetable Pakora Vegetarian Fried Rice Naan Sambar* Salad Bar Payasam (rice pudding)

I was delighted to see 3 dishes I've never seen before (marked with * in list above). The proverbial Chicken Biryani was the most flavorful I've ever tasted; unfortunately, there were a lot of chipped bones in the rice. Chicken Tandoori was also commendable in its execution. Mirchi chili pepper curry was spicy in a good way and got my sinus cleared in a hurry :) The Sambar soup was way too salty for me. Lastly, the payasam rice pudding was served hot. I've never had it hot before but I loved it. I had 2 big servings. Unlike cold pudding, I wasn't afraid of upsetting my stomach from splurging on it :) It was a perfect, soothing, dessert after all the salt and spices. The rest was on or below par compared to competitions.

Service is also on or below par. There's only 1 wait staff, plus occasionally the owner would help out. Unlike some competitors, here they don't serve you freshly made naan at the table; you get them at the buffet set along with the rest of the food.

I like the decors. The numerous sconces provide excellent ambiance.

Oh, thanks for the advice from a fellow reviewer, we arrived at the buffet 5 minutes before noon. We had the buffet all to ourselves. By 12:40, the place was full with 5-6 people wait listed. We saw the line ground to a halt when the ran out of clean plates.

I would place Namaste somewhere between Himalayan Fusion and Bawarchi. Descent place but not...

During my recent business trip to Downingtown, PA, I stumbled upon Nalan Indian Cuisine, a place that promised authentic South Indian flavors. Being a proud Keralite myself, I was excited to indulge in some traditional favorites, including porotta and chicken curry, which are close to my heart.

My order also included the intriguing Karuvepallai Chicken, a dish I was eager to try due to its unique appeal. While I placed my order through Uber Eats, I did notice that the food quantity seemed somewhat limited.

The Porotta Chicken Curry combination was a highlight of my meal experience. The porotta was a delightful surprise, being both fresh and packed with flavor. The chicken curry complemented the porotta perfectly, offering a harmonious blend of spices and a satisfying taste. I would confidently rate this duo a solid 9 out of 10.

On to the Karuvepallai Chicken – while the dish had potential, I found it to be a bit underwhelming. Despite requesting it to be spicy, the spice level didn't quite meet my expectations. The flavors were decent, but the dish lacked the fiery kick I was anticipating.

Overall, Nalan Indian Cuisine provides a decent offering for South Indian delicacies. The Porotta Chicken Curry combination truly stood out with its authentic taste, reminding me of the flavors back home. However, the Karuvepallai Chicken left me wanting more heat. The food quality was notable, but I can't help but wish the portions were a bit more generous.

For anyone in the Downingtown area looking to savor South Indian cuisine, Nalan Indian Cuisine is a worthy option. While there were a few minor letdowns, the restaurant still manages to capture the essence of South Indian flavors, making it a commendable choice for those seeking a taste of...

So we actually have been to Nalan regularly since we moved to PA, and have usually enjoyed our meals because the place was almost empty - last time they had construction happening but we didn’t mind because the food was worth it. Tonight however was a complete 180, we walked in to a packed restaurant, which is great because we want to support local businesses who are making a comeback, however post haphazardly being seated we were made to wait 20 mins to have our food ordered. Still okay! It’s Friday night but then things just went south fast…our servers looked completely overwhelmed, multiple requests for taking our order and having my husband getting up to go inquire after it - got us some attention. However, seated on the other side a server was effortlessly holding a 5 minute conversation with a table, and going above and beyond in “providing service” and then blatantly ignoring us. The other server, looking miserable, had to wait on all the other tables because of this one person. Ironically this is the same guy who in past has basically stood infront of us and held lengthy conversations too. When the food finally arrived, it was cold and clumped up. The service was mediocre at best. I felt bad for our server, we had to ask for a pen to sign our check, to go boxes multiple times and overall had to be prepared for the opposite of what we expected from Nalan. It’s unfortunate because we went there once a week and now won’t be...