House Of Tandoor Indian and Nepali Cuisine — Restaurant in Newton

While still able to put away gargantuan amounts of food, my visits to any buffet spots have decreased tremendously over the last decade. My preference for cooked to order has far exceeded the desire to get the most of out of the dollar with food that has been hot held for god knows how long (not to mention endless reheats). So what makes this spot an exception to that preference?

So far, all the Indian spots I've been to around here since the move have simply served rehears of precooked dishes (except for Naan), which is honestly to no surprise and a non-issue. The only time I usually have an issue with reheats is when it comes to Tandoori anything. Even that is understandable as who really wants to wait 30-40 minutes.

With all that in mind and considering what is offered at this buffet line daily, I found myself making that one exception. I usually order tandoori chicken, goat curry, saag of any kind, chana or dal, and basmati rice anywhere I go. So with these often at this buffet, it made sense to just come here for a couple plates and pay significantly less for just about the same quality and taste.

Definitely recommend this spot for a fast and relatively cheap Indian...

The changing circumstances of the pandemic have created many challenges for restaurants, so I try to be forgiving about problems. Nevertheless, it's also important for customers to be aware of problems that seem to have become persistent, so I'm going to warn you that take out orders from House of Tandoor tend not to be ready on time, especially during peak times such as Friday and Saturday evenings.

Last Friday, I showed up when my order was supposed to be ready, at 6:20 pm. At 7:05, after reminding the staff member at the front desk of the name on the order for probably the sixth time and expressing my annoyance, he finally went into the kitchen to investigate. I could suddenly see lots of people scurrying around and, a few minutes later, he emerged with my order.

While I'd been waiting, there were a number of other people also awaiting overdue orders. One woman commented to me that the food is always good but that she never comes on time to pick up her order because she's learned that it won't be ready. On this night she'd come over 30 minutes late and her order still...

I’m not sure how House of Tandor got all these glowing reviews (which I notice are mostly lacking in detail and seem very similar to one another). Our experience was disappointing, like that of the earlier reviewers. The samosas were delicious, but all other dishes were bland and undistinguished, including the vegetable pakora, Aloo Tiki, Jeera Aloo (potatoes and cumin), Jhanaeko Daal (lentils), and Shahi Bindi Bhuna (okra). The chef needs more conviction in seasoning these dishes, which taste as if they’ve been “dumbed down” for a general audience. The okra was also very, very oily. The restaurant shows promise and I hope it will continue to offer a generous selection of vegan options. Vegan cooking can be just as delicious as food made from animal products, but the cooking at House of Tandor needs to be bolder as well as more refined in order to...