India's Taste

I had a hankering for AYCE sushi the other day. But one of my friends doesn't eat anything raw. So that was out of the question.

Instead she suggested Indian buffet which I also enjoy. Though, most of the time, for that, I usually end up across the street from my condo at Chef of India. Problem was they only have a lunch-time buffet and it was too late for that.

So she suggested India's Taste on Denison, east of Woodbine, in Markham. They offer an all-day buffet. We've gone there before. A year or two ago I believe. Back then it was more of a hole in the wall. Now, after renovations, it looks quite nice inside.

We arranged to meet at 6:30. Traffic from my place was a lot better than I expected. I arrived over 15 minutes early. Still I waited until around 6:30 before entering. I didn't want to sit by myself for too long. Luckily there was no line so I was seated right away.

They gave me a booth which was nice. It could actually seat six though there were only two of us. The seating between you and the table was a little tight, but manageable.

They have a good selection of items. I have to admit I know next to nothing about Indian cuisine. So I won't attempt to tell you what they had. Suffice to say, there was a fair bit to choose from. Like the booth we were sitting in, the buffet tables were tightly packed together too. Not a big deal. Just make sure to keep your elbows in.

Shortly after we started eating the crowds came. It was packed. Part of the problem was that my friends, Rob and Kathleen, showed up with their daughter and her ringette team after their game. Their group had at least fifteen people in it. Needless to say, the crowds spilled into the dining area.

We had a good meal. I ate too much. Again. I would have liked to have stayed a little longer to sit and relax, but we sort of felt guilty because of such a long line at the front.

Dinner was a reasonable $15.99 plus tax and tip. Cheaper than a Chinese buffet with better food.

Dinner at India's Taste Restaurant

My friend and I went to India's Taste restaurant for dinner on Sunday. It's an all day buffet restaurant located on Denison Street, east of Woodbine Avenue. Normally Indian restaurants, if they offer buffets, only have them at lunchtime. So this was kind of cool.

It was my first time eating there. My friend had been before though. It's not a fancy place; far from it. No matter... I had a hankering for Indian food, so satisfying that need was all I cared about.

We arrived kind of late - at a few minutes after 9:00 p.m. The sign on the door said the restaurant closed at 10:00 so we figured we had enough time. After all, what restaurant shuts its doors right at the stated time on the door?

The restaurant was quite busy when we took our seats. I guess it's a popular place. It's not a big restaurant. The selection at the buffet was alright. Now, even though I like Indian food, I don't know anything about it. I have no idea what anything is. Normally I just try a bit of everything and see how it goes.

My friend and I filled up our first plates with food and returned to our seats to eat. I'm normally a slow eater so it took me a fair amount of time to finish what I had. My philosophy is - dining is a pursuit to be savored and enjoyed. It's a leisure activity.

While I was filling my second plate with food my friend came up to me and said the server came up to her as mentioned the buffet would be closing in five minutes. Panicking we rushed to fill a few plates with food and dessert before it all disappeared. We figured if we had our food we could sit and enjoy the rest of our meal. Well... it didn't exactly turn out that way.

Not long after patrons started getting up and leaving (I assume they were regulars who knew what was going on). The staff then started cleaning up and putting chairs on the tables. We figured our time there was now very limited. That's when we started stuffing everything on our plates into our mouthes as quickly as we could.

Sure enough the restaurant closed right at 10:00. The lights were turned out and everyone was ushered out to the parking lot. We finished most of what we took, but being short on time didn't completely clean our plates. Both of us had sore tummies from stuffing ourselves in such a short period of time.

I believe the restaurant could have (or should have) opened a bit longer for it's patrons. I mean, who in their right mind closes right at the hour they say on the door? Next time we'll know... if we want to eat there we'd better arrive at least a couple of hours before closing.