Lunch Buffet at the Bollywood Grill (Las Vegas)

Last Friday evening I discovered, quite by accident, that a new Indian buffet has opened west of the Strip. An Indian buffet! On the west side!

I was actually looking for a menu for the Golden Greek at Sahara/Decatur, so if anyone working there finds this post, please leave a link to your online menu. (It's 2008, people. C'mon. This coyness is unwise - we still have to try Opa and Yassou, you know.)

We couldn't wait to try the Bollywood Grill (Sahara/Rainbow) the next day. And, because the camcorder is still so new and shiny, here's the video:

In short, I wasn't blown away, but I'm intrigued. The location is great - no parking or traffic hassles. The service is excellent. The food is... well, the food needs a little kick in the pants. I don't know if they're trying to bland things up to reach a wider audience or if we just got unlucky. It didn't help that online reviews mentioned paneer and samosas. So, not finding either was a disappointment. I get as excited over a paneer dish at an Indian buffet as I do over a pesto dish at a regular buffet.

They did have pakora, but these didn't come out until after we finished our two plates. (As mentioned on the video, we arrived 30ish minutes after opening, and the buffet opened up 10 minutes after we arrived.) The pakora looked like light golden patties, a paler version of a bad experience I had at the Samosa Factory, so I didn't feel too badly about missing them.

However, not getting any of my faves (paneer, pakora, pappadum in any of its spellings, samosas) may be a reason I'm still feeling iffy about the place.

I do like how they redecorated the diner. Some people find it overly kitschy, but if a place is called the Bollywood Grill, I don't think you're allowed to complain. Oh, and this may be a fat people issue, but we had trouble with the tablecloth trying to travel with us whenever we stood up. (Which in turn revealed the very classic diner-y tables underneath. Which I thought was kind of cool.) Next time, we'll take a table.

As others have said, a large flatscreen TV is on showing Indian music videos, but the volume is quite reasonable. (See the video for an idea. I rather like that song playing at the beginning.)

Like I said, I'm intrigued. We'll go back on a weekday sometime (for the cheaper price of $9.99) and give it another shot. If nothing else, I'd love to see it show up its next-door neighbour, Buffet @ Asia (shudder). I'm ready for a good Indian buffet that doesn't mean crossing the interstate. Bollywood, please make my dreams come true.

Comments

[Megan]

Just read your blog. I've been waiting for that Bollywood Grill to open. I'm sad to hear that it was just ok. ... But what I wanted to let you know is that there is another Indian restaurant on the west side of town (which I can't remember the name of, or if it's even open yet). It's in the corner of the same shopping center that Panda Express is in, off of Oakey & Rainbow Blvd. They had a banner up a month ago anouncing that it would open soon, but I haven't had a chance to go by and see if they're up & running yet. Let me know if you get there before I do & how they compare to the other restaurants!

[Shari]

Don't rule out Bollywood yet! I wasn't blown away by the first trip, but they definitely deserve at least one more chance.

I've read about the one at Rainbow and Oakey. Someone - maybe in another Bollywood review? - said it's been "coming soon" for a very long time now. I can't remember its name now, but when I looked it up online, there was a single listing from 2007. :( But! I'll still cross my fingers - I need more west side naan!

[Ralph]

Unfortunately I gave this restaurant a second try and had to sleep in the bathroom I was so sick. Horrible service, gulab jamun like a marble,nice selection on the buffet and good naan but the chicken made me sick. First time I went was so-so, samosa factory has much better samosas and chutney. Had to give another try, will not be back. Waiter smelled of cigarettes, they should wash hands after taking breaks. My fault for eating buffets.

[Rick - Samosa Factory]

I am very sorry for the experience you had your first visit here at the Samosa Factory and your second visit to the Bollywood Grill. It bothers me to hear people getting sick because that will turn people off of a certain cuisine and it will be very hard to get them back through the door. In my personal opinion you are taking a risk by eating at a buffet,(Indian, Chinese or Casino). Being a chef for many years in many different types of operations I have learned that you sacrifice freshness (and in some restaurants healthiness)for the option of having a variety and all you can eat appeal. It is difficult enough as a restauranteur to have consistency in quality and freshness, but I think we do a very good job with it at the Samosa Factory. It is too easy for a restauranteur with a buffet to cut corners. Recyling food is very common in buffet restaurants, whether from lunch buffet into dinner service or from lunch to lunch especially if business is slow one day to the next. For this reason and a few others we do not have a buffet at the samosa factory. To appeal to a broad range of palettes our food is mild but can be spiced according to your taste. My prices are in tune to the current economic situation and are going to change with a new menu coming soon. I hope to see you again and I enjoy reading your blog. Please give us another chance at the Samosa Factory. Namaste

[Shari]

Rick - thanks for the detailed comment - lots of good information.

Just a note: it was a commenter, not I who was sick at Bollywood. Nor did I have a bad experience at Samosa Factory. (Here is the review: http://www.shari.com/2008/09/a-nice-but-pric.html.)

I like Samosa Factory and definitely recommend it to anyone. SF doesn't really make sense for *me* at this time because, for less money and a more convenient drive, my husband and I can have the buffet at Tamba and try many different items. (Tamba being unique perhaps in that they do have a high turnover of fresh food, what with the steady stream of customers.)

But! If I wanted Indian food other than at lunch or didn't want to deal with the Strip, I wouldn't hesitate to try Samosa Factory again. Other than the pakora not being to my style (and that's just me), everything I had there was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. :) I'll look forward to the new menu and to trying SF again this summer. Thanks again for commenting!

[anil]

I went to eat the Buffet at the Tamba Indian restaurant at the strip. I did not like it because I had to pay first before I could eat. I thought the food is fair.

[Shari]

Anil, that's an interesting point. I would guess (but it would only be a guess) that the pay-first policy may be that way because Tamba is on the Strip. All of the Strip buffets have a pay-first policy, from the fanciest (Wynn, etc.) to the scariest (Excalibur... shudder!).

It's intriguing that the off-strip Indian buffets do not have this policy, because pay-first is not exclusive to the Strip or to casinos. This business model is commonly seen here as well as all around the country at Chinese buffets, hotel breakfast buffets, and popular chains like Golden Corral.

So, I would argue that it's unfair to criticize Tamba for having a pay-first policy when this is the norm for its location/market and certainly common across the US. However, I would be curious to know if there are other pay-first Indian buffets out there in the U.S., and if there are cultural reasons for the other Las Vegas Indian buffets to follow the less common (by local standards) tradition of paying after.

(On a purely personal note, I wish they were all pay-first. I'm the kind of person who likes to get the money part out of the way before sitting down to a meal.)