Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup: Episode # 2
University City’s Sitar India is the second stop on our Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup. Still basking in the glow from an excellent experience at our first stop, Sitar already has some tough competition. Fortunately, Sitar India’s Indian Lunch Buffet would prove to be a worthy challenger.
I couldn’t wait to check out Sitar India for a couple reasons. First, it was recommended by several of my friends from Penn who know what they’re talking about when it comes to Indian food. Second, Sitar India claims to serve both Northern (Mogulai) and Southern Indian cuisine, which is rare. Lastly, I’m a freak for Dosas. They are my crack. I go to northern New Jersey and Queens to get my “fix.” But enough about my personal pecodillos, I digress!
Armed with a squad of food tasters, we descended on Sitar India on a recent Saturday afternoon. Located on 38th Street near Chilis and Abner’s, the restaurant is just off Market Street in an area packed with students, faculty and staff of area universities (University City, get it?), not to mention area business people. Parking on a Saturday was a breeze, while weekdays may be a bit more difficult.
Entering Sitar India, we found the atmosphere to be somewhat Spartan. The dining room was sizeable and contained around 20 tables of various sizes, however the few Indian chatchkis adorning the walls seemed to be more of an afterthought. As we sat down, I looked forward to my Dosa. Of the three main Indian restaurants in the area (Tandoor India, New Delhi and Sitar India), Sitar is the only one to carry this item. Unfortunately it’s not available on the buffet, so I had to order it a la carte. Oh well, the things we do for love!
Once greeted, my companions attacked the buffet under my supervision. After all, I had to get my Dosa on! I guess I’d better explain: Dosas are a thin, crisp crepe made from a fermented rice and lentil batter, which is normally served with Sambhar and a coconut pesto. For me, the texture and flavor come together to form the perfect food.After placing my order, I inspected the buffet and found that Sitar India offers a nice selection of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. Furthermore, at $7.95 the buffet business is brisk, which ensures continual freshening of the food items. Without doing a total brain dump, some of our favorite items include:
Punjabi Samosa* A good rendition of an all-time favorite. Russell sez “It’s the whole package: A delicious mix of flaky pastry combined with a moist, spicy filling of chick peas and potatoes.”
Channa* A spicy chickpea “stew served with puffy leavened bread.
Idli Sambhar* Spicy lentil & vegetable curry with a traditional rice & lentil “dumpling”
Punjabi Pakoda Kadi* Tiny garam flour dumplings cooked in a mildly spiced yogurt curry.
Curried Goat A very tender and delicious interpretation of a classic norht Indian entree.
* Vegetarian
As everyone enjoyed their meal, I had the opportunity to taste most of the buffet items while waiting for my Dosa. Unfortunately, I don’t think that Sitar was prepared for my order, since it took over 30 minutes to arrive; generally it should take less than 10. However once I did receive it, it was better than anywhere I’ve found in Center City. Furthermore, the Coconut Chutney and Sambhar were also better than most.
Overall we had a good Indian buffet experience. Sitar has a good selection of food at a very reasonable price. While there were a few items that we didn’t feel were up to par, namely the Aloo Matter and Tandoori Chicken dishes, most short comings seem to be par for the course at Indian Buffets. The lone exception is Karma, our first stop on the Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup (Check out Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup: Episode 1 here).
I’m still searching for the perfect Dosa within a reasonable driving distance. Bensalem’s Udippi Dosa House and Exton’s Devi are technically beyond our geographic scope, but I’ll give you the “411″ once I get my fix. I guess I’m a bit fixated on them! I’m going to go take a cold shower…
Sitar India is located at 60 S. 38th Street Phialdelphia, PA (215) 662-0818
TAGS: Philadelphia, Philly, University City, Indian Food, Vegetarian Food, Sitar India, Podcast
taylor on 13 Dec 2007 at 2:29 pm #
Dude, dosas are the best. Mysore masala dosas are my favorite kind. I’m so happy to read that there’s one in Philly - even if it’s in a part of town I never go to.
The dosas at Devi are fine - although I’ve had better. Uduppi Dosa House is on my list, but, again, when am I ever going to that part of the woods. (A few years ago, I’d pass Devi to see a client, so that’s why I was out there.)
joy on 13 Dec 2007 at 9:37 pm #
I have visited Sitar Indian on multiple occasions with nothing good to say about though. Though I ate just from the buffet, without requesting dosas …
PhillyFoodGuys: Hittin’ the Streets for Underground Eats » Indian Lunch Buffet Roundup: We’re Full! on 27 Apr 2008 at 7:38 pm #
[…] Sitar India proved to be a credible candidate, but didn’t outshine the other competitors. Regardless, the buffet offered some solid dishes that everyone enjoyed; Sitar India is one of the few Indian restaurants in University City to offer Dosas. The wide open, rectangular dining room wasn’t particularly comfortable and having the buffet stuffed into a corner made it difficult to get to. Still, the $7.95 buffet price created a constant flow of patrons that kept the buffet items fresh and hot. Sitar India is located at 60 S. 38th Street Philadelphia, PA (215) 662-0818 […]
Greg on 24 May 2008 at 7:46 pm #
I didn’t really care for the food that much, I guess it was because it had a different taste. I guess if I had Indian food before I would have a different opintion about it. Jus don’t go there on a sunday, because the food sits out and they don’t bring out fresh food either. Or at least thats how it was when I was there