Weekday buffet lunch at Spice Kitchen

 

I was last at the Spice Kitchen in 2019 for my taste experience of chaat, a pure vegetarian Indian street food and a refreshing but filling snack popular in North India that locals would eat on-the-go.

 

It was good to be back at Spice Kitchen again

Spice Kitchen, a restaurant renowned for their menu of Indian, Indian-Chinese and Thai cuisine, had set up a live-cooking station dedicated to serving freshly-made chaat.

 

More than two years had since passed so I was delighted to receive a call from Sumit Kumar recently with an invitation to experience the buffet lunch at Spice Kitchen on Tuesday.

 

He shared with me that Spice Kitchen had launched their weekday lunch buffet in early 2020 and it was doing very well until the global pandemic compelled the restaurant to cease operations temporarily as the nation went into lockdown.

 

A section of the dining hall in Spice Kitchen

That Tuesday as Sumit welcomed me into Spice Kitchen again, my thought was, “It was good to be back again.”

 

I believe this sentiment was echoed by regulars who frequent the Spice Kitchen for a familiar taste of good North Indian cuisine.

 

From the way some tables were grouped together, I guessed that these were for group diners and Sumit confirmed that one was a reservation by a group who chose to dine here almost every week.

 

The live station that serves
freshly-made chaat

He explained that as the economy reopened, people were back at work in the offices located within Wisma S P Setia. So (I privately thought!) this accounted for the full carpark and a good crowd in the restaurant, seeking a tasty business lunch.

 

Early diners were already trickling in as Sumit escorted me around the buffet to show me the various sections laid out for Appetizers, Salad, Curries, Rice and Dessert while Naan and Chaat, he said, will be freshly made at the live stations.

 

While it was not a huge range, I thought this spread was just right for a weekday lunch. The menu will change daily so that regulars can savour a different choice of dishes even if they dined here every weekday.

 

I recognised the familiar sight of plump Delhi Samosa next to the Kolkata Fish Cutlets and the Dry Cauliflower Manchurian among the appetizers just made my mouth water because it was an all-time favourite for many.

 

The live station that serves freshly-baked
breads with the Dessert counter in front

In the fresh salad section, there were fresh ingredients like lettuce, cucumber, mango and tomatoes with dressings choices of Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Garlic, Cream Basil and Honey Ginger for diners to create our own salad.

 

I was getting impatient to discover what else was served in the hot buffet and was delighted to see that there was Briyani Rice to savour with gravies like Chicken Butter Masala, Chicken Vindaloo Curry, Keema Matar, Dry Chilly Chicken, Sweet & Sour Fish fillets, Chicken Tandoor Kebabs and Roasted Chilly Eggs.

 

A serving of Sev Puri Chaat

Assured that the Spice Kitchen always used fresh ingredients to prepare their dishes, I helped myself to small portions to enjoy the individual flavours.

 

Each item was so full of flavour and I only tasted a hint of spicy-hot in the Chicken Vindaloo.

 

While I was happily distracted by the fragrance from the food, Sumit offered to serve freshly-made Butter Naan and Garlic Naan to my table so that I could savour the breads with gravies like Dal Tarka, Palak Paneer and Kadai Vegetables.

 

Diners helping themselves
to items in the hot buffet

When the traditional breads were served, I was reminded to save some space for the chaat that was being freshly prepared in the live station.

 

The Sev Puri Chaat was a serving of six tiny deep-fried puri stuffed with refreshing ingredients.

 

Sumit smiled widely when he heard me telling my lunch partners that the way to eat the sev puri was to pop the entire puri in the mouth to experience an explosion of flavours.

 

My friends were familiar with the Japanese way of eating sushi – by putting the entire sushi in the mouth – so they were ready to eat the whole puri in one mouthful.

 

Small portions to savour each flavour

It was their first taste of chaat and when they found it rather agreeable, just wished that they had more space in their stomachs to order another round of the same…

 

There was still dessert to enjoy and it was good to help myself to portions of familiar sweet items like Gulab Jamun, Kesari, Carrot Rice Kheer and Ras Malai, milk solids soaked in clotted cream and flavoured with cardamom.

 

This weekday buffet lunch is served from Monday to Friday, 11.30am to 3pm.

 

Tasty gravies to enjoy with naan bread

Rate at only RM39++ for single diner and RM69++ for two diners.

 

The Spice Kitchen [Halal] is located at No. S3-0120, on the ground level of Wisma S P Setia, Jalan Indah 13, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Baru, Johor.

 

Convenient car-parking facilities available in the nearby Lotus’s Bukit Indah carpark.

 

For reservations, Tel: +607 – 237 3311 and +6012 788 4047.