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• Tadka African Restaurant & Lounge

Bombay Tadkaa's Mango ice cream (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Potato Pakoda was a choice in the lunch buffet at Bombay Tadkaa. (michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Murgh Kolhapuri, a spiced chicken dish, is among meat choices on the $5.95 lunch buffet at Bombay Tadkaa. (Michelle Pemberton / Indy.com)

Bombay Tadkaa -- A Gathering Place sits unmajestically in a strip mall near 38th Street and Lafayette Road.

In an area brimming over with Indian restaurants, Tadkaa tries its darndest to stand out. But does it?

The mood

It was high noon when Jen and I hurriedly entered Tadkaa to escape the bitter cold.

Expecting an inviting atmosphere and a slew of patrons, we were a little surprised to find we were two of only four diners in a mostly tavern-like restaurant.

An oversized bar tried to stand proud in the middle of the split dining area. The wall behind glistened with too many mirrored Budweiser and Miller advertisements.

A few small photos and fake flowers dot the "restaurant" side in an attempt to be welcoming.

Two televisions were tuned to soaps.

Thankfully, more than making up for the decor was the hostess, who took care of us more like a mother than a server. She made sure we had more than we needed, chatted, and explained cooking methods and ingredients to us.

The food

A ton of traditional Indian fare lines the pages of Tadkaa's menu, but Jen and I were encouraged to explore the buffet. As I've discovered, most places that offer a buffet prefer that you take advantage of it, rather than order off of the menu.

So, for $6.95 apiece, Jen and I stuffed ourselves silly with appetizers, soups, veggies, chicken, rice, dessert and teas.

Our plates were piled high with appetizers such as cucumbers and tomatoes with mint yogurt dip and cups of tomato soup with a basket of flat bread for dipping and scooping.

We then moved on to spicy potatoes and pea-stuffed pastry, along with potato and onion fritters.

On the main stage were grilled chicken in an onion sauce, chicken curry, veggies in buttery gravy and rice with peas.

For a sweet ending, mango ice cream (wonderful) and rice pudding made their way to our table.

Only a fraction of the menu was on the buffet, but we succeeded in filling ourselves to the brim.

The drinks

Frequently refilled ice waters for both. A Masala Chai tea for me -- delicious and included with the buffet.

The damage: $15.65

Tadkaa's food offerings are extensive and tasty, and the service was above standard for similar places. While the surroundings weren't anything to write home about, we enjoyed the time spent.