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• Masala Kitchen

Masala Kitchen's Chicken Tikka Masala. (James Yee / The Indianapolis Star)

Chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, bindi masala fry, vegetable biryani and chickecn biryani, pakoras, a variety of sauces and rasam soup taken at the Masala Kitchen. (James Yee / The Indianapolis Star)

Exterior taken at Masala Kitchen. (James Yee / The Indianapolis Star)

Indian food is prevalent around the Circle City, so it's relatively easy to find a fresh spot when you're in the mood for something new. For me, that place was Masala Kitchen, located in a strip mall at Allisonville Road and 96th Street.

I met my friend John for lunch at noon on a weekday, and despite the prime-time hour, only a couple of tables were filled. Along one, a small freestanding bar served Indian beer.

For us, though, it was a workday, so we ordered Diet Cokes ($1.49 each). Like many Indian places, Masala serves a daily lunch buffet ($6.99). Twelve dishes rotate here; I was hoping for a sampling of curry (there are several among the main menu's 90-plus offerings), but it was not to be.

Still, there were other tempting options, like chicken tikka masala, which beckoned from its serving dish with a rich orange hue. The color results from a sauce made from tomatoes and cashews, and that indeed was the best part of the dish. The chicken itself was a bit dry, a potential hazard of buffets.

We found the same to be true of the tandoori chicken, which had flavorful, slightly spicy coating but a dry meat base.

A tasty surprise awaited with the bindi masala fry, however. This vegetarian dish, made from diced okra cooked in curry spices and tossed with cilantro, had a nice kick. My other favorite meatless option was the vegetable biryani, a combination of basmati rice and finely diced veggies gently seasoned with a Indian spices. A chicken version was also available.

Accompaniments included a basic iceberg-lettuce salad, rasam soup (a South Indian staple made with tomatoes and tamarind) and pakoras, thin, deep-fried patties made from a spiced-up gram-flour batter and accented with green chilies. Naan, fresh, hot and buttery, was served on the buffet and at our table. Dipping sauces included a mild coconut curry, spicy tomato chutney and cool, creamy cucumber sauce.

All of the buffet items could have been hotter -- both in terms of actual warmth and spice. I'd be interested in trying dinner here, so I could taste the dishes made fresh, served hot and spiced up. I'd go for one of the vegetarian offerings -- the vegetable curry, perhaps, or kabuli channa masala (chick peas, tomatoes, cilantro and ginger, along with Indian spices).

Taste Test

Entree:

Weekday lunch buffet, $6.99.

Masala Kitchen

Where: 9546 Allisonville Road, (317) 849-2996.

Atmosphere: Casual.

Parking: Lot.

Details: V/MC/DIS; no smoking permitted; beer available.

Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30.p.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon to 3.p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dinner: 5:30 to 9:30.p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5:30 to 10.p.m. Friday-Sunday.

- By Julie Cope Saetre / Indy.com correspondent