Dosa And Curry Heaven
Brandon, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Indian, Buffet
Cuisine Style: Indian, Buffet
Dined in December 2016
Most small or medium size cities across America have any type of food that you can possibly imagine, especially Chinese, Italian, and Mexican. If your lucky you will get a good place that serves Indian Cuisine, especially a large selection that caters to the entire country, as Chef Gaggan Anand says, the flavors of Indian cuisine change every fifty kilometers. In Brandon, just outside of Tampa, you have a Taste of India that is one of the closest Indian restaurants I have been to that caters to Gaggan’s concepts of flavors. This is the story of my visit…
Main review:
My wife, father, and stepmother went into Taste of India for a later lunch after finishing a round of golf, after all what else defines a better day of things to do in Florida besides golf, eat, and maybe the beach!!
My dad and I started with a Taj Mahal beer while my wife and stepmother had some wine and other beverages. The beer we had, has an ABV of 4.50% and is mainly sold in the United states whereas the main beer is Kingfisher sold both in the USA and fifty other countries as well. Taj is an American Adjunct Lager which is described as light bodied, pale lagers made popular by the large macro-breweries of America after prohibition. Low bitterness, thin malts, and moderate alcohol. Focus is less on flavor and more on mass-production and consumption, cutting flavor and sometimes costs with adjunct cereal grains, like rice and corn. Other examples of this kind of lager are Budweiser, Corona, Rolling Rock, Fosters, and Busch Beer. There are over 300 types of American Adjunct style lagers sold around the world today. Goes back to the old saying of “you get what you pay for!!”
For lunch, the restaurant offers only buffet, then they switch to plated menu service for dinner. As soon as you walk in you get that wonderful smell of curry plus other spices like cardamom, garam masala, and saffron. On top of Indian cuisine, you can also get some flavors of Thailand, so keep that in mind for your visit as well.
On the buffet the range spread across the entire country from southern masala dosa, chicken tikka, idly, to Northern tandoori kebabs, jal ferezi, vindaloo, and madras curry. On the dinner menu you can get the madras with lamb along with rogan josh, or some goat specialities if you wish. I really look forward to retuning for a dinner meal. If you want to keep it simple then you can order some regular curry with rice assortments and even some biriyanis. Most importantly, make sure you grab some roti or as it is more popularly known in the West - naan bread.
Dessert:
Gulab Jamon was offered on the buffet line for dessert, and though my wife and I usually bypass dessert since we are so full, I could not pass this up. I work with a large number of Indian cooks, and when they prepare Jamon, I am in heaven. Gulab Jamon is a curdled milk dessert with dried nuts like almonds to enhance flavor, and is particularly popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal (where it is known as lalmon). It is also common in the Caribbean countries of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica, where a lot of Indian workers were brought in the 1700s by the British, and stayed behind to leave a lasting impression on the melting pot of Caribbean Cuisine. They also offer rice pudding, kulfi ice cream and many others on the dinner menu.
Other Noteworthy Indian and Thai Favorites:
Armani / Amal A tasting tour of India at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa Tower, Dubai, UAE
Ashiana The First Indian Fine dining restaurant at Sheraton Dubai Creek, Garhoud, Dubai, UAE
Junsui An eclectic taste of Asia at the Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai, UAE
Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen Vibrant Pan-Indian street-style Cuisine in Slough, United Kingdom
Osaka Sushi Thai in Seminole, Florida
Other Brandon,Valrico, & Ruskin Florida reviews on Wine, Dine, and Play:
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Chophouse Chain with Warm Vibe
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Festive Irish Pub and Sports Bar
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German Bites and Beer Style Bavarian Tavern
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Laid Back Pub Chain
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Low Key Locale for German Grub
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Final notes and observations:
Over all from this experience taking the six factors I use on Wine, Dine, and Play to produce my rating, I give Taste of India a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants. The food was very good, atmosphere pleasing, and very inviting to warrant a return at a future date.
Taste of India:
902 East Brandon BLVD
Brandon, Florida 33511
Contact Information:
Maître d or host:
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+1 813 689 4040 |
| Restaurant website: | Taste of India |
| Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5:00) |
Lunch: Mon-Sun 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Dinner: Mon-Sun 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm |
| Email contact: | Contact India |
Social Media
&
Accolades:
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Facebook link |
Review basics:
Overall Star Rating:
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3 of 5 Stars:
Exceeded Expectations
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter!
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
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Cuisine style:
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Indian, Organic, & Vegetarian
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Experiences:
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Good for special occasions, Rustic, Hole-in-the-wall, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Public lot
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant
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Patio:
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No
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****
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Who is John Galt?
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
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