Deliciously Affordable: New Asian Village Lunch Buffet

A few girlfriends and I went to the new Strathcona Square location of New Asian Village (9808-34 Avenue) to try out their lunch buffet. I'm not a huge fan of buffets (unless I'm not paying) as I typically cannot eat enough to make the cost worthwhile. Thankfully, today's meal was a mere $9.95; pennies for pounds of food!

Having only been open for three weeks, the restaurant still looked brand spanking new. Accented with Indian antiques, the dining room decor is subtle but effective - dark woods, red drop lamps, and corner booths draped with organza fabric. The buffet area is well designed, occupying one side of the room, and pointed to an obvious directionality. Hot dishes stewed in basins with sliding lids, and were the most functional yet stylish containers I've ever seen at a buffet.

There were over fifteen hot dishes available, including naan bread, saffron rice, chicken kadai and beef curry. I can't remember the name of my favorite dish, but it used the same sweet, flavorful sauce as the butter chicken. Although a few curries were too spicy for my taste, the quality of the food was excellent, and even more amazing when the price is considered.

For dessert, I tried the rice pudding, but quickly put my serving aside, as there was a rather strong hint of ginger mixed in. The mango custard, on the other hand, was quite nice - light, and had a nice cooling effect after ingesting a variety of strongly seasoned meats.

The service was great, though I would caution the waitress about immediately telling about the "plumbing problems," and out-of-order washrooms, which happened as soon as we sat down at our table. As our glasses of drinking water were delivered soon after, we weren't sure if we should trust the water quality (we're paranoid, what can I say?).

Despite the bathroom hindrance, New Asian Village is definitely worth a look. Be sure to check out their lunch and dinner ($14.95) buffet specials before it's too late!

Cozy booths (with low, sunken cushions)

Table setting

Coconut display

Buffet set up

My (first) plate

Rice pudding dessert

Mango custard

Us!