Westchester Breakfast Club

Malabar Hill
145 East Main Street
Elmsford, NY 10523 (Map it!)

Attendees: Shelley, Pat, Sylvia, Jeffrey, Reid, Andrew

Shelley

Namaste, friends. As the members of the WBC were circulating e-mails to one another this past week, discussing where we should reunite after several weeks apart, someone mentioned that we haven’t tried a breakfast or brunch buffet yet. And then it came to me: Indian brunch buffet. A quick check of the website for Malabar Hill, located in Elmsford, confirmed that they serve a weekend brunch buffet on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning at noon. And so it was decided that the WBC would once again go global.

Malabar Hill is supposed to be one of the better Indian restaurants in Westchester. Walking through the front doors at high noon, we saw an expansive buffet in front of us, spanning almost the full length of the dining room. We were seated in a far corner, away from most of the other diners (which seems to have become a pattern for the WBC when we go out). We were promptly brought glasses of water and a plate of potato-filled crepes. The official Indian name for these crepes escapes me now, I’m sure one of the other WBCers will mention the name.

Now, when I go to buffets I generally follow the same plan. Some people like to go up numerous times, but I like to load up my plate with as much food as it can fit during my initial trip to the buffet table, with the intention that my first trip up will be my only trip. There have been occassions when I’ve strayed from this plan (like at the Hilton breakfast buffet last week–had to get my $21 worth!), but for the most part, that’s been my tried and true buffet technique. The buffet at Malabar was a pretty typical Indian buffet, and there wasn’t much to make it specifically brunch-like. Along the back wall was a platter of salad and next to it was an assortment of sauces. The main buffet table featured the usual suspects, including vegetarian dishes, lots of lentil and chickpea dishes, lamb, a variety of chicken (including tikka masala and good old tandoori), basmati rice, and a spinach dish. Conspicuously absent were samosas or some kind of vegetable fritter. Oh well. I filled my plate with some rice, salad, chicken tikka masala, mixed vegetables in a tomato-based sauce, some potatoes, a piece of tandoori chicken, and a roll that looked like the roll for a White Castle burger. A basket of warm nan was brought to our table, and the servers promptly asked if we wanted more as we emptied the basket (I think we went through three baskets of nan).

The food was good and a bit on the spicier side compared to other buffets (like Bengal Tiger, RIP). The spiciness wasn’t a problem for me, but it appeared to be an issue for some others at the table. The tandoori chicken was a bit skimpy, which seems to be the trend at several Indian buffets around the county. Bengal Tiger seemed to be the only buffet that had an assortment of generously-sized, white and dark meat tandoori chicken. OK, OK, I’ll stop living in the past. The flavor assortment was pleasant and the warm nan was delectable. After I’d finished my plate, I cooled down my palate with a bowl of refreshing rice pudding.

The weekend brunch buffet at Malabar Hill will set you back $13.95 and for that price you get unlimited access to an assortment of Indian staples. If you don’t tolerate spicy food well, then I’d recommend trying a milder Indian buffet (of which there are plenty around the county). Although they call it a brunch buffet, definitely don’t go expecting this to be your first meal of the day unless you have a stomach of steel. Better to pre-game it with a bowl of cereal or some yogurt at home first, something to create a base in your stomach. The service was friendly and efficient; as I mentioned, the nan flowed freely, as did the water, with prompt and frequent refills of our glasses throughout our meal. The atmosphere is unremarkable, but with good food, that’s not so much of a problem. When in the mood for Indian food, I’d return to Malabar Hill again for their buffet.

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Pat

What I Had: Indian Buffet!

What It Cost: $13.95

Worth It: Yessiree Bob

The Rating: 4/5

The Details:

My stepfather was born in India, so I’m fairly well-versed in the Indian food offerings in Westchester. However, it had been a long, long time since I’d had the boldy-spiced cuisine from south of the Himalayas, so when Shelley pitched sampling the Indian brunch at Malabar Hill in Elmsford, I was delighted. I anticipated a great meal. I was not disappointed.

The buffet is well-tended and generous in its offerings. I’d estimate at least 15 different dishes on the regular table, plus a dosha (a sort of pancake filled with potato) bar and what appeared at brief glance to be some sort of salad bar, but I didn’t really look at that because I was so intrigued by the entrees.

I know what I want when I go to an Indian Buffet: Rice, Chicken Tikka Masala, perhaps a lamb vindaloo, and some sort of Indian spinach. On all counts, Malabar Hill delivered. The sauce of the masala was creamy, a deep, rich red, and delicious. It coated the basmati rice wonderfully. I could have used a little more kick, but that kick was well-covered by the lamb (not a vindaloo). In fact, the lamb may have been a little too spicy. The Saag (spinach) was outstanding. All three flavors mixed together was a little taste of loka.

While the food is unquestionably good, I do have a few complaints. The chicken in the chicken tikka masala was dark meat, not white meat. While the chicken was well cooked, the dish would have been seriously helped by the stronger texture of the white meat. Instead, the dark meat left the dish a little too mushy (and it felt a little cheap). The naan is good but too thin, and we sat too long without it in the middle of our meal (though Reid was ultimately probably grateful for that, since it limited his naan intake to 11 pieces). Also, because the food is so good, I felt compelled to eat and eat and eat, and by the end of the meal I was firmly entrenched in food coma land. But I had to go to work! How dare Malabar Hill inconvenience me so!

The Bottom Line: A great option for weekend lunch. Just bring elastic pants. And maybe a pillow.

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Sylvia

I apologize in advance for my severe lack of knowledge regarding Indian food and the proper names of dishes. My experience with Indian cuisine is limited to maybe a handful of occasions.

That being said, I was pretty hesitant about our brunch buffet adventure to Malabar Hill. I’ve lived in Elmsford for almost all my life, and yet have never been here. I was curious, but wary of what may be offered. Would all the dishes be too spicy? Would there be anything that I could eat without downing a gallon of water?

Upon entering, the fragrant spices of the food wafted through the air. I was hungry. The food offered in the attractive chafing dishes was very colorful. The little signs next to each dish were super helpful. Mostly, they listed the name of the dish, as well as the major ingredients that constituted the dish. Sometimes they would offer an explanation of the dish or mention the popularity. What I found most helpful was the little bar at the top of each card that listed the level of spiciness. There was Mild, Medium, and Spicy. I stuck to the mild dishes, and tried some of the medium ones. I can’t remember what I got exactly, but whatever I got was delicious. There was even a dish of what was described as a popular Indian breakfast. I had to try some of that.

From what I can remember, the dish that was described as the breakfast was excellent. It had a cream of wheat/grits kind of texture, but it was wonderfully creamy and not bland at all. There were some cashews in it as well as some berry. When mixed with the basmati rice I had next to it, it was excellent. The other dishes I tried were also really good. The medium spiced dishes had just enough spice to give them a kick, but not overwhelm my sensitive palate. My other favorite was the chicken pieces in the mixed grill selection. It was pieces of chicken the seemed to be covered in some sort of green sauce. It was really good.

I don’t usually go for a second full plate at a buffet (I don’t usually eat my fair share), but I did here. I cleaned up good both times.

Service was attentive and water glasses were always filled promptly.

The czar says: A great brunch alternative to eggs and toast with enough offerings to appease every level of familiarity with Indian cuisine.

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Jeffrey

So, Indian buffet for brunch. I don’t even know what I had, so I can’t even review the individual foods. I guess I can give my overall impression. First, I know that I had a mango juice to drink. I came to the table as Reid’s mango juice was being served and I decided right then and there that I wanted that.

For food, I think I tried everything they had to offer. There was some sort of crepe with stuff in it. I really liked that. The white gooey stuff was really good. The only problem is, I haven’t had a buffet in awhile, so my stomach was obviously not up for the challenge. I was so full by the end it actually hurt when I took big breaths.

Overall, the brunch buffet at Malabar Hill was good. Would I do it again? Probably not. I like my eggs. I miss my eggs.

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Reid

The Case: Malabar Hill v. The Westchester Breakfast Club

The Venue: Elmsford

The Facts: Granted that I’m not an expert in Indian cuisine, but I gotta say that I cannot distinguish between what Indians eat for brunch and what they eat for every other meal. The buffet-style brunch consisted of standard Indian fare; namely, a bunch of brownish, greenish, and reddish sludges, punctuated by some tandoori chicken and generous helpings of nan. Delicious, delicious nan. We also got a crepe-like pancake thing filled with potato which was just about as bland as it sounds.

Please don’t take my reference to the Indian food as “sludge” to be disapproval. It was very tasty sludge. But let’s just say that how it looked as it entered my mouth was indistinguishable from how it looked after I chewed it a few times. Overall, the meal was satisfying, though I likely overdid it a little bit.

The Verdict: I’d go back if I were in the mood for Indian food, but don’t go there expecting breakfast or brunch, because you will only be disappointed.

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