Nutmeg Indian Eatery

FOOD

Nutmeg’s unlimited offering is a rotating weekend lunch buffet served Friday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for $18.99 per person, with fresh naan included at the table. The line reflects the same kitchen that drives the restaurant the rest of the week: Indian curries, tandoor cooking, rice, breads, vegetarian dishes and sweets, with Goan flavors giving the selection a distinct thread.

That Goan thread exerts some influence over selections. Chicken Goan Curry uses dark-meat chicken in a coconut curry, giving it a softer richness than Nutmeg’s tomato-cream dishes. Chicken Vindaloo is markedly different, pairing chicken and potatoes with a vinegar-based curry. The contrast makes the kitchen more interesting than a lineup built only around the most familiar Indian-American standards: sauces can be creamy, coconut-rich, tangy or sharply spiced without all tasting like variations of the same base.

Nutmeg also works comfortably in familiar curry territory. Chicken Tikka Masala combines white-meat chicken with seasoned spices and tomato cream, while Butter Chicken uses dark meat in a rich tomato-cream style. Chicken Curry leans more directly on garam masala and Indian spices. These preparations give the meal useful points of familiarity, and rice lets several different sauces share one plate without collapsing into the same flavor.

Fresh naan is the buffet’s simplest defining detail. Instead of sitting in a stack on the line, it is served at the table. That keeps the bread hot and gives the meal a natural pause between buffet trips. Naan can handle thicker tomato-cream curries, mop up coconut-based sauces, or keep a plate going after the rice is gone. It also preserves a little of the full-service restaurant experience inside an otherwise self-service lunch.

Nutmeg’s most individual dish is Chicken Tikka Masala Pasta. Pasta is tossed with tikka masala sauce and pieces of chicken, turning a familiar curry flavor into Indian-American comfort food. It fits chef and co-founder Nelroy Rebelo’s blend of Indian and global influences and gives the kitchen a signature that is easy to recognize among more traditional preparations.

Vegetarian and vegan cooking are part of Nutmeg’s regular identity rather than an afterthought. The kitchen gives meatless dishes enough range to move a plate between creamy, earthy, bright and savory flavors without depending on chicken or lamb for every change of pace. That matters in Indian buffet eating, where vegetables, legumes, dairy and spice-driven sauces can carry as much of the meal as the meat dishes.

Dessert continues the mix of Indian sweets and broader influences. Gulab Jamun brings soft milk-solid dumplings in cardamom-and-saffron syrup; Kheer is a whole-milk rice pudding with Indian spices; Rasmalai soaks a milk-based cake in saffron-infused milk; Mango Mastani combines mango pudding with fresh mango and almonds, while flan adds a caramel-custard finish. Nutmeg’s buffet works best as a meal of contrasts: coconut curry beside tomato cream, something tangier beside something mild, rice under one sauce and hot naan through another. The exact combination can change, but the kitchen’s identity remains clear.