FOOD

The defining feature of Rangoli’s buffet is breadth. The meal can begin with a whole cluster of snacks and chaat before a single curry reaches the plate. Samosas and vegetable pakora are regular points of interest, joined at times by fried vegetable snacks and occasional Indo-Chinese preparations. Paani poori adds a completely different texture: a hollow crisp puri cracked open and filled with cool, minty-spiced water. Chaat papdi brings chilled potato, chutneys and crisp papdi into the mix.

That appetizer side also holds one of Rangoli’s quiet strengths: the condiments. Tomato chutney is a memorable outlier, bright and savory against richer hot dishes. Coconut chutney gives a cooling counterpoint, while raita and mint chutney offer still more ways to redirect the plate. The mint is especially good with lamb. These are not decorative sauces at the edge of the meal; they are part of the buffet’s architecture.

Tandoori chicken anchors the move into the hot food. It is deeply seasoned, cooked with care and replenished often enough to stay moist. From there, the meat curries usually offer several choices. Lamb curry is a standout when it appears, with boneless pieces cooked until notably tender in a rich brown-red gravy. Butter chicken and chicken tikka masala bring creamy, tomato-rich sauces with a velvety body and intricate spice.

The vegetarian dishes are every bit as important. Malai kofta is one of the strongest reasons to leave room: fried paneer-and-potato dumplings in a rich, mildly spiced, creamy gravy. Vegetable curries rotate through the line, and Rangoli frequently makes room for eggplant preparations as well. Dal, chickpeas and lentils deepen the selection further, moving from earthy and gently spiced to richer preparations.

Basmati rice is a constant, but there is usually a biryani as well. Chicken, lamb and vegetable versions rotate, each carrying enough aromatic spice to stand on its own rather than functioning merely as another starch. The naan never has to survive the buffet line: fresh bread arrives at the table hot from the oven, soft enough to tear easily and sturdy enough to sweep through lamb curry, malai kofta, dal or the last streak of chutney.

Dessert is smaller in scale than the savory spread, usually rotating through one or two Indian sweets. Gajar halwa brings concentrated carrot richness; gulab jamun offers syrup-soaked softness; kheer supplies the cool comfort of rice pudding; and mango pudding occasionally takes the meal in a fruitier direction. The compact dessert selection works because so much has already happened before reaching it.

What makes Rangoli exceptional is not one signature pan but the accumulation of choices. A plate can move from paani poori and pakora to tandoori chicken, lamb curry, malai kofta, biryani, tomato chutney and hot naan without feeling random. The buffet has a coherent Indian identity, yet enough regional, vegetarian, street-food and Indo-Chinese variation that one lunch cannot comfortably exhaust it. That abundance is the point: Rangoli rewards curiosity, second plates and leaving something unexplored for next time.