Noon Mirch Kitchen + Bar

FOOD

Cilantro chicken curry gives Noon Mirch’s daily buffet a flavor to remember. Its tangy sauce has a sharper character than the creamy chicken tikka masala, and both dishes belong to the changing lunch selection. The cilantro curry is the one to notice when you want something beyond the usual order. It shares the buffet with Punjabi curries, vegetarian dishes and breads, with sweets and street-food specialties among the other possibilities.

Chicken tikka masala is one of the buffet’s creamy dishes, with sauce enough to enjoy alongside naan. Chopped onion and jalapeño have also accompanied lunch. The onion brings a crisp, sharp bite, and jalapeño adds pepper heat, both welcome beside a soft, sauced chicken dish.

The chicken dishes don’t stop at tikka masala. Ground chicken curry and soft chicken meatballs in sauce have also been part of lunch, with fish curry offering another possibility. That changing selection gives regulars a reason to check the pans before heading straight for their usual favorite.

Saag paneer combines creamed spinach with homemade cheese. The paneer stays in mild, distinct pieces within the soft greens, so each bite can have both the cheese and the spinach around it. Chana masala brings whole chickpeas in a spiced curry. The chickpeas have their own mild, nutty taste beneath the spices, distinct from the milkiness of paneer. Mixed-vegetable dishes also appear in the rotation. These vegetarian curries have a place beside the rice and breads without needing chicken to complete the order.

Tandoor-baked naan and puffed fried bhatura are often part of the regular buffet selection. The naan offers soft oven-baked bread; bhatura has the lightness of a puffed bread with a fried surface. Basmati rice is another accompaniment to the curries.

Pav bhaji can join the spread as well. This Mumbai street-food dish traditionally pairs a thick, spiced mash of cooked vegetables with soft bread rolls. It is satisfying enough for a plate of its own, even with curries nearby.

The sweets can include jalebi, burfi and kheer. Jalebi has a fried, crisp-edged coil soaked in syrup, with sweetness through the bite. Burfi comes in small, denser pieces, while kheer offers the softer finish of milk and rice pudding. The contrast is as much about texture as sweetness: a coil to bite through, a small piece of burfi or a spoonful of pudding. Lunch can end with a little dessert and a few more minutes of conversation.