Madras Masala

FOOD

The Packard buffet gives Madras Masala’s South Indian cooking room to share the meal with biryani, tandoori dishes and sauced curries. Dosas with sambar and chutneys bring a distinctive part of that repertoire to lunch, alongside substantial meat dishes. The kitchen blends, roasts and grinds its own spice mixtures. The selection changes, so these describe the buffet’s repertoire rather than a promise that every dish appears together.

Chicken 65 is one of the dishes to look for. Madras Masala marinates boneless chicken with ground ginger, garlic and spices before frying. This South Indian preparation puts the seasoning directly into bite-sized pieces of chicken, rather than relying on a surrounding curry sauce. It belongs to a different branch of the kitchen’s chicken cooking from either the clay-oven preparations or the creamy curries.

Tandoori chicken is marinated with yogurt and spices, then char-grilled in a clay oven. The oven’s intense heat is central to this style of cooking, giving lunch a roasted chicken preparation alongside the fried chicken 65. Butter chicken supplies a sauced curry among the rotating choices. The kitchen describes it as mildly spiced, making it a useful option for diners who prefer that direction. Naan is a natural accompaniment to its sauce.

Lamb biryani deserves attention as a rice dish in its own right. The restaurant describes its lamb preparation as basmati pilaf cooked with herbs, southern spices and seasonings. Basmati is a fragrant, slender-grained rice, and the seasoned rice is as much a part of biryani’s appeal as the meat. Chicken and goat biryani also belong to the buffet’s repertoire. The chicken version uses boneless meat; the kitchen’s goat preparation includes mint, cilantro and spices. These are alternative preparations within the changing spread, not three varieties to expect at every service.

Dosas bring another South Indian tradition to the meal. These griddle-cooked crepes are traditionally made from fermented batter, commonly rice and lentils. Their thin form and fermented base distinguish them from the naan served with curries. Sambar and chutneys accompany them, making the dosa portion of lunch a combination of crepe, stew and condiments rather than simply another bread on the plate.

Sambar is a lentil-and-vegetable stew, adding a pulse-based preparation alongside the chicken and meat biryanis. Pieces of dosa can be dipped into it or eaten with spoonfuls of the stew. Chutneys provide separate, concentrated accompaniments, allowing each bite to take a different direction. The particular varieties can change; no single chutney selection defines every buffet.

Naan supplies the bread for the curries, while halwa brings a traditional Indian sweet to the finish. Halwa is a family of cooked sweets made with several different bases, rather than the name of one fixed recipe. Cut fruit and other desserts have also been part of the buffet. Together they provide a lighter or sweeter finish after the savory dishes, with the day’s selection determining the choices.