FOOD

Nirvana’s buffet is best understood as an Indo-Pak spread rather than a row of interchangeable cream curries. The core is familiar enough to orient a newcomer, but the rotation reaches into Pakistani and North Indian comfort food, tandoor cooking, seafood, vegetarian dishes and occasional South Indian specialties. More than twenty items fill the buffet at its broadest, with a separate cold bar and table-served breads breaking the meal into distinct zones rather than one parade of rich sauces.

Chicken biryani is a natural anchor. Unlike plain basmati rice, biryani is built as a dish in its own right, layering aromatic long-grain rice with chicken, herbs and spices. Goat or lamb curry gives the buffet a deeper Indo-Pak counterpoint, while chicken tikka masala supplies the familiar creamy tomato reference point. Together they make an easy first plate without exhausting the meat side.

The tandoor brings smoke and char. Tandoori chicken is yogurt-marinated and roasted at high heat in the clay oven, giving the buffet something distinctly roasted rather than sauced. A rotating fish or shrimp curry broadens the selection further. Monday and Tuesday dinner adds special lamb kabobs, making those two nights the buffet’s most meat-forward version.

The vegetarian side is where the spread becomes more educational. Palak paneer pairs spinach with cubes of mild fresh cheese, while lentils provide an earthy everyday backbone. Kadhi pakora deserves attention: fritters soften inside a tangy yogurt-and-chickpea-flour curry, producing a creamy, sour, savory contrast to tomato-based sauces. A breakfast-style chickpea masala, mixed vegetables and rotating greens add still more separation between the pans.

Nirvana also works South Indian ideas into the rotation. Sambar is a lentil-and-tamarind stew; rasam is thinner, peppery and tangy; lemon rice and coconut rice season the grain itself; curd rice cools things down with yogurt. They are rotating specialties rather than everyday promises, but they help the buffet move beyond a single regional lane.

The separate cold counter matters just as much. Kachumber brings cucumber, tomato and onion crunch; raita cools spice with yogurt; tamarind chutney adds sweet-sour depth; mint chutney brings a greener lift; achar contributes concentrated salt, acid and spice. Chole chaat turns chickpeas into a tangy snack. This is the counter that can redirect a rich plate halfway through.

Then comes the bread. Naan, garlic naan and tandoori roti are made for the table instead of sitting on the line. Naan is soft and enriched; roti is leaner and wheat-forward. That simple service choice keeps one of the buffet’s essential pleasures hot and fresh through every return trip.

Dessert returns to South Asian comforts: syrup-soaked gulab jamun, cardamom-scented kheer and gajar halwa, where carrots are slowly cooked down with milk, sugar and spice. The meal as a whole is wonderfully comprehensive. Biryani, goat or lamb curry, kadhi pakora, tandoori chicken, chaat, chutneys and hot bread make Nirvana a particularly complete introduction to the overlap between Indian and Pakistani buffet cooking.