As much as I love Indian buffets and their unlimited chana masala offerings, sometimes I prefer to just order a couple dishes from the menu, since this route means I don’t have to have the servers roll me out of the restaurant from eating plates and plates of food. At Guru, you won’t find any buffet offerings; instead, you’ll get a fine dining experience. The Cauliflower 65 is my personal favourite, which sees cauliflower cooked in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce that is redolent of sweet and sour pork. Then, there’s the butter chicken samosa – an interesting twist to the beef and veggie varieties. The added crispiness, from being encased in a samosa, is a nice touch to the butter chicken. –Jasmine Salazar
17021 100 Ave., 780-484-4300, gururestaurant.com
One of my favourite Star Trek scenes comes from the 1966 pilot, “The Cage.” Captain Christopher Pike is in a lavish chamber filled with open fire pits and rich tapestries, while an Orion (green) dancer entertains him and his cohorts. The open fires and tapestries at Khazana remind me so much of that scene – I mean that in the best possible way. It’s not just the food at Khazana – though the tandoori lamb and beef are fantastic, the naan is fresh and melts in your mouth – it’s the entire experience. Through a window, you can watch the chefs place food in the clay oven. The wood accents, the pillars, the rugs that hang from the wall, you really are transported to another part of the world; or, in my case, another world entirely. –Steven Sandor
10177 107 St., 780-702-0330, khazana.ab.ca
Tucked away inside a tiny strip mall on Whyte Avenue, this understated eatery serves authentic East Indian fare by way of lunch and dinner buffets that are available seven days a week. Can’t decide on a dish? You can try a sampling of various meat and non-meat dishes off the menu when you go the buffet route. Just be warned – Daawat doesn’t hold back on the spice. The chana masala is particularly spicy in comparison to other menu items, but it’s not overwhelming at all. The little heat packs a lot of flavour. If you need to cool things down a bit, order the mango lassi, which is super creamy. –Jasmine Salazar
10015 82 Ave., 780-469-3517, daawat.ca
