Location: 45 Court St #2, Binghamton, NY 13901
Phone: (607) 722-8181
Cuisine: Indian
Attire: Casual
Price: $6 for lunch buffet per person
Review:
I finally made it to Curry's of India for the lunch buffet today. I'd tried to go a few weeks back but went on a Monday without realizing they were closed Mondays, and ended up at the Old World Deli instead. I'd been to Curry's once many, many years ago (10+) and pretty much forgot about it. Even though it's on Court St. right in the heart of downtown, it's not really all that noticeable unless you're looking for it. Anyhow, I made it today and was happy with most aspects of the meal, but not blown away.
Upon walking into Curry's I was greeted by an older woman, presumably one of the owners. There are two rows of small tables on either side of the VERY small space, and the buffet was set up toward the back of the restaurant by the kitchen. I will note that there is absolutely zero ambiance to this restaurant with very little by way of decor...it's very bare-bones in terms of presentation.
On today's buffet there was a reasonable array of foods: rice, lentils, chickpea masala, beef curry, peas and mushrooms, rice pudding, and the Indian staple bread, naan. I sampled a bit of everything and was pleased with most. The chickpea masala in particular was noteworthy and had a nice sweet, mildly spicy flavor. The beef curry was also good and kind of like an Indian version of Swedish meatballs. The rice pudding dessert didn't really do anything for me (disclaimer: I have never really cared much for rice pudding, Indian or otherwise), and the peas/mushrooms constituted an amorphous mass of slop that didn't really have much flavor.
While I liked the food, there was something notably absent from the mix: the heat! I like my Indian food spicy and the dishes at Curry's, ironically, are lacking in that department. Granted, the dishes for the buffet are probably cooked so as to appeal to the most people possible, and hence are designed not to be overly spicy. I would imagine that if you order from their main menu, you could order your entree to your specifications. For the buffet, the dishes were more sweet than spicy, which was fine, just different from my usual preference.
Curry's represents a solid lunch option in downtown Binghamton. Do not expect anything at all by way of ambiance; do expect good authentic Indian food served by a family who I sense truly takes pride in their product. For $6, the lunch buffet represents good value. Despite some minor flaws, Curry's fills the void in my dining exploits vacated when Moghul stopped doing their lunch buffet, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an inexpensive Indian meal.
Grade: B
