Hot way to try out dishes

May 29 2009 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Hot way to try out dishes

I HAVE always needed to be in the mood for Indian food. It’s not the top choice when I am choosing where I want to eat out. But newly opened Maza has helped push the eastern cuisine further up the list.

My first visit to the restaurant at the bottom of the high street was before a show at the Concert Hall that was part of the Festival of the Arts. The show was excellent, but the food beforehand even better.

Maza was bright and welcoming even before you stepped through the doors. And as soon as I ventured over the threshold, a member of staff leapt to his feet and showed me and my father to our seats and took our drinks order.

Daddy had just returned from a golfing holiday in Spain with some of his fellow retirees and was regaling me about their various rounds of golf, much to my dismay.

To distract myself for a few minutes, I made my first trip to the buffet line. There were plenty of starters, with several different types of pakora, onion rings, poppadom and garlic mushrooms. I filled my plate with a little bit of everything and returned to my seat, eager to give it all a try.

And I wasn’t disappointed. One of the big worries about food that has been sitting under heat lamps is that it would be quite dry, but this wasn’t the case. The pakora was tasty and fairly light.

I avoided the salad bar, opting for curry over rabbit food. There were at least 12 different curries on offer, ranging from a Korma to a Chasni to a Madras or a Bhuna. All of the curries were helpfully labelled not only with their name but their level of heat.

“The thing about buffet restaurants,” my father pontificated over his second helping of Chicken Balti Butter. “Is that you are more likely to try dishes out than if you ordered the whole meal from a takeaway.”

And I couldn’t help but agree. This is what makes Maza (and restaurants like it) great. You can discover whole new dishes that you would never have tried.

After a starter plate and two helpings of curry, Daddy and I opted to not have a pudding, as we knew we would be sitting in the Concert Hall listening to music for the next few hours. However, I did manage a look at the dessert cabinet, which also had a wide choice of different cakes and puddings.

Maza was a delight and definitely worth a visit if you are a curry lover.

Venue: Maza, 222-224 High Street, Perth

Food: Indian buffet with plenty of choice

Decor: Modern and clean and bright

Service: Fast, friendly and very helpful

Price: (for two, with drinks) £24.88