As a former Londoner, I am an expert on Indian restaurants. As you may ormay not know, Indian restaurants in London are as plentiful as McDonalds in the U.S. I don't live in Charlotte but often visit from Florida. I generally eat Indian when there. I don't remember the names of the restaurants but can recall the locations. First, the Diamond on Monroe Road was not very good. The lunch buffet was very bland. The lunch buffets at the place on Kings Drive, South Boulevard and Independence (next to the Brazilian restaurant) were good. The best was the last mentioned. I used to really enjoy the one acrosse Independence from the last one above that I mentioned. It was very difficult to get there because of the traffic, etc. I see that it is now closed now. It was the best in my opinion. I ate at Ala Baba's once. It was awful indian food. It seems that many people assume that Indian food is hot. It depends on what is ordered. My favorite is VINDALOO. It is hot and if it isn't, it isn't vindaloo. For those that enjoy good flavour without the heat, tikka and/or marsalla are great. Vindaloo has a vinegar base others may have a tomato or coconut base depending on your desire. Some advise. Go to a store that sells Patak indian products and pick up a jar of tandori sauce. You mix it with plain yougart and let it marinate chicken. Throw it on your BBQ and you will have a great BBQ'd chicken. I enjoy making chicken leg tandori and it can be used to make great wings. As you can see, I love Indian food. As a matter of fact, that is about all I can cook. One more suggestion, buy a pack of papadums. Put them individually in the microwave for about a minute and you will have a great snack.
I would also suggest those that are experimenting with exotic foods to try Vietnamese. The soups are incredible. I used to prefer Thai, but I think that I prefer vietnamese. There are many really good restaurants in Charlotte. Enjoy them. I do.
Now my criticism. Why can't one get good Carolina BBQ in Charlotte? I have tried the well know places with dissatisfaction. Please tell me which place is best. I know that it abounds in surrounding towns.
