Red Turban Indian Restaurant, Cannington

We've been to this restaurant once a couple of years ago and really liked it so we decided to go back there one more time before going to Japan where any non-Japanese food is probably not going to taste very authentic and is also most likely to be very expensive. For a buffet spread, we thought it was well-priced and very good quality (the food were pretty authentic prepared by Indian chefs). They have a great buffet spread of 12 hot dishes (plus butter naan bread, rice and pappadums), 8 cold/salad dishes and 4 choices of dessert with tea and coffee. All for $28.90pp. The price hasn't changed, but back then a glass of mango lassi was included as well, and we were disappointed this time to find out that it is no longer included. Vegetarians are very well-catered for (all of the 8 cold dishes and 7 of the 12 hot dishes are vegetarian), and if you inform the staff of any special dietary needs (e.g. gluten free, more/less spicy) they are willing to meet your needs. It is a spacious restaurant, but it is very popular (and oh my, there were several large diners!!) and bookings are highly recommended.

Now, I like Indian food, but am not a huge fan of Indian food (I find the curries much too rich and heavy). I found that I reached my limit far more quickly than I usually do at buffets. Rob definitely did not eat as much as he usually would at buffets as well however he felt that he still ate his money's worth. Cold dishes included fruit salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, potato salad, beansprout salad and beetroot with condiments like mango chutney and raita. Hot dishes included dahl, gobi korma, butter chicken, rogan josh, beef vindaloo and of course the tandoori chicken. We thought their garlic fish and fried chilli mushrooms tasted like those sweet and sour dishes at those chinese food stalls at food courts, probably to suit the palates of those who prefer those food. Dessert, there was the Gulab Jamun (sweet milk dumplings - Rob loves these!), jelly for the kids, fruit salad for the health conscious, and a creme brulee sorta thing for those that want to play it on the safe (but highly indulgent) side. Honestly, we didn't go 'Wow' at the food this time round. In fact, Rob thought that the food didn't taste as authentic as he remembered (methinks that was mostly thanks to the 'sweet and sour' likeness of the fish and mushroom dishes).

My verdict? The quality of the food is pretty good for a buffet spread, and there are so many good reviews of this place. It won a Gold Plate award for the Buffet Asian category which is pretty good for a place that is only a couple of years old. If you like Indian food, and if you can eat a lot of it, then you ought to try Red Turban's buffet. They do have a-la-carte and take-away options too if that's what you want.