Cycle of Change

NAAN OF THE ABOVE: As buffet choices change daily, you may be able to try the lamb vindaloo. Sadly, we missed out. But there's always more naan (pictured at back).

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Karma's chameleonic lunch buffet helps us leave the past behind.

by Nancy Armstrong

A favorite restaurant is not unlike a longtime lover: You know it well, love it comfortably and there are no surprises -- until the relationship just ends one day, seemingly out of the blue. So it was with Darbar, the adorable Indian restaurant on Market Street that closed last year. We’d grown comfy together, and then it just up and left us, bereft. Last month, a new buffet sashayed into Old City, setting up shop a mere two blocks from Darbar’s empty, lonely storefront. Karma is exciting, flashy even, and it’s come courting just when we’re ready to let go of Darbar. The old place will still make us smile when we think about it, but we’re ready to move on, and Karma has just what we need.

Our new Indian buffet haven is definitely better looking than our ex, with a dining room featuring artwork by locals Shannon Presti and Beth Gordon. Lori Hill notes that "Karma's predecessor, Shivnanda, always seemed dark, but not in a romantic way; it was even a little uninviting. Karma makes better use of the location's narrow passage, filling it with only a handful of tables, but then opens up the space into a bigger dining area." It is here that the vast buffet is displayed in all its varied and spicy glory, and we are invited to immediately help ourselves. Buffets are tricky: Juliet Fletcher points out that they "provide the illusion of plenty," but that it's difficult to actually eat $10 worth of food. His "delicate -- some would say unconscionably fussy -- palate" makes a buffet a hit-or-miss affair for Patrick Rapa, but both these skeptics found delight in Karma's arms -- er, dishes.

We filled up our plates and returned to the table to find heaping baskets of naan, glasses of water and plates of appetizers on our table. Debra Auspitz likes the "buffet/table service combo; you feel in control of your meal and get to try a lot of things, but certain essentials are provided just for your table." The appetizers are vegetable pakora, and Juliet found them overwhelming: "The almost musty crunchiness of these [mixed vegetable] patties would be great were it not for the low-tide levels of salt they're coated in." Patrick, however, thought they were "sweet, crunchy and good with chutney," and was pleased that they were "free as the moonlight," while Lori loved the way they "represent everything that's wonderful about fried food: crispy texture, meaty interior and a little greasy goodness."

Since Karma offers a buffet that varies daily, the entrees you encounter may be different than ours, but some dishes are bound to repeat themselves, like paneer-based entrees. I'm a sucker for good homemade cheese, and Karma's is some of the best I've had. Though I wanted to try different things, I kept coming back to the paneer butter masala, featuring perfectly firm cubes of cheese in a tomato-based, spicy-but-not-too sauce. I could go back again and again and fill my plate with it, and I did.

Helen i-lin Hwang enjoyed the aloo gobhi (potato and cauliflower), which "was spicy and aromatic, and was stewed well since the herbs saturated it," but didn't much care for the kadi nimona (ground peas shaped into balls, in sauce), which was "too yogurty" for her taste, and must be an "acquired taste." In fact, this dish was the big loser at Karma's mostly winning buffet; Juliet rued its "dangerous level of mushiness" and Lori felt that there was "no need to go back for seconds." Debra didn't like this dish either, but diplomatically noted, "You can't win 'em all." But Karma was victorious in all its other buffet offerings, including the lamb roganjosh, which Debra said she "hearts" and Lori found "unique and satisfying," the vegetable curry, Juliet's favorite, and the saag chicken, which Patrick approved of for its "mild spices and tender, supple chicken."

It's no secret that falling in love relies heavily on small things, the little touches that could go unnoticed -- remembering how he takes his coffee, for example, or filling up her Brita the first time he stays the night. Or, for our purposes, naan. The cornerstone of a good Indian meal is the naan, and we knew walking in that Karma's would have to be nothing short of splendid in order to replace Darbar's in our hearts and stomachs. Patrick submitted a theory: "Texture is everything when it comes to naan; the chewiness and the crispiness need to coexist in strict, complementary proportions -- exactly 3-to-1." With such a precise yardstick, it is to the restaurant's credit that it measured up; "Karma adhered to this ratio expertly," said Patrick, and Debra concurred, calling it a "nice combo of crispy and soft, and very fresh." This bread is versatile: It mops up the many spicy sauces, works fine on its own or can be used to take away the sting after a hot bite. There's no shortage of it either; no sooner had we finished a basket than the attentive and friendly waiter brought another.

We were brokenhearted and skeptical, but Karma, with its new look, affable service and good, hearty food, is helping us mend. We'll never forget our ex, but we're capable of love again, and our new suitor is, it turns out, worthy of our affections.

KARMA RESTAURANT & BAR

114 Chestnut St., 215-925-1444

Sun., noon-10 p.m.; Mon.-Thu., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m.; Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-11 p.m.; Sat., noon-11 p.m.

Appetizers, $3.25-$6.95; entrees, $9.95-$18.95; lunch buffet, $8.95-$10.95

Wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations not necessary. All major credit cards.