I walked by Curry Dream Indian Buffet on 39th btw. 5+6th the other day, and noticed something interesting:  it was kind of packed.  I guess this wouldn’t be such a huge surprise, unless you knew a little bit about Curry Dream. I first wrote about this place in March of 2007, back when it was still one of the only under $10 Indian buffets in Midtown (they’ve since raised their prices.)  It was ok for the price, but nothing I would have traveled far out of my way for.  One commenter wrote that the restaurant might be a little dirty (roaches were mentioned, but this is all heresay).  Despite the comments, the restaurant still quoted Midtown Lunch (sort of) in their newspaper ad.  Very exciting stuff.

Needless to say, I haven’t been back since- and most of the time the place seemed fairly empty… that is until last week.  I walked by during lunch and it was pretty hopping, despite the fact that they raised the price of the buffet at the beginning of the year.  This could mean a few things: A) I’m on crack.  The place was always crowded, I just didn’t notice.  B) It has gotten a lot better since I first visited a year and a half ago.  Or C) people love paying more for things.  Could it be that a higher price buffet gives people a greater sense of security that their food is clean?  What do you think?  Has anybody been lately?

Al Baraka, Midtown’s best only Turkish buffet, is now Kanaat Turkish Restaurant.  The chef, food and lunch buffet are exactly the same, but it is now $10.95 (up from $9.95 before).  The lamb shanks are still on the buffet, so it’s worth the extra buck, but the current trend of lunchtime price increases worries me that soon all buffets will need special exemptions to be included in the Midtown Lunch’ing price range.

Another popular buffet that has broken the $10 threshold, after the jump…

Curry Dream, the Indian Buffet on 39th St. btw. 5+6th has also raised the price of their all you can eat buffet from $9.95 to $10.95.  For Indian lunch buffets under $10, there’s still Kashmir on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th, and the West Tandoori Club on 37th btw. 7+8th both still sitting pretty at $9.95.

In the end, as long as the lunch buffet at Spice Fusion (8th Ave. btw. 47+48th) remains at $9.95 I won’t go into panic mode.  Hopefully winning best Indian Buffet in the 2007 Midtown Lunch Readers’ Poll won’t go to their head.

Curry Dream is a middle of the road Indian restaurant on 39th btw. 5th & 6th with a lunchtime buffet that costs $9.95.  (Anything under $10 is very exciting to me!!!)  Overall the food was better than Rangole (not too difficult), and for the price it is easily the best Indian buffet deal in Midtown.

What’s on the buffet, pictures and a +/- after the jump…

Here’s what my first plate looked like:

All the standards were there…

Tandoori Chicken & Chicken Tikka Masala

Saag Paneer (Spinach w/ Cubes of Cheese)

For a second I thought we were getting Indian fried chicken… but it was just Pakuras w/ a Chick Pea salad

Goat Curry

The tandoori chicken was pretty standard, and the Chicken Tikka Masala was good, and not as watery tasting as a lot of cheap Indian buffets.  The Saag Paneer was also better than average, and the chickpea salad inside the pakoras was really good (better than the Chana Masala/Chickpea curry they had).  The pakoras were good if you got a fresh one (some of them were duds), and the Goat Curry was fall off the bone tender- which means that you needed to scoop from the bottom of the pan to get the good meat.  If you just take from the top, you get mostly bones (I discovered that the hard way).

All in all Curry Dream is a great find if you like buffets, but don’t want to spend more than $10 (and it’s better than Rangole used to be).  I’ve only been once so I’m not sure if they change up the dishes every day.  Sure there are better Indian Buffets in Midtown (Utsav, Bombay Palace, etc.) but they all cost over $13.00- too much to spend, even for a buffet addict like me.

THE + (what people who like this place would say)

• I love buffets
• I love buffets that are under $10
• It’s better than Rangole used to be
• It’s got all the standards (Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer, Kheer/Rice Pudding)
• A ton of great sauces to choose from (Raita, Tamarind Sauce, Chutney, etc)

THE – (what people who don’t like this place would say)

• Buffets aren’t really my thing.
• I don’t like sacrificing quality for quantity
• I can get a better meal for cheaper at a place like Minar, or Hurry & Tasty Curry
• I’d rather spend an extra few bucks and eat at an Indian buffet with better quality food
• Naan isn’t on the buffet.  They bring you a basket at the beginning of your meal, and then you have to ask for more (I love naan and like to have access to it at all times during my buffet experience!!!)

Curry Dream, 66 West 39th St. (btw. 5+6th), 212-810-4125