Ambrosia - Aptos

Ok, here's a quick one. Met up with some buddies last week for lunch at Ambrosia in Aptos. This place has the best lunch buffet of Indian food around. Well worth the trip down Highway 1.

Ambrosia

The buffet is $9.99 and starts at 11:30am. We got there when the doors opened and there were a few other customers too. They keep things looking good inside - there's a full bar and a large back room. Even have cloth napkins, so you know you can take your mom. We got seated and then realized we were free to get over to the food asap. The plates are on the buffet table.

All the classics are here: Basmati rice, Butter Chicken, Fish Curry, Chana Masala (chickpeas with ginger and cilantro), Vegan Pakora (veggie fritters), Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) and more!

Here's my plate after the initial visit. They had a new item: Jackfruit in a tomato curry sauce. It didn't have much flavor on its own. The texture was firm, but I could cut it with a fork. It reminded me a bit of very firm tofu. The yellow sauce on the rice was spiced lentils.

For my second trip (hey, who's counting?), they brought out some grilled veggies. Zucchini, red and green peppers, onions and broccoli all in aromatic Indian spices. Does it get any better?

They also had a fresh salad section on the buffet, My buddy Russell, a honest-to-Betsy vegetarian, was happy with all the options. I passed this time since I was getting my veggies from the other awesome dishes. The watermelon is a good contrast to some of the spicier food.

I will always make time for Ambrosia. Great flavors, clean decor, efficient staff. They were spot-on with water and Nan bread refills. I always wonder about tipping at buffet places. I guess if you got your money's worth (and I certainly did), then you give generously.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 8 (buffet!)
Overall: 7.75