It's rare that I eat to the point of discomfort, but it is also rare that I find a buffet where I can eat ~everything~. Sadly (or not), I did eat, well, almost everything. Woodlands advertises itself as a South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, which means lots of tomatoes and lots of coconut. The buffet itself is expansive. There was a Chaat Bar (think noshes and salad toppings, like puffed rice, sauces, pita chips, as well as chopped and pickled vegetables). There were four bread choices, three rice choices, one noodle option, one pancake option, two appetizer items, salad "Indian style", seven curries, two soups and two desserts. I went back four times (including dessert, my fourth trip) and sampled nearly everything. The dishes ranged from "good" to "very good" and only one dish left me saying "ehh." The overall impression is that this is true home cooking. I don't know exactly how to explain it but this felt like some of the most authentic Indian food I have ever eaten. I half expected to peek into the kitchen and see a daadee ma (grandmother) stirring a large pot of daal. The food was well made, well seasoned, but simple, almost rustic. It felt "real". Let's start at the beginning.
Appetizers Potato Bonda, Iddly and Vegetable Pancake. The Potato Bonda is a kind of tiny fried samosa, a little dumpling of potato and onions in a lentil coating. It was good, but dipping it in the sauces made it that much better. In addition to the traditional cilantro and tamarind sauces there was a reddish/orange sauce that had some serious after-burn and a tomato chutney. The Iddly, something I have never ordered, surprised me. It was kind of wonderful in its simplicity. Described as steamed rice/lentil cakes these light, flaky white patties were remarkably textured and flavorful. The veg pancakes were also quite good and could make a meal in and of themselves. For the salad, there was the typical iceberg lettuce, which I skipped, and a cold version of channa masala with crunchy Asian noodles mixed in. The cold channa was to go on the salad but it was fascinating to try this hugely familiar dish in a very different way. The first of the curries was served as an appetizer -- Pav Bhaji. It is a vegetable curry served with hunks of toasted buttered bread which seemed almost Italian in origin. The bread was forgettable but the curry, while seemingly plain, delighted the palate with half a dozen subtle seasonings I couldn't begin to identify. The rices included your basic white, an Asian style vegetable and some rice which had been immersed in tomatoes. This last rice was a favorite and melted in your mouth, particularly when combined with one of the breads. Speaking of breads, they were a star of the show. There was a wheat paratha which was soft and warm and light. Even better was something called "Poon" a kind of puffed bread I had not seen before. It quickly became a favorite. There was also the dosa bread. Dosa, for the uninitiated, is a large thin bread similar to the look of a crepe with the consistency and taste of Ethiopian Injera. This Dosa was tangy and sharp, even better than the dosa at Indigo, and I rarely find anything I like better than Indigo. Of the curries, the Avial, a yellow curry with vegetables and coconut, was a favorite finding the right balance between tang and sweetness. The Green Beans Poriyal took a vegetable I don't love and mixed in some yellow spice which made the beans flavorful and taste not bean-like. Grilled Cauliflower in a tart tomato sauce was nearly addictive. Vegetable Kootu and Dal Palak were also good but didn't leave a lasting impression. The Mutter Paneer was the only fail, IMHO, with peas which were undercooked and cheese chunks which were tough and dry. The sauce tasted like a riff on that stuff that used to come with boxed mac and cheese. The Vegetable Soup was good but too mild for my tastes. On the flip side the Sweet and Sour Soup was quite sharp and more spicy than sweet. I mixed the two soups and had the perfect balance. For entertainment purposes I tried the "indo-chinese noodles" which were okay but didn't impress.
Last and not least was the desserts. I typically don't do desserts in Indian restaurants but since it was part of the buffet ... ! I tried the Carrot Halwa which wasn't overly sweet but lacked something. I spooned a bit of the second dessert, a Madras Prayasam (thin vermicelli cooked in milk and honey with raisins and cashews), over the Halwa, again making a good match which improved both dishes.
Would I go here again? Yes, in fact I am curious about the Fairfax restaurant and will likely check that out on my next go. Food is good, prices are great and this is "legit" food.
Family style South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant
Two area locations: 2046 New Hampshire Ave, Adelphi, MD and 4078 Jermantown Rd, Fairfax, VA
http://www.woodlandsrestaurants.com/
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