Amber: An Indian Restaurant in Mountain View, California

Those of us who hale from the subcontinent, are not overly enthused about going out for Indian food. Typically, what we cook at home , is a version made with much less oil, with certain ingredients actively bypassed in the interests of catering to specific individual idiosyncrasies, and shortening the preparation and /or cooking time.

So it was a pleasant surprise when we were invited for a Sunday afternoon meal at the Amber Indian restaurant, at 2290 El Camino Real, Mountain View, 94040, in Northern California. The folks who invited us were also from the subcontinent, and so we were very curious about why this place was so appealing to someone who could, if they wanted, have all this food at home too .

Nestled in a relatively quiet shopping center, we start out with what I think is a basic necessity ; an excellent parking area right outside, with plenty of parking.

You enter into a large reception area with an unobtrusive reception desk manned by a polite guy, who makes you feel as if if he was actually expecting you . You are then led into a area bustling with food, people, and the waiters, with all kinds of delicious aromas tickling your olfactory sensibilities.

This place serves individual items you may order, as well as a lunch buffet at a very decent price (for what you get).

The interesting thing is you pass the buffet area as you are ushered in, so you can see whats on offer. There is a large variety of what we call starters, which we never have at home prior to a meal, but normally along with evening tea. Thee are the universally popular "chats", which are crunchy savories served with chopped veggies, spices, sauces and yogurt, In an admission to American sensibilities, there are also some salads , Indian style. The universally acclaimed poppadums are on offer. For those with a spicy tooth, jalapenos fried in spiced Bengal gram batter complete the picture.

There are several rice dishes , including plain rice. A delicious Dal, or lentil preparation brings back memories of home meals, with bowls of Dal cleaned up with absorbent chapatties (fresh Indian whole wheat flat bread), as children.

There are 2-3 vegetable dishes, and 2-3 meat dishes, and the piece de resistance is supposed to be the chicken dish. But we being vegetarians were not even looking there. The vegetables were extremely tasty, without any of the floating oil layers that one sees often in other restaurants. The crunchy attribute of the vegetables was in evidence, and it was a relief to see the veggies cooked just right, and not the type that dissolves into the gravy the minute you touch.

We were seated at our table, and then shortly left with our plates to fill them at the buffet. When we returned, there was a basket of naans at our tables, piping hot, all the better to slurp the curries with. There is a wide choice of beverages, including chai, and chaas , the latter being light Indian spiced buttermilk, so ideal for the summer, and not yet so popular in America, where buttermilk is something else altogether in consistency and taste. Not a parch on chchas, incidentally.

What was nice to see is that there were a lot of families here with young children, who thought the naans were a real treat with the spiced yogurt raita, and the tandoori chicken, an ever popular chicken dish available on order. The restaurant is set up like a house with rooms, and families were basically in a larger room where children did not run the risk of spilling someones drink as they stood up in their chairs, got off and went for one more piece of chicken, so to speak.

Service was attentive and quick , and whats more , smiling.

The manager was unobtrusively situated around the buffet, ensuring continuity as the serving bowls continued to empty and kept getting filled . He came around to various tables , including those of the children to ensure that the meal was a happy and satisfactory event.

The desert was another nostalgic event with the serving of "kulfi" , a typical Indian ice cream served ans a flat thing cut up into pieces, with the flavor of pistachios and cardamom wafting up.

An American meal ends normally with coffee.

We did not want to lose the lingering taste of the pistachios and cardamom, and left this place after a very satisfying meal.

We would recommend this place to anyone interested in a very high quality Indian meal, similar to what is served up in India, on celebratory occasions. The price is also not earth shattering, and I feel the buffet is value for money.

The place kept getting filed up while we were there and there seamed to be no end to that.

The only problem they will have later seems to be that of running out of space, to accommodate the growing crowd. But I hear they are also opening some more branches.