Owner Vijay Bist’s newest Amber India restaurant at Santana Row is a hipper, more global version of the first in Mountain View. The first sticks to classic Northern cuisine, while the second dares to dabble. For example, at the Santana Row location, you’ll find such interesting combinations as Chakriphool Duck Crepes flavored with star anise and Bhara Jungli Khumb, portabello mushrooms stuffed with spicy paneer (homemade cheese), artichokes, and mushrooms.
However, if you want Santana Row Amber’s more experimental dishes, you’ll have to order from the regular menu. Lunch buffet here is more or less a traditional affair. Obviously, Santana Row caters to a different clientele than its brother. Buffet prices reflect this difference ($11.95 vs. $13.95).
At Amber India, buffet food is not allowed to grow tepid, and brass-hammered serving bowls are kept brimming. With the exception of a handful of staples, buffet items rotate daily. Piping hot naan is rushed to your table as soon as you’ve brought back your bounty.
The day I went, zucchini fritters, or pakoda, were on the menu. Amber’s pakoda calls to mind those fried zucchini appetizers that were the rage circa 1980, although about 100 times improved. Pakoda’s batter is made of chickpea flour, which provides a grainier, sturdier crunch than white flour or breadcrumbs. Inside the pakoda, zucchini was steaming hot and tender. Zucchini is one of several vegetables in Tawa Subz, a buffet staple. The tawa is a round, thick iron griddle upon which the veggies are cooked until crisp-tender.
Several chickens, none of them rubber, were offered in varying costume. There was Merg Methi, boneless chunks of chicken infused with the aromatic fenugreek leaf. This Merg Methi did not leave the bitter taste too often caused by over-steeping with this herb, and the dish was medium spicy. Next was the classic Tandoori Chicken, full of flavor and not too salty. Last was Butter Chicken, Amber’s signature dish and another buffet staple, made velvety smooth and tangy with the traditional ingredients of cream, yogurt, and tomato.
Although I have no beef with chickens, I had expected to find a more diverse meat population in the buffet stand, reflecting the regular menu, which features several dishes made from lamb and seafood.
In addition to fresh fruit, Amber gives you a choice of two desserts, like Gajjar Halwa, sweet grated carrots spiced with cardamon, and Seviyan, a creamy soup of thread-thin vermicelli noodles also flavored with cardamon. Both provided a pleasing finale to an outstanding lunch.