The name Milan shouldn't confuse you. Milan means "the gathering place" in Hindi. (The pronounciation is also different.) Before Milan opened we would drive to Roanoke to eat at Nawab, as we were not satisfied with the Indian restaurants in the Charlottesville area. Nawab was one of our favorite restaurants when we were living in Norfolk. We were in a pleasant suprise when we learned that Milan's owner used to be the manager in Nawab in Norfolk. He recognized us and told us that Milan uses the same recipes Nawab as the same family ownes both restaurant chains.
The building for Milan is a pretty building which used to be a French restaurant and later a Vietnamese restaurant. The restaurant is organized in two rooms, and a little entree. The first room hosts a fireplace which is lit in winter. All the tables have clean crispy white linen table cloths.
When I asked if they serve the same foods every week on the same day for the lunch buffet, I learned that their menu rotates based on what the chef wants to cook that day. So you won't be tired of the food as you would always find something different.
Their lunch buffet included basmati rice, vegetable korma, tandoori chicken, vegetable pakora (spinach and other vegetable made into a ball and then fried), palak paneer (some kind of spinach food) and other hot entrées. The salad section had raita (my favorite, just the way I like it), carrot achar, kachumber (salad made of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions), and a mixed garden salad. For dessert they had kheer (Indian rice pudding) and mango puding. Their menu is quite varied, the next time we had a lunch buffet, they were serving some foods which I never ate before, such as some strawberry salsa, very delicious eggplant dish. The restaurant now is a huge success and very popular especially for lunch. I believe the way to check whether an ethnic food is good is trying to see if they have patrons from the restaurant's home country. Needless to say there are many Indians enjoying Milan's Northern Indian cuisine.
I suggest Milan to everyone who is hooked on delicious Indian cuisine. It is hard to find such a nice restaurant where the food is as good as the decor. The lunch buffet is a good value for what you get. For $7.95 per person ($6.95 on weekdays), you won't be able to eat such freshly cooked meals in such an exquisite place. Milan is a winner!