Ashoka the Great
18614 Pioneer Blvd Artesia, CA 90701
Lunch buffet: 11 am to 3 pm
Indian cuisine is something that most people definitely need warming up to. I remember the first time I had Indian food, I thought it was FUNKY. Too many weird spices! My first experience with Indian food was...3-4 years ago? And up until this year, I never had a desire to try it again haha. But I was introduced to Ashoka the Great, an Indian restaurant in Artesia with a lunch buffet and it was SO DELICIOUS! I have eaten there twice this year and went there again today with my sister because they have these delicious pancake-y fried balls soaked in sweet syrup that are so addictive. I knew my sister wouldn't love the food, because she's never had Indian food before. But I was on a mission so I pulled her along.
I love how the tables are set with white linen tablecloths, napkins, and the appropriate silverware; it makes you feel like your lunch cost a lot more than $9 :)
I got too excited to eat haha, so I didn't take a pic of the buffet line-up.
But you can kinda see it in the background. Typical buffet set up against a wall of the restaurant. It looks small but it's filled with lots of yummyness!
If you ask, they bring out complimentary naan. Flaky yet soft flatbread.
It's perfect for dipping into all the sauces.
This all looks like a big brown/green blur, but it's yummy!
Going clockwise: At the top is zucchini and potatoes, then lentils, and then spinach with cheese cubes. I'm not even going to try and list the names lol. Most Indian food is in some sort of curry sauce, but each of these veggie dishes tasted different! I love vegetables and the zucchini was SO yummy! Very moist and fresh tasting, if that makes sense? I went back twice for more hehe. Oh, and the crispy things on the side are poppadom, a thin, roasted Indian cracker used for dipping in sauces/curries I believe.
The brown thing is goat curry (a LOT of fat but tasty), the crispy triangular brown thing is
a vegetable samosa with potato, peas, etc inside (good when drizzled with some sweet chutney), and the pink/red thing is tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken is the beginner's dish to Indian food. It's chicken marinated with yogurt and spices, then traditionally is roasted in a clay oven called a tandoor. Usually it's more moist, today's chicken was a bit dry :(.
I ate more things but was too much of a piggie and forgot to take pictures. The buffet has a lot of veggie dishes, as many Indians are vegetarian. The one other meat dish I can remember is chicken tikka masala, which is actually the most well-known Indian dish for beginners. It's chicken curry--roasted chicken in a creamy, tomato-y sauce (slightly spicy). I would definitely recommend trying chicken tikka masala if you're a person interested in trying Indian cusines; I LOVED it the first thing I had it. But since then, I have grown to appreciate the different Indian dishes .
To be honest, the main reason why I love Ashoka the Great is their desserts! SO MUCH FRESH FRUIT! Even when the fruits aren't in season, they have strawberries, papaya, pineapple, blueberries, cherries, mangoes. They have a variety of different fruit salads, and rice pudding too!! I love rice pudding, and theirs is super creamy. Indian food is kinda rich and dense, so I think finishing off with fruit is a good way to not feel super gross after. Okay well the rice pudding is creamy but..still.. somewhat good for you. Maybe. Possibly.
The piece de resistance!! Okay, I put in some effort and googled the name. This is Gulab Jamun. The balls consist of dough made from milk solids (aka cheese) and then deepfried. Afterwards, they are soaked in a sweet syrup that can have different flavors. At Ashoka the Great, I believe the syrup is not flavored, probably just straight up sugar and water.
I have had Gulab Jamun at other Indian places and they pale in comparison to these. The balls are light, not dense and super soaked in the syrup so as you bit into them, you get sweetness all in your mouth.
Alright, I wouldn't call this a light way to end a buffet lunch but that's why you pair the Gulab Jamun with some fruit too hehe.
If you are interested in trying Indian food, or you simply love Indian cuisine but want to try a new place, I would definitely recommend Ashoka the Great.
I have eaten at a total of... four Indian places and my expertise puts Ashoka the Great at the top of my list. Most Indian buffets offer a few dishes but Ashoka the Great has 3-4 meat dishes and around 7 veggie dishes? A wide variety of food for your palate. Honestly, I would really suggest going to an Indian buffet as opposed to ordering a la carte. In my opinion, Indian food can be rich and dense and I personally get bored if I just eat one dish. A buffet allows you to try little bits of mainly Indian dishes and a ton of Indian people eat here, so it is indeed authentic food. AND DAT GULAB JAMUN! I swear, every time I go here I eat up to 5 of those delicious balls of heaven. So good <3
