ALIBABA
56-58 Nanking E., Rd., Sec. 2, 2nd Floor
(02) 2567-7163
Hours: 12pm to 2:30pm; 6pm to 11pm
website: ali88.com.tw
$$
Kid friendliness: 2 high chairs available. Service semi-kid friendly when they are busy.
Visit reviewed: 11/25/2007
(Blogger seems to not let me upload multiple pictures.. I've been trying to post this for a month.. finally, I did them one at a time and it slowly worked! argh!)
After my terrible experience with the empty trays at Aaleja's weekend buffet, I was a bit hesitant to try another one. But you can't blame a restaurant for an entirely different place right? In the end, it was a lot better than the empty trays at Aaleja's weekend brunch although they were s-l-o-w on refilling the tandoori chicken.
Ali Baba's buffet (NT$399) offers up an array of curries, appetizers, seafood and vegetarian options and even self serve ice cream. They were crowded during the lunch hour, so much so that they tried to squeeze us in this tiny table by the door. A few minutes later we were able to request a different table on the other side with some persistence.
I thought the flavors of the various curries I tried were good- not too spicy to accommodate a wider crowd- and I liked that they had the option of different naans (ie garlic instead of plain) and drinks as part of your lunch buffet, as well as samosas if you could get to it in time. The naan is fluffy and crispy, not like the dense flatbread at Aaleja.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of seafood curries or seafood in Indian food, so I didn't sample that, though they offered up some fried fish and seafood curry, as well as quite a few vegetarian options. The good thing with a buffet is that everyone can pick and choose what they want and it's a good way to sample more than one dish for the price of one dish.
You might not know that Alibaba Indian restaurant is there when walking by on the crowded street... it's on the second floor and this sign hangs in the stairway entrance.
