5th Element, Sanford

I had the lunch buffet at this new (two months) Indian restaurant in the strip mall on Rinehart across from the Mercedes dealership on Friday. It was excellent. Huge choice. Reasonable price ($11). Good quality. I had a goat dish, chicken tikka masala, a chicken kabob dish, garlic chicken, tandoori chicken, chicken jalfrezi, another curry chicken dish, sweet and sour soup, another soup, a flavored biryani (they had three or four), basmati rice, that donut that I forget the name of - that I think is made with chick pea flour, a puffy white roll like thing, naan, a coconut square, rice pudding, a rice and curd thing and probably some other things I can't remember. And I didn't even get to the vegetarian dishes. Almost as many. The regular menu has even more (ie lamb). They kept the trays filled and fresh. The place was almost at capacity. Alot of mechanics from the car dealerships close by. Alot of Indians too. They did a fair job on the remodel. They have tvs in the corners, booths around the perimeter and tables in the center. The other half of the space is the buffet area and bar. Culturally appropriate decor. They have four other locations around the state. They know what they are doing. Even the soda was cheap. The one misstep was that they weren't very attentive to the soda level. I had to ask for a refill. I really was not looking forward to this after the Southern Spice experience. The caloric intake Indian buffets expose me to even makes me apprehensive. However, this was a good learning experience and I will definitely go back. Calories be damned. If you live in the area, you have been blessed. And remember - I'm just reviewing the buffet! First an unsung movie with a naked Mila Jovovich and dog like creatures that look like Common and now this. The 5th Element must be love.