Rasoi II

Rasoi II
1567 Oak Tree Rd, Iselin
732-549-8817

Hours: Buffet lunch: Tues-Fri, 11:30 am-3 pm; Sat-Sun, 11:30 am-4 pm. Dinner: Daily, 5:15–10 pm

Price: $

Style: Indian food served in a huge, many-windowed, one-time diner with several sections, a bar and extensive buffet. Groups are easily accommodated.

Don’t Miss: The fresh-baked tandoori breads ($2.50-$3.50). There are 16 kinds, including puffed puri, whole wheat roti, four types of naan and paratha (we loved the pudina paratha, lightly grilled with fresh mint leaves and coriander). Can’t decide? Order the Rasoi KI Tokari assortment, any four for $12.95. Samosa chaat gives the regular samosa (a fried dumpling) a decadent spin, smothering it in chickpeas, a yogurt-and-tamarind sauce and Indian rock salt. With 16 vegetarian choices, and several seafood, lamb and chicken dishes, the multipaged menu can be overwhelming. The knowledgeable staff will be glad to guide you. We loved generously portioned chicken tikka masala ($12.95), bite-sized white meat in a mildly hot/sweet tomato-based sauce. Fragrant, fluffy basmati rice provides the perfect base for the mild-to-spicy spectrum of Indian flavors. Most exciting were the Chinese-Indian options. Hot-and-sour soup and spring rolls took on seductive Indian attributes, as did Indian-inflected Chinese entrées. Masala noodles ($9.95) with crunchy carrot strips and bean sprouts offered a delightful cumin-flavored spin on vegetable mai-fun noodles.

Heads Up: The lunch buffet (Monday–Friday, $10.65; Saturday and Sunday, $12.95, ) gives you the most dishes to taste, though they are prepared in huge trays and sit in steam tables. At dinner, take the time to peruse the menu and ask questions. Unfortunately, you can wait rather a long time for your order to be served. One suspects the many large groups claim much of the staff’s attention. Sipping a thick, creamy mango lassi ($3.50) can ease the wait.

The Scoop: A family style restaurant, Rasoi II is always bustling. Make it an outing and visit Iselin’s many Indian shops. There are also the original Rasoi in Jersey City and Rasoi III in Monmouth Junction.