Nirvana Restaurant - CLOSED
Categories: Chinese, Indian/Pakistani [Edit]
18774 Brookhurst StFountain Valley, CA 92708 (714) 727-5482
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
10 Reviews for Nirvana Restaurant
My boyfriend and I discovered this place a couple of years ago. We went in on a complete whim one night when they were having their buffet. We were so impressed. We bth have worked in food service and were really impressed how fresh everything was for a buffet.
Since then, we go every couple of weeks. They know us by name, always suggest great thing to eat, and they food is alwyas awesome.
I suggest the Chicken Tiki Marsla, the Methi Malai, the Roti or Garlic Nan. Those are our staples and will always get one of those when we eat. Also, the Frankie is awesome.
Before I begin this review, I should mention that I have pretty low expectations (and therefore low standards) when it comes to Indian buffets. You know, just to put things in context. I go to these things expecting to be appalled. When I am not appalled, I am the opposite: impressed. Not because what I am eating is actually impressive, but because what I am eating is not 100% appalling.
It is for this reason that Nirvana wins 4 stars.
4 stars might be a drastic overstatement, but I am in a good mood right now, so I'll be nice. Also, this sort of forces me to search for things about the place that I liked instead of just bashing it outright. Though, I will admit that bashing places is a lot of fun. This review is for their Saturday night buffet only ($11ish). I haven't tried their lunch buffets, nor have I ordered out of their menu yet.
So what I liked ... Service was very friendly and prompt. Our glasses were always filled to the brim with water. Food-wise, I think the buffet items were passable. The naan was okay. The palak paneer, also so-so. The chicken biryani-looking dish was surprisingly not excessively greasy, but the basmati rice in it was too dry. Tandoori chicken was ehh. The potato samosas were probably my favorite buffet item. Many many unmemorable dishes. I stayed away from the Chinese dishes, but go ahead and eat them if you like Chinese fast food. Nothing is too spicy (i.e. perfect for the average American palette).
I liked the clean-looking interior. Also, I think it's about time that Indian restaurants started cashing in on the whole neo-orientalist Buddhism-is-hip vibe that I've been seeing at trendy restaurants for 20 and 30-somethings. Bollywood glam doesn't really sell anymore.
Based on the mixed reviews on this fine website, my friend and I decided to take a chance on Nirvana. We arrived and were pleasantly greeted by the staff, as you are seated, immediately you see the elegant interior and quality of the restaurant. It is much more posh than most Indian/South Asian restaurants I have been to.
The food was excellent. Garlic naan was amazing! As much as you want! They just keep bringing back more and more! That in itself is a rare occurance, fresh garlic naan at a buffet? Never! They had about 15 different choices in the hot buffet, (such as chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, spicy goat curry) with fresh fruits near the yogurt and excellent desserts, served cold (as they should be). The mango vermicelli kheer was a hit at our table.
Currently there is an anniversary special. Lunch buffet is $6.95. That was a nice surprise. I had to do a double take when i saw the bill. This is by far one of the best Indian buffets I have been to in Orange County. India Cookhouse on Culver in Irvine is high on my list too. If anyone has found one that is better, please let me know. You will have a friend for life.
*update* - went back last Friday (12/7) and the anniversary special has ended. Prices back to $8.95.
After spending countless hours in the restroom due to nasty Indian food i ate in Costa Mesa right behind Wahoo's...i vowed i would never eat Indian food again! No matter what! Well guess what, i gave it another chance and did not get the hershey squirts, it was great...lol Nirvana is really good...the nan is very tasty and fresh...i definately recommend this place for lunch.
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What's better than a fantastic Indian buffet? Answer: a fantastic budget Indian buffet that also serves Chinese food!
Spicy goat curries, fresh garlic nan, mango vermicelli kheer, pad thai, fried rice, what' s not to like?!?
Have you ever heard of egg curry? Hardboiled egg, fried on the outside, and soaked with red curry. It had me had hello. To top off this spectacular lunch, the mango kheer is the best Indian kheer that I have ever had in my life...trust me, you will not be disappointed.
The hospitality and the cleanliness of the restroom were two other outstanding notes about this wonderful treasure in Fountain Valley. And that's not all...not only did the lunch end up being less than ten bucks- we ate there during their anniversary so the lunch buffet was actually 6.95!!!! Not a misprint. I should have bought a lottery ticket after this delicious day.
Hinduism recognizes three possible paths to moksha (salvation) and the attainment of Nirvana: karma yoga, jnana yoga, and bhakti yoga.
Hinduism, however, does not recognize the Orange County path to moksha, by which you take the 405 and exit on Brookhurst in Fountain Valley. I don't blame Hinduism for the lack of recognition, though. This fourth path to Nirvana is a cul-de-sac--a sort of "Ha ha, thanks for coming, now go back the same way you came."
I was looking forward to transcending my earthly confines via the reported goodness of Tsuruhashi. I was looking forward to high-grade cuts of meat, Kobe beef, and just an overall excellent yakiniku experience. We chose to arrive early to avoid waiting, but the wait at just 5:30 p.m. was already an hour and a half and the restaurant was already packed.
I was hungry. The pseudo-Brahman called, "Come eat." I was enthralled. Shiva's arms stretched and wrenched out any resistance, the goddess Kali promising me a lovely embrace after the meal. So I ate, and ate, and ate, all the while hating myself for succumbing to mediocre temptation when for an ascetic lifestyle of an hour and a half I could be enjoying the promised delights of Kobe beef and cute Japanese waitresses.
Sinner that I am, having hedonistic tendencies and not wanting to deny myself any current urges, I am still in the wheel of Samsara, duped into believing I could achieve Nirvana in Fountain Valley.
I have a new name for Nirvana in Fountain Valley: Presumption.
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As I've come to learn, in California, the best food can often be found in a strip mall (something to do with exorbitant real estate prices).
Nirvana is and Indian/Asian fusion establishment with the friendliest owners and a great selection. If you're going to go, you should order naan, red lentil daal, Manchurian Veg Balls, Chicken Tikka Masala (an Indian classic), Manchurian Chili Chicken and a tall Taj beer for everyone (this combination of food is easily shared by 4 people).
My advice: don't order the buffet. It's never been good (which is why Nirvana, unfortunately, gets 3 stars - that and the fact that they recently raised prices). Secondly, sit in a booth by the window so you can watch the crazy rednecks come in and out of Turner's Outdoors store.
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lunch buffet review
not exactly what i expected. it seemed to be advertised as better-than-the-other-indian-buffets.. but its not
the good - huge variety of food that looks pretty, some fusion and asian dishes, nice atmosphere
the bad - some dishes are maybe 1/4 star better .. surprisingly some were plain bad(wow). service was OK and frustrating at time, a lot slower to get water refilled, plate taken away etc. one of my few dining experiences where i was unhappy with the service.
the worse - price. the cost was $15 or so for each person. just not worth it for the quality of the food.
recommended.. no. seemed like an exciting place to try but it turned out to have average food at a high price. the only thing going for it is variety. but i dont see the point of 20+ dishes if none will put a smile on your face.
I was persuaded into trying this restaurant as part of a gettogether with some friends. Upon Googling this restaurant, reviews weren't too hot but I figured what could other people know about food, anyway...
Nirvana is a Chinese-Indian cuisine restaurant that offers a lunch buffet for $8.95. The Chinese offerings included Egg Drop Soup, Kung Pao Chicken, Mixed Vegetables (that's how it was labeled), and Fried Rice. Indian choices were Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, a lamb dish, Samosas, and some potato dishes. Overall, the meats were tender and prepared well, however almost all of the dishes failed in essence. The flavors weren't defined and did not present a fusion experience at all.
But I have to add: the naan. Oh man, the naan was SO good! It might not have been the right thinness and crispness, but all that aside, this naan was fluffy and absolutely yummy. I could eat those forever.
The building itself was a former media business by day, 18+ club ("Vivid") by night back in the day. The interior is cleaned up now; owners have opted for darker woods to show refined taste -- still, this didn't help the flavor of the foods.
Amongst the lunch offerings, there were maybe 4 other buffet style islands (tins floating above boiling water); only 1.5 were used for lunch, so there is probably a larger selection come dinnertime.
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What a sad run of disappointing meals we've had lately, especially when we dare to try new places. It sucks when you take a chance on something new and end up wishing you had stuck with your old reliable.
To be fair, this certainly was not our destination. We actually were destined for Tsuruhashi, but got there a little too late and found the wait was up to an hour and a half. In retrospect, I suppose I wish we had gone somewhere else, but we were hungry and Nirvana was right there.
They describe themselves as "Indian and Asian-Curry Cuisine," but like Mike K said, it's basically Indian and Chinese. We went on a Saturday night and so it was the one evening a week that they have a dinner buffet. Perhaps we were too early, but there really wasn't all that much food out. (There were 4 buffet islands but not even half of the space was being used.) One side of the buffet had mostly Indian food, the other side mostly Chinese. They didn't even have any plain basmati rice, just Chinese fried rice, which was not very good. Tandoori chicken and samosas came out a little later, but by then I was almost full. The Indian food was all right, the Chinese food not so much. The service was super friendly and attentive, and there weren't really all that many people there considering it was a Saturday night (hmm). The room was large, with high ceilings, with a pleasant decor and atmosphere. Like Mike K said, the best thing was the piping hot garlic naan - it was really excellent.
Considering it wasn't that great of a selection and the food was OK but nothing special, I was pretty disappointed when we got the bill ($66 for 3 people and 2 beers). It seemed a bit much for the quality and quantity of what was available in the buffet. Overall, I wouldn't really recommend it, at least not for the Saturday dinner buffet, nor would I come back, as I have much better Indian food closer to where I live.
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