Praveena M.
Yelp
I really wanted to like Sitar. But I'm gonna keep it real with you, if you want good Indian food, this is not it.
I opted for the dinner buffet on a Friday night. I was greeted promptly and offered a table. Things inside the restaurant were fairly clean, and there were plenty of staff to clear away plates, refill water, etc.
That's where the positives end, for the most part. Nothing in the buffet was hot, other than the naan and the masala chai. I have to give them credit for those two items, as they were both very fresh.
The veggie pakoras and samosas were...fine. Lukewarm, a little dry, but had the expected flavors. The baingan bharta was weird. Super sour and really thin in consistency. Not the smoky, creamy, and luxurious dish that I was expecting. And I have no idea why it was so sour.
There were no paneer dishes - seriously? Instead of paneer makhani/paneer tikka masala, there was tofu tikka masala as the vegetarian complement to the chicken tikka masala that they also had out. A cost-cutting measure to be sure, and one that makes me question the $22 price for the weekend dinner buffet. It was lukewarm and tasted like it had never seen or heard of cream or yogurt. It was thin, thin, thin. Like only water had been used to create the gravy. It was so so bland, and that lack of flavor was exacerbated by the use of tofu as a protein. The basmati rice was fine. Again, not hot, but it served its purpose.
I peeked into the couple of soup containers, supposedly a lentil soup and a vegetable soup. There was no aroma from either of them, and honestly the 'vegetable' one just looked like it was mostly water with a few veggies floating around. I had a gulab jamun, and it was average. Nothing to complain about, but not memorable either.
I will say, I left feeling rather full from all the random stuff I ate, but not satisfied. I get that Indian restaurants are not claiming to or trying to serve the kind of food that a lot of us Indian Americans grew up eating at home. But, there are so many restaurants here in Durham that are serving up their own style of delicious Indian food that really hits the spot. Food that doesn't cut corners, isn't watered down, and is hot, fresh, and flavorful. Unfortunately, that was not to be found here at Sitar. I gave it a fair try, but I won't be back.