Tandoori Mahal

Abbotsbury Road in Morden is a strange little road hidden in the middle of town, so much so that I’ve managed to miss several restaurants on this road despite living here for 10 years. Tandoori Mahal’s menu states that they’ve been open since 1988 and I’ve only just noticed them.
I have a Chinese Thrift Gene (CTG) which balances out the Chinese Quality Gene (CQG) and my visit to this restaurant went something like this.
Décor
CTG: Looking at the menu outside, the thali menus look great value for money — small portions of lots of different dishes
CQG: The outside and inside décor looks very plush, especially for Morden. If the cooking is as good as the décor, we’re in for a good meal.
Inside menu
CTG: Hmm… all the menus outside aren’t available! However, for £8.50, we can choose any starter, main course, veg side dish, rice and naan from the whole menu. Fantastic value for money!
CQG: Menu looks quite generic with few chef’s specials that you get in Indian restaurants these days.
Mango lassi
CTG: Drinks generally expensive but mango lassi is always worth it
CQG: Nice thick lassi with good mango flavour
Starter — prawn puri
CTG: Wow, £8.50 for a starter, main course, veg side dish, rice and naan
CQG: But the prawns tasted like they were cooked in mainly tomato ketchup. No other flavouring came through at all
Main course & veg side — lamb pasanda & mushroom/​spinach bhaji
CTG: Wow, £8.50 for a starter, main course, veg side dish, rice and naan
CQG: To be fair, lots of lamb in the curry but again pasanda too sweet. The mushroom/​spinach bhaji was good contrast in the sense that it was over salted but my tastebuds were looking for some relief from the sweetness of the pasanda
Keema naan & garlic rice
CTG: Wow, £8.50 for a starter, main course, veg side dish, rice and naan
CQG: Garlic rice was quite nice though a touch salty. Keema naan skimped on the meat mince.
Final conclusion
CTG: Wow, £8.50 for a starter, main course, veg side dish, rice and naan
CQG: Stop saying that! I care about quality as much as price, so I’m vetoing the overall rating to 3 stars!

I arranged to meet a friend at the Princess of India Indian restaurant in Morden, only to have to look elsewhere because it was full and booked for the rest of the evening.
I found myself around five minutes later being welcomed into the Tandoori Mahal. The all day buffet premise here is different. There is a menu and you choose your dishes and eat as much as you want. You can request the size of the dish and the menu is extensive. I was quietly pleased at the oppotunity to try this venue unexpectedly.
Drinks are at pub prices and service is pretty good. The downsides are that the prices are not based on quality or demand, just that Saturday nights are more expensive than Tuesday lunchtimes. That sucks a little. As does that if you stick to one meat, say chicken, you begin to feel that each chunk was marinated the same way and just served in a different manner. That isn’t too hot.