Corvallis' Undiscovered Gem (Review)

Just southwest of 9th and Circle is a hidden and undiscovered little jewel of Corvallis, Nirvana Indian Restaurant. Nirvana offers a wonderful atmosphere, delicious food and great service!

Picture courtesy of Nirvana's
Website.

Imagine that neighborhood restaurant that the locals enjoy and keep to themselves, only inviting special friends to share in the secret; Nirvana is Corvallis’ secret. Driving down 9th street amid the myriad of restaurants and stores, it is easy to pass up this unassuming restaurant. It resides next to Bi-Mart and faces Market of Choice. The outside of the restaurant is done in neutral tones with mature foliage and it is the brightly clad windows that catch the driver’s attention, advertising Nirvana’s lunch buffet including a fountain drink for $8.99 or $5.99 for the student’s lunch box to go special.

Nirvana opened in 2008. In 2009, Gurmeet Lal Kaul began to manage the restaurant and he and his wife took over ownership in January of 2011, adjusting the dishes and flavors to suit their tastes. The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes in various spicy flavors. He and his family enjoy working in the restaurant and making their customers a top priority.

“We provide very fresh food each day and work hard to keep the prices reasonable, so our customers will be very happy,” comments Kaul, about his food and philosophy.

Most of the menu, except for their breads, is gluten free. All the dishes can be made vegan and they have a large selection of vegetarian specialties. Nirvana offer dine in, take out, lunch buffet, weekend buffet and catering.

Once inside, customers are greeted by the friendly staff, usually the owner Kaul or his wife. They welcome guests into their restaurant as they would into their home. Spicy aromas surround diners as they enter the dining area. It is open and airy and decorated in soft pink and green hues. Indian art adorns the walls and soft Indian music plays in the back ground. 

After patrons are seated at the table, the waiter will bring over water and a complimentary appetizer of papadum with a slightly spicy cilantro/mint sauce and a sweet tamarind sauce. Nirvana offers a variety of Indian, domestic, and locally brewed Deschutes beers along with Hinman Vineyards and other Pacific vineyard wines. Nirvana serves a traditional Indian drink, the lassi. The favorite one that is served is the mango lassi, it is a sweet blend of mango and yogurt. The menu also offers masal tea (chai) but be warned it is not creamy and only share some flavors with Oregon chia. For those who want the standard fare of beverages, they serve soft drinks, milk and coffee.

"The items are delectable, home-cooked delicacies that extend into the "comfort food" category, and their salad selection is really amazing,” says Dan C. from his review on Yelp. “The naan is wonderfully flavored, and the chai is a great topper to the meal. And the mint sauce is amazing.”

Nirvana offers some delightful and flavorful appetizer to start out the meal. Two of customers’ favorites are the chicken pakora ($4.95), a deep fried chicken fritter that is light battered and spiced; and the lamb samosa ($3.95) which is spicy (not hot) ground lamb stuffed into a creative shaped pastry served with a spicy mint sauce. Please don’t pass up the nan; it is excellent, especially the garlic nan ($2.50)!

When it comes down to selecting an entrée, it is all good, so pick something new or a classic. Most dishes are available in chicken, lamb, shrimp or vegetarian. Do try several dishes with distinct flavors, share and enjoy them, including leftovers the next day. A must have is the korma, usually chicken or lamb, but occasionally shrimp, if the mood strikes us. Nirvana’s korma is a nice creamy, mild spiced curry sauce with nuts. Each meat adds its own unique twist to the flavor of the korma. It is served with basmati rice. Next dish is the vindaloo, again usually chicken or lamb, this is a hot spicy sauce with potatoes. The final dish that graces the table is the tandoori, most often the chicken, thought he lamb is always very good. The tandoori is a meat marinated in yogurt, herbs and spices and baked in a clay oven. The meat comes out moist and tender.

Some of the best sellers and must tries that Nirvana offers are chicken korma ($11.95), tandoori mixed grill ($15.95), shrimp curry (12.95), and boti tikka masala ($12.95). Customer favorites that Kael commented as being most popular dishes are the chicken tikka masala ($11.95), lamb vindaloo ($11.95), aloo gobhi ($8.95) and shrimp pepper masala ($12.95). All the dishes are available in mild, medium or hot, so be sure to spice it up if you enjoy a bit of a fire in your life.

Nirvana is a family owned and oriented restaurant. They readily welcome families, including sometimes a very cranky two year old, with open arms and smiling faces. Kael and his family succeed in making all their customers feel welcome.

Nirvana’s staff works very hard to make their customers happy by offering great service, tasty food at affordable prices, pleasant ambience and a clean restaurant. The dining room is nice and spacious; the tables are arranged well so meals and pleasant conversation can be enjoyed. The restrooms are very clean and easily accessible.

“We work hard to keep costs down to be able to give back to our customers so that you are happy,” stresses Kaul.

A great summary of the Nirvana experience was overheard from a customer preparing to leave after enjoying the lunch buffet sums it up perfectly, “Every time I come, I leave happier than when I came in.”

Summary:
Grade: A
Service: extremely quick and friendly
Recommended dishes: Garlic nan, chicken korma, lamb vindaloo, chicken tikka masala, aloo gobhi, shrimp pepper masala
Atmosphere: Pleasant, clean, spicy aromas, quiet Indian music
Seating: tables for 2, 4, 6, and 8; can handle large groups up to 72
Price range: Appetizers: $3-$7; Entrees $6-$19; Buffet: $6-$12
Family friendly: extremely
Gluten-free/Vegan: yes
Parking: free; handicap accessible
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Location: 1945 NW 9th St, Corvallis, OR 97333
Phone: (541) 738-6104
Website: www.nirvanaindianrestaurant.com

Sustainability, LBCC and You! (Feature)

How green are you? What kind of footprint is being left behind? Have students notice all of the recycling and composting bins they walk by, every day, to and from class at Linn-Benton Community College?

Linn-Benton Community College has taken the steps to help the students and faculty to become more sustainable. The college has spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money to become more sustainable and your help is needed to make it even more successful!

How you may ask? First, get involved. The college encourages students and faculty to think green with recycling and composting bins place throughout the campus. It takes action to make this initiative work! Your purchasing choices; willingness to return the bottles and cans; paper and cardboard; and biodegradable paper goods and food wastes to the recycling and composts bins.

"I have been following up on the progress here on campus for about two years now. In those two years I am happy to say LBCC has improved but it's been a very slow process," said Kathy Wilson, student at LBCC and president of the Green Club. It only takes a bit more energy to improve our campus’ green footprint.

Not only by making use of these receptacles, becoming involved by joining a club to help monitor and manage the recycling or composting programs, like the Green Club or the Horticulture Club.

Secondly, Linn-Benton Community College encourages their students to get involved and make available on their website, past, current and future plans on how they seek to improve the college’s sustainability. Already the college has received a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificate for the practices in the building of Madrone Hall and their other environmental acts. 

Madrone Hall (Picture courtesy of LBCC website)

Madrone Hall is a prime example of how committed LBCC is to green and sustainability initiatives. In an article about Madrone Hall, the Democrat Herald reports that "the $10 million, 27,000-square-foot, two-story building incorporates state-of-the-art technology from floor to ceiling and is designed to operate on 19 percent less energy than Oregon energy code requirements.”

The college also makes an effort to use environmentally friendly products like low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint, which reduces the amount of possibly dangerous particles into the air when the paint dries; photo-voltaic windows that reduce heat exchange; energy efficient products like the heating/cooling systems and light bulbs.

Roof Garden on White Oak Hall

Recycle/Compost shadowboxes in the Cafeteria 

Outside, LBCC maintains many green areas and plans on adding additional green areas like the roof top garden on White Oak Hall. By using native plants in the landscaping, they have reduced the amount of water needed to maintain the plants.

The college also provides the students the ability to make green choices for themselves by free bus rides that service all of the LBCC campuses, electric car charging stations and using biodegradable products that may be added to the composting bins that the Horticultural Club and student run organic garden manage. 

Finally, LBCC and various groups hold events on campus, providing information and offering students and staff the opportunity to learn how to become greener in their personal lives and simple choices and lifestyle changes that can help improve the impact humans have on the environment. One perfect example is this year’s Earth Day Sustainability Fair that was held on the Albany campus on April 22.

Take charge, use the opportunities that the college provides, and support the sustainability and green initiatives that LBCC and the local communities offer.

Get Involved!

At a Glance
Earth Day Sustainability Fair
When: April 22, 2013
Where: LBCC Albany Campus
Host by: Sustainability Committee