Restaurant Review: Kamal Place

Kamal Palace 6374 Pacific Coast Highway Long Beach, 90803 562-493-0255

by Debbi Fudge

LW contributor

Just having returned from my fifth trip to India, Indian food was on my mind. Since my friend Sandy Bush had never eaten Indian food, we decided to review Kamal Palace, my favorite Indian food restaurant in this area.

Kamal Palace is located on the lower level of Marina Pacifica. Many Leisure World residents are familiar with the Marina Pacifica AMC Theater location. Kamal Palace is located at the same location, just one level down.

Kamal Palace offers a 24-item buffet, including the hot naan (Indian flatbread) that is served at your table, from 11 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, We each loved every bite of every dish that we tasted. Sandy tasted every dish but the carrot pudding. I tasted every dish starting with the carrot pudding and the galab jamun (fried milk balls soaked in rose flavored sugar syrup).

Each of these two desserts tasted simply scrumptious. And the gorgeous orangish color of the butter chicken was enticing and beautiful to behold. The taste of this tomato-based curry of spiced chicken in a creamy, buttery gravy enticed us both to a second portion. The taste of the tandoori (baked in a clay oven) chicken seasoned with red chili powder was so succulent. Four dipping sauces, including a tamarind sauce, were available. Then onto the aloo gobi (crisp golden potatoes and cauliflower).

We are potato lovers, and these potatoes suited our tastes, not too soft or not too hard—just right. And the last dish we will mention, the paneer (fresh Indian cheese) curry delighted our palates. When we bit into the paneer. It just crumbled like cottage cheese. With Indian cuisine, too spicy, just right spicy or not spicy enough is often a concern for diners. Sandy noted one dish, the egg curry, was too hot for her. For me, the spice level of each dish tasted just right.

The restaurant itself is an exquisite little gem located right at the marina’s water edge. It has an outside patio with three-fourths high glass walls. This patio is several tables wide with a walkway around it. Also, two sides of the restaurant are totally wall-to-wall windows from waist height to ceiling height. Inside the restaurant, adequate space exits to rearrange the dining tables for a large gathering. Very adequate space occurs in the buffet area and throughout the table aisles for anyone using a walker. The tablecloths are white linen, and every aspect of the atmosphere just created a lovely dining experience for us.

We rated the Kamal Palace as five stars. Please note there is one flight of stairs to enter and exit this restaurant. Very adequate parking exists on the south side of the Marina Pacifica AMC Theater.

The buffet price is $17.99. A variety of specialty drinks is available and priced separately. Business hours are every day 11 a.m.2:30 p.m. and and 5-9:30 p.m. The buffet is only available Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.