Delicious curry, tandoori, naan and more, at buffet and dinner

Rani Bhatti floats across the jewel-toned carpet of Moghul Express in Lynnwood as if she's walking on a cloud — an aromatic cloud of cumin, coriander, ginger and garlic. At lunch, she greets guests with a smile, inquires what they'd care to drink and coaxes them toward the waiting buffet with the gracious air of a practiced hostess.

In the evening, it's her husband's turn to play host. During the day, Azmat Bhatti tends their other restaurant, the original Moghul Express in downtown Seattle's Columbia Center, which opened in May 2006 and offers only a weekday buffet lunch.

Their new Lynnwood location, in a modest strip-mall storefront, is more ambitious: In addition to the daily buffet lunch, dinner is served every day.

The weekday lunch buffet, a mere $8.95, shows what this kitchen can do. No tired steam-table stews here. About a dozen entree items line the long table, in addition to chutneys, pickles, salads and desserts. The curries are nuanced; the tandoori meats are supple; the naan downy and warm. Each dish is helpfully labeled, and every one tastes fresh and appealing. None is particularly spicy; assorted sauces and condiments allow you to tailor the heat level to your liking.

The dinner menu is more extensive yet still inexpensive. Entrees range in price from chicken curry ($10.49) to a mixed tandoori grill of assorted kababs ($15.95). Lamb, beef, goat and prawns are among the house specialties, as are a number of vegetarian dishes and several varieties of naan.

The restaurant is 100 percent zabiha halal, so there is no liquor. Quench your thirst with lassi or other mango drinks, coffee, chai or freshly brewed teas.

The Bhattis credit Rani's brother, Eastside restaurateur Shah Khan, for giving them a start in the business. They're off to a good one. Expect to find one or the other always on hand to keep an eye on things. "We want to make sure a customer leaves happily," says Azmat. This one certainly did; eager to spread the word that where the Black Sheep Café once held sway, you can now enjoy a fine mutton curry.

Check please:

Lunch buffet: The cornucopia includes pakoras (spinach and potato fritters); samosas (spicy bite-size pastries filled with cumin-spiked spinach); tender mutton in a mild tomato-based curry; Chicken Karahi in a sauce very similar to the mutton; tangy, ruddy chicken legs and thighs fresh from the tandoor; chicken sheesh kabab (pressed ground meat seasoned with garlic, ginger and other spices); daal, a fragrant lentil and vegetable stew; Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potato in a red curry sauce); a crisp cucumber salad; and a slawlike apple salad with cabbage and raisin. Among the sauces and chutneys, you'll find tart tamarind, sparkling mint with lentils and cilantro, refreshing raita and a fiery hot sauce, as well as achar, an exhilarating condiment made with small unripe mangos, lemon, chili and vegetables. Gulab Jamun (dough balls soaked in syrup), rice pudding or mango pudding studded with pineapple chunks and crushed pistachios provides a sweet finish.

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