Indian Food, Tea from Nepal, and "Unsweetened" Iced Tea

This is in part a review of a local Indian restaurant and partly a discussion of tea. My local Mensa group meets for lunch once a month at Salateen Restaurant in Southeast Houston near Ellington Field and Clear Lake.  They have an affordable and delicious lunch buffet with a variety of options. (In case you're curious about the menu, their website is http://www.salateenrestaurant.com/)

One of my group members is very particular about her iced tea. She hates iced tea from a concentrate, which is what most restaurants carry.  This restaurant is no exception; however, a few months ago there was a happy accident: the soda fountain dispenser was broken and there was no iced tea!  Wanting to make her customers happy, the owner very kindly brewed some of the special Nepalese tea that they use for the masala chai and made fresh iced tea!  The result was that my group member was VERY happy with the delicious tea and couldn't stop raving about it!  Now she asks for it every time we go, and she's gotten others in our group hooked on it.  Yesterday we went there again, and the owner recommended that we call ahead next time we come so that she'll have it ready and waiting for us when we arrive! How's that for great customer service?

Me? I like iced tea OK, but I'm a masala chai fanatic!  I absolutely love the masala chai here: it's strong, spicy and creamy, and I can add my own sugar to taste. They give you a pot of it, which works out to two cups: a generous portion compared to the other Indian restaurants in this area.

Below I've posted some photos of this delicious black tea from Nepal in its iced and hot forms.

But first, read this shocking information about most commercial "unsweetened" iced teas found in restaurants: http://www.foodrenegade.com/decoding-labels-restaurant-iced-tea/