A VEGGIE's OUTLOOK on an INDIAN RESTAURANT in LONDON!
Sometime back I posted on my Twitter that a romantic date when you're away from home, is definitely the food of your homeland, even if the restaurant is heavily crowded. This has happened quite a few times. I'm sure everyone away from their home would relate to that!!!
Recently I really wanted some good Indian food and looking for a good restaurant I found Bombay Brasserie. Guess what, it belongs to the Taj Group of Hotels!!! I tried my best to avoid crowd, so went for a weekday lunch. My guess was right and there weren't many guests. I was informed that Fridays - Sundays it really gets crowded.
The finger food served first was some papadoms served with a tangy mango chutney. That was a spot on start. I've had store-bought mango chutney's here and also had in some smaller restaurants. Either it got too sweet or too tangy. Here was the perfect balance!
There are 3 different types of food menu here - A la Carte, Set Menu and Taster Menu, apart from wine, drinks & dessert menus. A Set Menu is where the price is fixed and there are a couple options of starters, mains and desserts to choose from. A Taster Menu was what totally impressed me. It has about 10-12 items in the menu incl 3-4 in each section. The chef keeps sending small portions of all the dishes as you keep eating! Loved this concept!!!
Anyways, I went for A la Carte and to begin with, I had their signature Mango & Chilli Mojito. With mango juice, mint leaves, chilli flakes and vodka this was perfect! That itself, reminded of India and its spices! Next came the starters which were a range of chaats from aamchi Mumbai!!!
The Dahi Puri just brought in a wave of beautiful emotions of home sweet home. Next came in Palak Patta Chaat, Chilli Milli Kebab and Peeli Mirch Paneer Soola. The Palak Patta Chaat was the hands-down the best. It was technically spinach fritters coated with tamarind & date chutney, yogurt and sprinkled with pomegranate and it came as a generous serving. Chilli Milli Kebab and Paneer Soola were pretty good too. The charring on the Paneer Soola was perfect and wasn't too spicy as well.
For the mains I tried out Bhindi Aamchuri and Baingan Bharta. Bhindi/Okra is actually my favourite subji and here in London it is one of the costliest vegetables, so sadly I don't get to have it often. And Aamchur is the best flavour addition when it comes to aamchi Mumbai food. When these 2 are combined? That was something I had high expectations on. But sadly the okra wasn't cooked to its perfection and my high expectations weren't met. The Baigan Bharta was perfection and with the slight aroma of charring/smokiness that its meant to have, it was awesome! With garlic naan and saffron pulao, it was one heck of a super satisfying meal!!!
What's a perfect meal without dessert, for which I chose the Almond Medjool Date Pudding. This was served with rose icecream. The pudding was almost like kesari/sooji halwa in texture but taste was impeccable with both nutty & fruity flavours!!!
The setting of the whole restaurant is obviously India inspired, more specifically Mumbai inspired. The entry is through the bar across which is the main dining area. The walls were decorated with lots of old photographs of Marati Royalties as well as some sculptures!
Apart from this main section there's also a side section which is actually a conservatory, filled with plants all over and is sky-lit. The wall art here is Madhubani painting! There's a section here for private dining which has a seating of more than 20 people and this area is absolutely cozy! Either one of these 2 sections or both the sections together can be hired for private events. Each section can accommodate upto 220 persons.
The hotel serves lunch from 12:00 to 2:30PM and dinner from 5:30 to 11:00PM. However on weekends brunch is served till 3:30 and dinner opens at 6:30. I don't think mid week lunch or dinner would need a reservation (however its better to confirm, should there be a private event happening), but Fridays and weekends definitely need one.
The set lunches begin at £25 per person, a la carte would approximately begin at £35 per person and goes upwards incl tasting menus. It doesn't come cheap, but the flavour, accessibility, ambiance & service is worth it.
To Get There:
Nearest railway station: Gloucester Road (just across the road)
More details on menu, hiring etc visit their website.
For reservations call +44 (0) 20 7370 4040
P.S: I was invited by Bombay Brasserie to experience it for review purpose, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
Dedicated to Venkat
When I was working in the Middle East, I used to eat Paratha bread with beef curry! My Indian friends taught me to liked their foods. For one, Chiken Tikka with veggies siding and yogurt made me felt satisfied...of course with plain basmati rice. The hotel liiks stunning for the interior and classy image.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks wonderful in this restaurant! I wish we had a place like this in Manila :D
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the title, I thought I was going to read something about an item of female clothing about which I cannot comment anything. Relieved that it was about a restaurant!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this post. This restaurant looks wonderful. I hope the foods there are healthy for the body.
ReplyDeleteThe restaurant is gorgeous and it's a great place for a quiet dinner with family or friends. I love how everything is made to look comfy. The food looks delicious too!
ReplyDeleteOh wow this is such a fantastic restaurant. With accommodation that can cover over 200 guests, I think this place can host a special event such as a wedding.
ReplyDeleteI love everything about this restaurant, from the decor down to the food. I haven't had much experience when it comes to Indian food and it would be nice to learn more about it through dining in restaurants such as this!
ReplyDeleteThe restaurant looks really wonderful and perfect place to have a family dinner.Looks very comfortable actually.Hope the foods there also good.
ReplyDeleteI like their serving size. It's not too small but not too much either. Their food here looks really delicious.
ReplyDeleteI have never eaten Indian cuisine, but these pictures look great! I'm not even sure that there is an Indian food restaurant near me, but it's definitely worth a look. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love Indian Food and I went to London not too long ago! If only I read this before I went, I would have went to try! The food looks so yummy now I'm craving for them :P
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with indian dish but I bet what you have ordered at Bombay Brasserie are all delish! I don't remember giving a try of indian dish either but whenever I do, I guess it will pass my palate. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely food platter they have got in there and Mango chilli mojito would be definitely a kicking drink.
ReplyDeleteI tried something like that in Thailand. It's also indian/bombay food and the food was so exquisite + delicious. You should try that some day... It's called Charcoal.
ReplyDeleteOh, I just had Dahi Batata Puri last night...This dish remains my favorite! I loved the food deco. It is totally fun to try out such restaurants when away from homeland.
ReplyDeletei love the interior! have you been to dishoom? i went to he carnaby branch it it was amazing
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