Sherman's Food Adventures: Bombay Bhel

Bombay Bhel

*Now Bombay Beat*

For the amount of Indian food I eat for lunch, I rarely crave it for dinner. Furthermore, I am spoiled by the variety and quality of Indian food out in Surrey. Personally, I find Indian food to be overpriced everywhere else. Thus, it hasn't been up until now that I've had a chance to try Bombay Bhel. Despite its close proximately to where I live, I have never eaten there. Maybe I should've stepped out of the Anton's lineup as an alternative? I still don't understand the lineup for that place anyways... I digress. One other reason I've stayed away is due to my kids, particularly my son. The day he eats Indian food is the day I return for a meal at Kawawa... Now watch me eat my words! Actually, I'd rather eat my words literally in this case. So off I went to meet up with Whipping Girl at Bombay Bhel. It worked out for the both of us since she was craving Indian food as wall. I wonder if she was going to order the butter chicken? You know, whipping cream in butter chicken... Whipping Girl... Ah forget it... Bad joke. My bad.

Arriving a bit early, I was able to pick a corner table to be as discreet as possible with my picture-taking. That didn't seem to be good enough for Whipping Girl as she conveniently had to go to the restroom as our first dish arrived. Whatever, I waited for her to return to take a picture of the Appetizer Sampler consisting of Beef Samosa, Veggie Samosas, Aloo Tiki and Pakora. Curried chickpeas and tamarind sauce rounded out the plate. Everything appeared to be fried nicely; yet the inside of each item was at best lukewarm. Despite this, we enjoyed the samosas, they were very light and the filling was flavourful. The tamarind sauce added a nice tang and sweetness. The aloo tiki was not bad exhibiting a crispy exterior and a soft fluffy potato interior. We weren't particularly fond of their version of pakoras. They seemed like weird falafals more than pakoras. The outside was not that crisp and the inside was mushy. I don't know about you; but I don't like cold mushy balls... ahem...

Naturally, we had to order their Butter Chicken. After all, it does get rave reviews. So does it stack up? Yes and no. I have to admit that this is one of the creamiest versions I've had. Curiously, it was a bit thin despite this. For once, I would've liked a tad more flavour. Otherwise, the sauce itself was pretty decent. Personally, I would've preferred white meat rather than dark meat in this dish. The Garlic Naan was not very garlicky and leaning towards the chewy side. Still solid nonetheless. Last dish was the Fish Tikka and I really liked the intense flavour. A bit smoky and spicy hot out of the tandoor, I only wished the fish was more flaky. Surprisingly, the Marsala Fries were pretty good (although they reminded me of Costco fries with seasoning). Once again, I'd rather eat Indian food out in Surrey. It's cheaper and if you find the right place, it's tastier too. But if you are out in Burnaby, Bombay Bhel is not bad.

The Good:
- Comfortable dining space
- Attentive service
- Food is okay

The Bad:
- Slightly pricey (made better by the Entertainment coupon)
- There is better, just not nearby

Bombay Bhel on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

KimHo said...

If your son eats a piece of naan, would that be considered eating Indian food? If it is, believe me, I will bribe him to exactly that! :D

One thing that happened to me at Bombay Bhel was that, when I started to take pictures, the owner/manager jumped to my table almost right away. As a result of it, I chose not to write that post. I felt a bit uncomfortable as they were looking at me the whole time.

As for the food itself, my friend liked it (not a good yardstick, as she lived in the UK and likes her butter chicken!) but I thought it was just OK. And that's not even comparing it to Surrey!

Sherman Chan said...

LOL... Anyways, they didn't catch me taking photos cuz I was in a corner and took the pics while they were not looking... The food is definitely decent. Just nothing particularly exciting since I eat perfectly good Indian food in Surrey for less.

egirlwonder said...

Okay Mr. Indian food snob - what is your best recommendation for curry in Surrey? :)

Sherman Chan said...

Elaine, that is a tough question. I used to love Bombay Se, but they have changed their kitchen staff, so not anymore. I like Mirch Masala; but I haven't been there in awhile. My favourite for the time being in terms of the food and value is Bengali Fish and Curry, despite the fact it isn't a "true" Indian restaurant.

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