The Original Bombay Palki

*Location closed due to fire*

"The Original Bombay Palki???" exclaimed Nikita about a year ago when she noticed that it had opened up on Scott Road. Were these the same people behind the former Bombay Palki out on 128th and 72nd? It became Sohi's Incredible Indian Cuisine, then now The Yellow Chilli. Well, we did attempt to try The Original Bombay Palki back then to no avail. It was closed and furthermore, it was exclusively vegetarian. No meat? Yikes. Butter Chicken without the chicken is just not quite the same. It's like a Chinese restaurant without a filthy washroom! So we never tried again. However, just recently I noticed that they now serve meat and to boot, they have a lunch buffet for $7.49. Well, that just beckoned for me to try it out, despite the fact I was scheduled to go for AYCE hot pot later that night.

After I took a seat, I asked the server if they were related to the former Bombay Palki. Apparently they are not and in fact, they just took over this particular restaurant recently. She hurriedly set up the buffet as there were no customers prior to my arrival. For $7.49, there was a pretty good selection. Since they were still setting up the buffet, I started with the few items that were ready. The Mutter Paneer was smooth and creamy. The cheese was soft and pleasant while the entire dish exhibited an underlying spice. Due to my hunger, I may have been too excited and scooped up too much Curry Chicken (they were whole drumsticks). I learned to regret that later when more food came out... This was not bad. It had loads of depth with a slight spicy kick. The last item on my first place was the Palak Chicken. I found the palak to be creamy and smooth with meaty chunks of chicken that were moist. There were bits of spice throughout which added flavour and psychologically felt more tasty. As mentioned, the palak was smooth which was not impacted by the spice bits.

For my next plate, I had the standard being the Butter Chicken. There was a good balance between tomato paste and cream (with a slight slant to the tomato). There was good flavour without the liberal use of salt. But the best thing of all was the use of tandoori chicken which was smoky and slightly burnt. This added a rich flavour that is often missing in some versions of butter chicken. I couldn't be as enthusiastic about the Dhal Curry though. The lentils seemed to be overcooked and the curry was really watery and lacking in depth. The Veggie Pakora was pretty good despite sitting in a warming tray for who-knows-how-long. There was good flavour and it was still relatively crisp.

For my 3rd plate (yes, I was getting full at this point), I had the Chana Masala consisting of chickpeas and potatoes. The chickpeas retained a firm texture which was good. The potatoes were fork-tender while maintaining its shape and integrity. The whole dish was only mildly spicy with some sweetness. Lastly, I had the Green Beans and Potato Masala which was one of my favourites despite the complete absence of meat. Although the beans were no longer firm, they still held up in the warmer. The potatoes were similar to the previous dish. Once again, there was an underlying spiciness. The Naan was served fresh. It was chewy and fluffy with a nice char on the exterior. In the end I ate nearly all of the naan and all 3 of the dishes pictured in this post. I was super stuffed while satisfied at the same time.

The Good:
- Cheap AYCE
- Pretty decent food quality
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Not sure if they get any busier, but it was pretty empty thoughout my lunch, would the food stay fresh?