New Bombay: Finally Getting It Right

I’m going to say it right off the bat: I love New Bombay!  Ever since I first tried it a few years back, I’ve always had a soft spot for New Bombay.  I have no idea how authentic or how close the food is with real Indian cuisine but I’ve just realized that I’ve been eating Indian food the wrong way.

My usual orders are Mutton Masala, Chicken Biryani, and a few pieces of Chapati.  I have them mildly spicy and I’m good to go!  The orders look small, but they really fill you up! Great value for your meal and really bold flavors for your palate.

I recently¹ had a chance to visit New Bombay again, this time with an Indian colleague.  We were introduced to other dishes that we hadn’t had the chance to try yet².

I’m usually really cheap about ordering appetizers, but I was glad that Samosa was on the menu.  One order has 4 pieces and they’re basically deep-fried pastries filled with spiced potatoes and peas.

The samosas were served with a tamarind chutney sauce and some minced coriander.  They are supposed to bring a bit of heat and a bit of sweetness to add to the dish.  I’d say they hit the palate just right and convinced me of spending a few more bucks for these babies next time.

So let’s get down and dirty!

We’re back to mutton, which is one of the specialities of New Bombay.  This time, we ordered Mutton Curry.  We chose a very light spice level for our meal because there were people who had low tolerance for heat.  The upside to less spicy dishes is that you get to evaluate the taste vs. the possibility of the heat overpowering everything else.

With Indian dishes, the curry flavor is the most prominent.  We got the Chicken Curry for good measure and the curries were pretty much the same flavor.  I’d probably get the mutton because it has a more distinct flavor… Unless you hate that lamb/mutton after-taste.

I love the curries here because the flavors taste (for lack of a better word) more fresh.  Other Indian or Middle Eastern restaurants serve curry with a more rusty flavor.  They aren’t cooked well when you still feel the powder-y texture in your mouth.  Suffice to say, the Indian cooks at New Bombay cook their curries really well.

First lesson I learned was that you eat curries with bread.  I used to pair these dishes with the biryani and eat all 3 at the same time³.  Rule is, pair these with the bread alone — Chapati or Plain Naan.

So aside from the price, what’s the difference between the two?  Chapati is made from wheat powder prepared in a pan whereas Naan uses a sticky powder baked in a tandoori oven.  Naan’s tend to not survive for long periods of time so it’s not only best to eat it hot.  It’s a must!  I used to scrimp on the extra 45 bucks, but I think Naan’s really the way to go.  Add another 5 bucks and you get butter in your bread.

Something I’d never willingly order on my own is Dal with Methi Leaves.  Why?  Because it’s not meat!  Still, I liked this dish a lot.  It’s basically lentils made with curry-like sauce.  Apparently, this is the most common dish in any Indian household.  It’s served a minimum of 3x in a week!  Glad I tried this and I will definitely try this again if I ever make it to India.

And we finish off the meal with carbs! – Mutton Biryani and Chicken Biryani⁴!  Biryanis are served with long grain basmati rice.  Both are great, but I’d say get the chicken variety.  Mutton bits are included, but they give you a couple of whole legs for the chicken.  Eat this without the curries because they are basically meals on their own.  The rice itself is flavored really well, so there’s no need to mask it with other flavors.

For those who have low heat tolerance, get the Lassi⁵, which is like a yoghurt-based shake.  It’s really milk-y in taste, so if you’re lactose intolerant, stay away from this.  It’s a good complement to the heat, although I’m one of those who would stay away from lassi.

Again, I love New Bombay!  It really makes a difference if you know more about the food that you’re eating! New things to eat, more money to spend.  Damn.  But I think that’s a good tradeoff.  Then again, maybe I should be saving my cheapskate ass off for a trip to India instead?

New Bombay: Finally Getting It Right 2011-11-22

’m going to say it right off the bat: I love New Bombay!  Ever since I first tried it a few years back, I’ve always had a soft spot for New Bombay.  I have no idea how authentic or how close the food is with real Indian cuisine but I’ve just realized that I’ve been …