New Bombay
There’s this Indian restaurant I pass by everyday going to work in Vancouver. I remember not breathing when I walk in front of it because of the pungent smell coming from their kitchen. And I can just imagine how their stock room looks like. I’d be dead (with my allergic rhinitis) if I come any closer to the door. But I don’t know what happened, maybe it’s the daily dose of Indian spices that I started noticing I soon didn’t mind the smell anymore. I did try some Indian restaurants eventually and found it ok. Still won’t go out like how you smelled going in though.
So that’s what I think of when I see this restaurant in Podium Mall. But whenever I pass it, I don’t get any strong odors, but they had the decors going for them. All those deep red, brown, and yellow shades just force you to think of Indian food. At my table and reviewing the menu, I ordered the Chicken Shahjani which is boneless chicken sautéed in masala, cooked with onion-tomato gravy, and finally topped with omelette.
The masala mixed with the gravy gave it with a lighter flavor, unlike the usual Indian food that’s like a bomb of spices in your mouth. The omelette topping was so sad looking, that I want to give it back to the chef and just ask them to leave it out of the dish. The overall flavor was a little salty for my taste (and that’s a lot coming from me since we hail from a salt-loving bunch). It becomes bearable when paired with naan. The servers also appear very sleepy and don’t smile a lot, they’re all in a pout! The location is nice, on 5F of the mall, near that gourmet hotdog stand.
Verdict: 1/5
I’m not a fan of the food, or just the one I ordered. Maybe there are other dishes worth going back for, but not anytime soon, at least for me. Oh and to totally forget about this meal, I bought some (chocolate and calamansi) ice cream to numb my pain. From a different store, of course. And I think this was the saving grace for my meal 🙂