Big Fil and I arrived early and because Big Fil was hungry (he always is) we ordered a serve of Onion Kulcha while we waited for the others. It arrived quickly and disappeared even quicker. The bread was hot, stuffed generously with sweet onion and the dipping sauces were delicious. I particularly like the sourness of the darker sauce and I'm sorry I forgot to ask what it was.
We ended up ordered one dish each and sharing ... the best way to eat Indian. We also ended up choosing one each each of a fish, chicken, lamb and vegetable dish to get some variety.
The two meat dishes ordered were the Chicken Mumbai and Lamb Roghan Josh. Both were delicate, spicy and tender ... and both swimming in a gravy we could scoop up with the naan. Both were also reasonably mild with the chilli ... a hit with most on the table except Big Fil who likes his food hot!
I chose the Aloo Gobi (potato and cauliflower). There was a little more heat to it than I expected but I love vegetables cooked in dry spices. I would have liked a little more but it was a hit with more than just me ... by the time I went back for more it was all gone.
The Fish Curry was the only dish I was disappointed with, but I was in the minority as it was one of the favourites for most of the table. I found the fish tender and boneless, but so bland and soft I couldn't taste the fish over the spices.
In a meal of good food the garlic naan was superb ... we ended up having two serves in the end and I could have eaten more. The bread was hot, so hot when it arrived we had to wait for it to cool down ... and so light and fluffy and garlicy. It's the best naan I've had in a very long time.
When I eat Indian I go for the vegetarian dishes so I'd never tried Kulfi before. Three of us went for the mango kulfi and it was amazing. The mango taste was strong and sweet, and the ice-cream dense and creamy. My fellow diners mentioned ice crystals, suggesting the Kulfi had been frozen too quickly or melted and re-frozen, but I didn't experience that.
I've tried Gulab Jammin once before and was disappointed. Now I see the attraction. Before I'd even taken a bite I could actually taste the cardamom from the smell alone. That was amazing, and I spent some time inhaling the aroma before tasting the slick mixture of carmamom and rose water syrup. Still not my favourite dessert ... but now one I have a more than decent benchmark for.
Overall
Bombay by Night is a well run suburban eatery with a good selection of well made dishes. Service was quick and subtle for taking orders, and delivering ... one waiter took our orders without writing them down and they were delivered to the right person a short time later. However, dirty dishes and glasses were slow to be cleared. The restaurant was extremely popular on the Friday night we were there so bookings are a must. It was also pretty noisy, so be prepared to shout!
Verdict
Ambience - 9
Service - 8.5
Food - 9
Price - 8
Address
355 North Rd
Caulfield South
Ph: (03) 9578 6150
Wow...this place looks great!
ReplyDeleteWas it pricey?
About $35 each. The priciest part is the desserts.
ReplyDelete