Bombay Palace offers diners more than a meal. It provides an experience. The lavish 25-year old restaurant accurately bills itself as the “culinary ambassador of India” is a regal, formal place. A multi-tiered Czech crystal chandelier and a dazzling wall-size salt water aquarium populated by large, strikingly colored coral reef fish, dominate this lush room with its dark, discrete cherry mahogany paneling, massive mirrored columns, candles in silver cylinders, Scottish wool carpeting, classic Indian art, etched glass and red carnations. There are raised gold seals on the top of the fabric booth seats and soothing sitar music in the air.
Priti Singh Diler, the restaurant’s suave turbaned manager, presides over the sedate, luxurious room and proudly informs patrons that there are now Bombay Palaces everywhere from Beverly Hills, Washington DC and Houston to London, Budapest, Montreal and Kuala Lumpur. But, he adds, the New York City one was the first, the prototype for all the rest.
Bombay Palace recreates all the myriad cuisines of the vast, sprawling nation. India is a huge, hodgepodge of culinary styles, each with its own distinctive spices, herbs, ingredients and techniques, many of which are evident in the chef’sefforts. Dishes can contain a blend of 20, 30, 40 or more spices and herbs.
Obviously Bombay Palace is not just another casual eatery serving up simple Indian street food, nor is it a place to grab a quick, on-the-run bite before the theatre. Instead, plan to make a night of it at this serene restaurant with its unhurried service and elegant surroundings. (White shirts, suits and ties are very much in order here.)
Although diners begin with sheets of complimentary pappadam (or crisp lentil crackers) accompanied by a blowtorch hot dip, not every Indian dish is
incendiary. Even the ones that are can be moderated by carefully cooked, long grained basmati rice or better yet, the terrific array of breads here. The assorted bread basket of onion kulcha, pudina paratha naan, and Kashmiri naan contains enough garlic, mint, butter, nuts, fruit, and cinnamon to satisfy the most sophisticated table of four or five.
Starters that trigger tingling tongues like the tikkis, pakoras, samosas, and excellent prawn patio (sauteed shrimp) on naan can be tempered by the likes of aloo papri, a cooling counterpoint crowned by a yogurt and chutney sauce. Fortunately, the spicy entrees pack more taste than heat. A rich rogan josh of fragrant lamb chunks in an exotic almond sauce and chicken korma Kashmiri, in a cream sauce studded with spices, dried nuts and almonds are but two examples. Pick a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the lively fare here and finish with kulfi, a cardamom flavored Indian ice cream laced with pistachio. Then leave knowing that Bombay Palace lives up to its slogan, “Gateway to Superb Indian Cuisine”.
30 W. 52nd St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.), 212-541-7777.
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