Bombay Olive

Early dinner at Bombay Olive, a favorite, turned out to be a special meal. I had the Lamb Addas Polow which comes over fluffy rice studded with almonds, golden raisins, dates and lentils. The lamb was tenderly and the smoky taste from the grill perfumed the grilled vegetables. The onions were especially delicious. The sauce was perfect and the naan was helpful in scooping up the meal. My dining partner had the Chicken Korma cooked in a sauce with just the right amount of saffron. We split a Mango Lassi which is the cool drink you need with this kind of meal. We will return [carrying the 15% off coupon for the purchase of two entrées].

blognote: Check if your dish comes with an order of Naan before ordering one. We ended up with two which was a lot but it got taken home!

Bombay Olive

My old standard for Indian food...Bombay Olive always come through with menu variety, taste and service. After splitting a large Taj Mahal beer we ordered Lamb Saag [me], Lang Korma [her] and to share a serving of Naan and Raita. 

BHOG Multi-Cuisine Indian Restaurant

YELP event held here. The variety was amazing as was the presentation. Appetizers outdid the main entrées.The desserts were a little forced.

Bombay Olive

This seems to be the place I end up after theater matinée. Bombay Olive was our stop again for dinner again.

Order a Kingfisher which was very cold and very good accompaniment to my dinner. Also got an order each of naan and roti but the pappadums came only after we asked for them. We all had some version of lamb: Koubideh Kebab Combo [$18.95] with one ground chicken/one ground lamb kebab then another ordered the Lamb Korma [$14.95] this is my favorite. But I wanted something new so ordered from the Persian menu and had the Lamb Addas Polow [$18.95] with fluffy rice mixed with raisins, dates, lentils and slivered almonds. This was mildly spiced but the meat was medium and not medium rare. Good flavor everywhere. Large plate of naan came with our dinners. The Kebab Combo and my entrée came with a side salad which was dressed interestingly.

Lamb Addas Polow

blognote: since we were a bit early service was a bit slow...the kitchen was not quite ready for us

April 2, 2016

After 'Sex with Strangers' at Theater Works we headed out for some spicy food and ended up at a favorite. Dinner at Bombay Olive is always a treat as the food is great and the service is super. We all had some version of lamb! I ordered the Lamb Biriyani [$14.95] which was delicious and had just the right amount of heat for me [medium]. It came with a side of raita and we had two orders of Naan [$2.95 each] which added to fun of eating Indian food. A bottle of Kingfisher [$2.95] rounded out the meal.

Himalaya Restaurant

Had an 'exploratory' lunch today at  Himalaya Restaurant close by. They have just opened but the menu looked interesting. Had the luncheon buffet [$7.95] and it was plentiful, tasty and fresh. I do like Indian food but certainly am not an expert in the subtle varieties of this cuisine. My favorite is Lamb Biryani and sometimes find myself ordering and reordering this.

So for today I sampled just about everything on the buffet. There were two types of bread, one naan and the other maybe roti. None of the dishes was at the super hot level and all the main courses were quite enjoyable. The relishes and the chutney were all excellent.

blognote: When I return for dinner with others, I plan to order the Chef Special Thali (complete Indian and Nepalese style dinners) [$16.95 Vegetarian or $17.95 Non-Vegetarian]. This way you can really enjoy the variety of tastes [and maybe stop ordering only Lamb Biryani!].

Bombay Olive

After theater and with a coupon in hand all five of us descended on Bombay Olive in West Hartford. I had a Kingfisher ale which was great and Lamb Biriyani while my 'across the table' partner had the Lamb Korma. We were trying to figure out which was best. I like them both, ordered medium, and got to take home a still grand portion of the Biriyani and a small portion of her Korma. The Raita served with the lamb dishes was a bit uninspired as was the service. Maybe it seemed slow due to my hunger pangs. The other dishes at the table were a Shrimp Mango Curry and a Kashmiri Lamb Rogan Josh. An order of Naan and Roti seem indistinguishable and neither were that good. All in all, the meal was flavorful and inexpensive.

Lamb Korma

Lamb Biriyani

Masala Indian Restaurant

The Royal Masala restaurant now has a website and the same terrific buffet [$9.95]. Ate here again on a walk from church. The five vegetarian options along with rice is found against one wall and lots of other goodies on the window wall. Forgot to get dessert so have to go back and try the semolina pudding. The room is so beautiful I almost jumped up and did my Bollywood routine!

8/27/12

Walked here to Masala from a meeting downtown in Hartford today. Great luncheon buffet [$11.98]. Lots to choose from and the Tikki Masala was excellent, the Pakora were good but the silky Eggplant Burtha was superb. Actually everything was good and I did try everything. Beautiful room and will try to get here at night for a menu meal.

blognote: Could not find a website; so no link.

Udupi Bhavan [CT]

Studied the menu before I left today for lunch at Udupi Bhavan on Saybrook Road in Middletown. But when I got there they were having a Lunch Buffet for $9.99. This way I got to try everything and it was so good. First I had to wait for a table because the place was packed. There were very few non-Indians to be seen. Good sign!

The New York Times had done a review [see it here] a month or two ago raving about the Dosa there. So I was ready to get one. The buffet included one dosa, this time a Masala Dosa. It was similar to a rice crepe and was filled with potato curry. The restaurant is entirely vegetarian. 

A buffet was set up at the front of the restaurant and contained so many treasures: four different rices, three different breads, several stews, sauces and condiments and a delicious pumpkin dessert. I want back three times to the buffet as did many others. What a pleasure to indulge in such a great ethnic display of delicious food.

Masala Bar & Restaurant

Prix-fixe lunch at the Masala Restaurant [$12.95] was wonderful.

The appetizer choices were Beef Skewers and Crispy Vegetables. We both opted for the crispy vegetables. This was a mélange of minced veggies [some fried others raw] in a yougart sauce. Very tasty.

The first entrée choice was Subz aur Tofu ki Tarkari which was a vegetable and fried tofu dish in a masala sauce. My choice was the Gustava: fennel/ginger flavored meatballs in a brown gravy and it was super. The meal also included a basket of Chapati bread and a dish of Black Bean Daal. There was also a bowl of rice flavored with fennelgreek.

Dessert was one ball of Gulab-Jamun; the best I have ever had.


Masala calls itself "innovative cuisine" from India. If by innovative owners Vilpesh Patel and Navin Suvarna mean their kitchen somehow manages to extract the most gorgeous flavors from the vast Indian pantry (and, indeed, from the cooking styles of various regions of India) then, yes, Masala would have to qualify as innovative. Chef Melvin Tigga has created a menu that presents an unrelenting volley of flavors, textures and intensities that delight the palate and excite the senses - the culinary equivalent of falling in love. [from Greg Morago's July 12th review in the Hartford Courant]

bloginfo: Masala is at 391 Main Street [corner of Capitol Avenue] where Low Country and long ago Capitol Fish were located.
860.882.0900
blognote: the room is gorgeous

Kashmir

Went to see 'The Namesake' at the Wadsworth Atheneum so decided to stay with the theme and eat Indian food. This is a charming gem of a restaurant. It is nicely decorated, the service is great and the food is inexpensive and delicious.



Had a Kingfisher beer and an order of puffy Poori Bread and a side of Mango Chutney.
Entrées were Lamb Masala [pepper and onion sauce] and Lamb Saag [spinach yoghurt sauce]. This came with Daal, Sautéed Cabbage and Basmati Rice. We ordered everything mildly spiced and it was [all except for the Onion condiment but he warned us of this].

bloginfo: 481 Wethersfield Ave, Hartford, CT 06114
(860) 296-9685
blognote: parking could be a bit difficult; there are spaces for 6 cars in front of the restaurant [over the sidewalk]
For veteran readers of this blog: this is a lot like the Chalé Ipanema fiasco where the fire hydrant became embedded in my rear door [no fire hydrant here though]!

See the accompanying movie review at www.turning70.blogspot.com