Indian food is pretty sacred to me since I was exposed to great Indian cooking from a young age. Having eaten Indian food made from scratch for most of my life I have become very picky and judgmental about the Indian food I consume. When you have had the best, it is hard to settle for anything less.

This evening I was craving Indian food and I spent a lot of time online trying to find an Indian place in my area to get take-out from. In my research I stumbled upon a place called Bombay Express and it was conveniently located near my apartment. What made this place even more appealing was that they had a menu online with prices. I can’t stand it when a restaurant posts their menu online but conveniently omit their prices. When restaurants do that they come off as sketchy.

I did not know what to expect from Bombay Express; are they a restaurant? Is the food made from scratch or is it pre-made? Is it a casual setting? What is their sitting like?

The minute I walked in I was greeted with great enthusiasm and was told to not hesitate to ask for a sample.  As I browsed their menu and looked at each dish (dishes were pre-made), I was also given  a breakdown of their specials. After much consideration I decided to get their combo with rice, butter chicken and lamb curry for $8.99.  In addition I ordered a samosa for .75 cents,  a naan with butter for $1.29 and a mango lassi for $1.49. I had been on the fence about the lentils and ultimately decided to hold off and try them another time. I guess I must have looked really sad by my decision that I was offered some to take home for free. Now that is service!

So this is what I thought….

Service

Great! My questions were answered with genuine kindness, and I was offered the opportunity to try any dish I wanted. I was also given a brief tour and encouraged to let them know if there is a dish I would like to eat but it is currently not on their menu. They seemed eager to please and accommodate their patrons.

Sitting

There is no sitting except for the table and 2 chairs situated outside. It’s really a take-out establishment rather than a restaurant.

Packaging

Not a fan, but then again I can’t come up with an alternative option. I really do not like it when my food mixes together, but when it comes to Indian food it is best to mix the food anyway.

Naan

It was too tough to eat. It was soft when I first unwrapped it from the foil, but once it cooled down it became too tough to eat. This was really disappointing since I am normally a fan of naan and to see it go to waste was a shame.

Butter Chicken

It was creamy, sweet and more importantly the chicken was tender. No complaints.

Lamb Curry

It was tender but not spicy enough for me. It really needed a kick. Sadly the butter chicken overpowered the lamb. When does that ever happen?

Lentils

It was good. Though I felt that it needed a kick of something to make it great.

Samosa

Nice and crispy. A bit smaller than what I am used to (I usually buy 3 samosas from a corner store on Bay and Wellesley for $2–3 for $2), but it was still tasty. Oh how I miss the Scarborough prices. I remember buying 6 samosas for $1.

Mango Lassi

Favorite part of the meal. It really did taste like you were drinking a shake made with fresh mangoes and milk/yogurt. I am not sure if they used milk or yogurt. But whatever they used, it was delicious. The only downfall was the container it came in. I tried to insert the straw on the lid and it just would not let me. In my attempts to stab the straw in the lid I ended up spilling a lot of the mango lassi to my dismay.  I am still not convinced that there was a hole on the lid for me to stick my straw into to begin with.

Overall I did enjoy my meal. It did seem to be on the safe side, but overall there was nothing majorly wrong with each dish except for the inedible naan. Again, remember that I am super-picky when it comes to Indian food. Plus I like my food spicy.

Addendum:

Received a message from Bombay Express asking me to tell my friends and those I know about them.  Yet, they did not offer to at least exchange the naan, or rectify some of the problems with my meal in any way. For an establishment that is trying to get business, I suggest to step-up and correct some of your blatant errors. Until then, I will find another place to order my food from.  One place that comes to mind is King Palace on Church and Yonge which I recently visited. You pay more, but the portions are bigger and you get what you ask for; good food with edible naan.  I have posted some pictures of my meal from King Palace below.

**Click on each image to enlarge

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken

Lamb Curry

Images from King Palace: