Eating out today is as much about the experience as the food. For some reason we find comfort in the familiar, both in terms of food and surroundings. The relatively newly opened Bombay Canteen in Kamala Mills on the same stretch of road on High Street Phoenix fits the bill perfectly. Its fun, familiar and a little but not too innovative and certainly not experimental. It’s a breath of fresh air on the eating out scene in the city. For a start it’s reasonably priced. I hate to go on about money
but I am frankly tired of overpriced underwhelming food, sloppy service and ‘shabby chic’ décor. And I have come to hate places claiming to be ‘unpretentious and down to earth’ when that’s exactly what they are!
So why does The Bombay Canteen hit the spot? I love the decor – the ‘Club goes hep’ bar, the Freny aunty tiles and the comfortable but not five star seating. It offers much more than an Irani café in terms of food and in surroundings which are far more ‘cool’ than a Bombay club. It is full of people who obviously share my view. They are all a casual, trendy laid back lot.
The Bombay Canteen is a deceptive name. The food is not really about Bombay at all. They call themselves an ‘Indian Café’ and because of the background of the four partners, you literally have home-style dishes from around India with a lot of the menu from Goa and the South with a Gujju veggie component thrown in. I try the innovative sea food bhel. Interesting, but I wouldn’t order it again. I would order many many times over the desi tacos made with methi theplas and filled with goan pulled pork vindaloo. This one is a marriage made in heaven. I go down memory lane and order the kheema bheja ghotala with a soft broken egg on top. Bliss! Perfectly seasoned mutton mince and soft chopped lamb brain which comes together with that creamy egg yolk. On a recent trip to experience the new summer menu, I am impressed more by the vegetarian dishes – poha crushed paneer with watermelon curry and Gondoraj lime relish, the stuffed snake gourd and the red rice pullau with crispies on top. In fact this is one menu where the vegetarians will be as charmed as the meat, poultry and seafood lovers.
Cocktails are certainly innovative. I love the Royal Ginfield with gin, amla juice, bitters and jaggery but am not blown over by ‘Jugaad’ with bourbon, pomegranate and rose.
The Bombay Canteen is now open ‘Din Bhar’ and also serves ‘tiffins’ for a quick lunch. Hooray on all counts. Certainly one of my favourite places to hang in the city and I don’t hang anywhere without great food.