Bombay Delight review: Authentic from dishes to the lights

Bombay Delight is on 271-273 The Broadway, and I went there with my mum for a midweek meal out.

As soon as we entered, it felt as though we had travelled from south London to a restaurant in India itself.

We could smell the spices from the kitchen in the atmosphere and were welcomed by the wonderfully jolly manager Vishal.

The menu was different to the one we had a skim through online.

One reason why this restaurant stands out is that, as Vishal explained, every three months, Bombay Delight changes its menu to be based on food from one of the 28 states in India.

And this time it was the Rajasthan special, which was described as “opulent” and it certainly lived up to its name.

For our starters, I ordered the Surmai Ke Sooley, which was a panfried marinated surmai fish darn served with house salad, coriander and mint chutney.

Despite the fish being slightly over-steamed and fairly dry, the sides made it all redeemable.

My cousin ordered the Rajputana Lamb Chops, which were a pair of perfectly marinated French trimmed lamb chops with dressed mooli (white radish) and green chutney.

What really stood out to me was that everything felt authentic, from the dishes themselves to the plates and cutlery to even the elephant artefacts that held the patterned lights.

Even our drinks were served in authentic porcelain cups. 

Our server Janice made us feel at ease with her kindness and professionalism.

For our mains, we ordered the Lal Maas – a famous lamb curry from Rajasthan, prepared with red chillies and hot spices -  a meal not recommended for the faint-hearted.

I got the Jaipur Safed Kukkad Korma, which was nutty chicken in a really creamy sauce. 

I thought the mains were great following the starter, especially with the side Lachha Paratha (naan).  

But the best part of the night were definitely the desserts, since there’s always room for dessert.

I got to enjoy the creamy and delectable kulfi which had a tasty hint of ginger, while my cousin had two milk solid balls fried and dipped in a sugar syrup with a spice called cardamom and rose water.

It was a perfect end to an amazing meal, and topped the evening of authenticity.

As soon as you step out of Bombay Delight, you essentially step out of India and return back to the hustle and bustle of the south London streets.

Overall, it was a great experience, and unlike other Indian restaurants, it didn’t generalise by going for a typical Indian cuisine, but zoomed into regions and states and the food from that area.

I highly recommend it for anyone looking to explore the nuanced flavours and specialities across the various regions of India.