Bombay Grill

Owner Paul Rungta shows off tandoori chicken. Photo: Candace West.

 

Rochelle Koff12/7/2009

As soon as you walk into the spacious new Bombay Grill in Lauderhill, you'll breathe in the heady aromas of cinnamon, cloves and garlic as diners fill their plates with spicy stews, homey vegetables and sweet desserts. Open since August, the 218-seat Bombay is poised to be a destination for Broward's growing Indian community. Owner Paul Rungta is originally from New Delhi, where his family was in the restaurant business for 70 years, but he covers a lot of territory at Bombay Grill, from the vegetarian dishes of South India to the velvety sauces, meats and richer fare of North India and even some Chinese items.

Ambiance: The burgundy dining room is simple but tasteful, with plenty of room for private parties. Four TVs play Bollywood music videos except on Fridays, when a singer performs Bollywood tunes and Saturdays, when there's a pianist. If you want to show off your bhangra moves, stop by.
For a more intimate evening, ask for one of the three semi-private, low tables flanked by cushions. Hookahs are $15.

What Worked

• The ubiquitous all-you-can-eat buffet: offering 17-22 clearly labeled dishes
• A larger dinner buffet featuring two soups, six appetizers six meat items (among them goat and chicken curries, tandoori chicken and chicken kebab), two Chinese dishes, salad, fresh fruit, pickles, chutney and desserts.
• Delicious mango lassi made with yogurt, fresh sugar-cane juice and coconut water in a just-opened shell
• Creamy chickpea hummus paired with puffy, house-made naan
• Off-the-menu Paneer masala - silky squares of homemade cheese bathed in a creamy tomato sauce spiked with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and served over basmati rice
• A non-vegetarian thali meal with juicy tandoori chicken, smoky from the clay oven, chicken and goat curry, yellow dal or dal makhani (black lentils and kidney beans in a creamy sauce with tomatoes, cilantro, onions and garlic) plus rice, naan, three chutneys, pickles and a soothing rice pudding
• Grilled lamb chops and kebabs f
• Fiery lamb, goat or chicken vindaloo
• Fish or shrimp tandoori
• Ultra sweet gulab jamun - deep-fried dough balls flavored with rosewater
• Cinnamony carrot halwa, topped with cashews