Provo’s Bombay House is probably my favorite restaurant in the city. So much so that it almost doesn’t seem worth writing a review, as so many people already love it and it has received a number of positive reviews from established critics. However, as the Bombay House continually evolves its menu and Provo continues to experience a fair amount of population turnover, this is one restaurant worth revisiting.
The first time I ate at the Bombay House was surprisingly only a year ago. It had been one of those restaurants I’d always heard about and meant to visit, but had never gotten around to going. It was popular enough, I figured, that it would be around at least as long as I was. While that’s probably true, my first visit—with some friends from school—made me kick myself for not visiting earlier. If you’re in Provo, don’t make my mistake. Try the Bombay House sooner rather than later.
Environment: Never having been to India I can’t say how “authentic” the décor of the restaurant is, though it certainly seems Indian. It has low lighting, subdued earth tones, and colorful murals on the walls. Most importantly, it offers a quite, romantic environment. I’ve always been impressed, for example, with the hosts’ particular attention to seating that balances public and private space. I never feel like I’m lost in a sea of busy patrons (like I do at, say, the Macaroni Grill), nor do I feel like I’m hidden away to the point of isolation. When I’ve gone with Laura, we’ve always been given a romantic private booth. On my most recent visit, in a large group, we were given a secluded but not sequestered area near the back of the restaurant. The result is an experience that is quiet and intimate, but still lets you feel like you’re in the center of the action.
Food: If learning to choose the best items on a menu is a skill that takes years of practice, the Bombay House is the perfect training ground, as virtually everything is superb. My particular favorites are the Lamb Mushroom and the Chicken Tikka Masala. However, while I enjoy meat as much as anyone, the very best items are found on the vegetarian portion of the menu. The Vegetable Coconut Kurma has a faintly sweet character and blends perfectly with the Peshawari Naan. The Channa Raja, on the other hand, has a darker richness and is better complemented by the Garlic Naan. However, if I had to choose one dish to eat over and over it would be the Paneer Masala (and indeed I have a hard time not simply eating it over and over). With homemade cheese, garlic, tomatoes, onions and a bunch of other stuff, this dish offers a creamy sumptuousness that is both filling and immensely pleasurable.
Price: I tend to over-order at the Bombay House. Several visits ago I spent around forty dollars for two people (including the tip), but ended up with more than half the food in a take-out box at the end of the meal. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I enjoy having left over for a day or two, but a more accurate price range for two people is probably closer to twenty or thirty dollars. Each dish generally comes in a small saucer (and is usually a sauce-like consistency), along with a pot of rice (usually shared between two people). I’d recommend getting some sort of Naan (bread); it’s delicious and I prefer eating the dishes with Naan to eating them over rice. The last time I ate at the Bombay House Laura and I shared a main course and got two orders of Naan (Peshawari and Garlic). It left us full but not stuffed and came to just about twenty dollars with the tip. Another dish would have put it up around thirty dollars, plus a little more for drinks (which, regrettably, we didn’t order that time).
Conclusion: The Bombay House is a rare combination of romantic environment and delicious food. Its prices are fair and the service well above average. It offers the perfect place for a date, family, or just a group of friends. So don’t wait like I did; try the Bombay House soon. It's located at 463 N University Ave, and is open 4 PM to 10 PM, Monday through Saturday.
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