Tomato Garlic Soup
Bombay Olive House

Bombay Olive House

450 S Main St, 06110, West Hartford, United States

Full • Indian • Buffet • Persian


"Let me please introduce myself I 'm a man of wealth and taste And I laid traps for troubadours Who get killed before they reached Bombay (Jagger/Richards) I 've seen this oddly shaped building with an Indian restaurant forever. I finally made my way in for a meal last night. The first thing you see when you walk in is the remnants of their old buffet table. They were known for their lunchtime buffets, but they 're now a thing of the past. The good sized dining room has a tin ceiling, yellow painted walls, and dark brown furniture. As I sat down, a super friendly young guy brought me a complimentary plate of papadum cracker bread with ramekins of onion chutney and tamarind sauce. The tamarind was great, like a thick and sweet Hoisin sauce. Now it was time to check out their daunting five page menu. I wanted to try something different, and the phrase prepared in the Afghan style caught my eye. Since never have I ever tried Afghan food, I went with their $16.95 Chicken Balti. Served with Basmati rice, the menu described it as with peppers, onion and cinnamon . I wasn 't familiar with the word Balti , so I researched it and learned the word means a metal pot from Northern India (near Afghanistan) that cooks the food and is then presented to the table for serving. When I ordered, my young waiter asked if I wanted it spicy, so of course I said yes. In a few minutes out came a bowl of Basmati rice and a Balti pot full of chicken chunks, sliced peppers and onions, in a delicious spicy brown curry. I LOVED my dinner! The curry was delicious, with plenty of the deep flavors I love in Indian food. And yes, it was medium spicy with a nice after-burn. I did think the chicken was a little overcooked, and far from tender. All in all, I loved my dining experience at Bombay. The food and smiling service were excellent."