The Place:
Bombay House
I have never been much of a fan of Indian food. I will eat it, but have never really enjoyed it. Erik had been to Bombay House before for both the lunch buffet and for dinner, but I had just been there for dinner. This time we went for the buffet.
The Time:
Monday, August 07, 2006, 12:30pm
The Atmosphere:
The place has a little bit of an upscale feel to it, but is still cozy. There are 2 different rooms to sit in, but there was a large group in one of the rooms, and even though we happened to know 1 of the people in the large group, we sat in the other, smaller room. The room fits about 15 people, but does not feel cramped.
The Food:
There was a wide selection in the buffet, from Tandoori Chicken, to Chicken Vindaloo, Aloo Beans, and Dal Makani. 
There was plenty for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Of course there was the traditional bread, naan, but there was also the garlic naan, which was quite good. I couldn’t really get into the main dishes. They weren’t bad, they just weren’t to my taste. Once again, I think that I am just not a big fan of certain Indian foods. The one thing that I did notice was that the Tandoori chicken was not as dry as I’ve had it other places.
There was a selection of rice, and also some mediocre rice pudding and fruit in sweet cream for dessert. And don’t forget the weird little mint things that are in a bowl in the hallway on the way out. I don’t particularly like them, but they amuse me for some reason.
It wasn’t a bad experience, I just think that I would have preferred a different selection.
The Service:
For the buffet, there really isn’t much service. They seat you and get you drinks. A few things in the buffet line were almost out when we got our first plate of food, but most things had been refilled by our second serving.
When we went for dinner, I had nothing to complain about the service.
The Price:
I don’t quite remember, but I think it was around $8-9 for the lunch buffet, which seemed a little over-priced, but not outrageous. It could be worth it if you came really hungry. The entrees for dinner are between $10-14. Again, a little high, but you generally get a lot of food.
The Rest:
Bombay House is a perfectly good Indian restaurant, I just happen to not like Indian food very much. Maybe I’ll go back and try again someday.
How Often Would I Go Back?
Every 7 months, not because the quality was bad, but because I don’t care for Indian food very much.
Right, so it’s been a while since we last updated, and the blame falls squarely on my shoulders. Things got busy for a while. Not in the terribly busy way that makes respected professionals miss important deadlines, just the normal business that all bloggers either deal with or succumb to. I succame. Then I blew an important exam, and everything went up into the air. We didn’t know if we’d even be around Bloomington long enough to finish the alphabet, and somehow that turned my subconscious’s vision of this one stupid review into a monstrous ordeal, Sysyphean in both difficulty and futility. I still don’t know if we’ll be around long enough to finish the alphabet, but I think I’ve banished the blogger demons of procrastination long enough to spit out at least one backlogged review. (There really are only two, so if they stink, you can just wait until we’re back on our feet with Burger King).
If you notice a difference in style during this review, it’s because I wrote most of the previous reviews without using any form of the word “be” as a literary exercise and a personal challenge. I left it in a few places for humorous effect, due to a literal quotation, or by accident, but I think I was pretty good about it. I’ve lifted the restraint now primarily to make it easier to spit out the dreaded Bombay House review, but also because you can only be arbitrary for so long. Hopefully I’ve learned something from it. I wonder if anyone noticed?
So to review the Indian restaurant Bombay House. It’s been a good 7 months since the visit that appears in the pictures, but I eat there all the time, usually for the lunch buffet. Kira and I have eaten dinner there once or twice, but the lunch buffet is where Bombay House really shines.
It’s not that dinner there isn’t worth your while. On the contrary, it’s the best Indian food I’ve had in the area. The atmosphere is sufficient to make you feel like you’re treating yourself (and your dining companion(s)), but the price isn’t utterly ridiculous. I recommend ordering something other than the tandoori chicken for dinner because while it doesn’t taste bad, it’s a little dry to make an entire meal out of it.
The first time I ate at the very reasonably priced lunch buffet, I was a little set back. The cloth napkins, solid flatware, and overall nice-restauranty feel of the place seemed a little at odds with the fact that I was eating at a relatively cheap lunch buffet. As soon as I tried the food, however, I got over it. For lunch buffet food, it really is quite excellent. Heck, the food quality is above average for a full-price dinner. There’s a good variety of food there, with about a dozen savory dishes and half as many desserts. The menu doesn’t change much from day to day, but it doesn’t have to because just about everything is tasty.
I’m somewhat of an adventurous eater,
in that I’ll try just about anything non-toxic at least once, and often repeatedly over the years just to be sure my tastes haven’t changed. I’m not quite sure why this is the case as I usually don’t like the new things that I try. I keep hoping that I’ll like fried jellyfish, soup made with beef tripe, or jalapeño jelly, but I usually don’t. I never have this problem at Bombay House. Most of the food isn’t too strange, almost all of it is tasty, and nothing is ever spicy enough to make me wish I hadn’t put it on my plate. If you’re generally queasy about trying new things, you don’t have to worry too much here, even if you have no idea what “dal makani” is, nor which item on the buffet it refers to.
My final thoughts on Bombay House: good for dinner, great for lunch.
See, now that wasn’t so hard, was it?
An Indian food restaurant with a lunch buffet
Location:
416 E 4th St (map)
Bloomington, IN 47408
812-331-8844
Hours:
Lunch Buffet: Monday - Saturday 11:00am - 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday - Saturday 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Closed Sunday
Website: none available
Menu: (coming soon)
Erik’s Rating: Yum - 4, Ooh - 3.5, Ah - 4.5, Wow - 3
How often would Kira eat there? Every 7 months
Reviews: Erik, Kira
Photos
We were informed (awhile ago) by our loyal friend and reader, Neeraj, that the very first restaurant in our phonebook has gone the way of Austin Riley’s Pizza. American Chopstick wasn’t a high quality restaurant, but it was always entertaining. We don’t know why it closed, but are saddened that we didn’t get to say goodbye. I drive by there frequently and even though the sign is still up, it is eerily empty.
So long, American Chopstick. You will be missed.
The Atmosphere:
There was plenty for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Of course there was the traditional bread, naan, but there was also the garlic naan, which was quite good. I couldn’t really get into the main dishes. They weren’t bad, they just weren’t to my taste. Once again, I think that I am just not a big fan of certain Indian foods. The one thing that I did notice was that the Tandoori chicken was not as dry as I’ve had it other places.
