Jackson Metro Eats: Bombay Bistro

I got so excited a couple of weeks ago when Gidget asked I wanted to meet her for lunch....um, of course!  I left the place up to her since she has lived here a bit longer and I decided to go out of my comfort zone when she suggested Bombay Bistro* (other options were Basil's and Keifer's).  I've never eaten Indian food before so it was definitely an experience.

*Full disclosure, I totally stalked their website and a few others so I would have an idea of what was in each dish.

For lunch, Bombay Bistro has a buffet and I'll admit it was kind of daunting. While I stepped back to let it all sink in, the owner suggested I put the rice on my plate in a cross/plus sign, so that the sauces wouldn't touch.  Good advice!  

Starting from upper left, clockwise: Dark Mahkni, Butter Chicken Curry, Chickpeas (Chana Masala?), Tandoori Chicken

I liked some and didn't love others.  The Butter Chicken Curry was good.  Flavorful, spicy and on the safe side as far as Indian food is concerned.  Right along with that, the Tandoori Chicken may have been my favorite.  It has similar flavor to chicken wings (but better), but with dry spices instead of wet.  This was my top pick for the day.  The Dark Makhni was ok.  It lacked a distinct flavor and just tasted like a bean mush.  The chickpea dish had lots of spice, but lacked flavor to me.  I did not like the piece in the middle.  I have no idea what it was, but I can only remember a strong cinnamon taste (says the girls that hates cinnamon).

My other favorite thing:

MMMmm Naan.  I could eat buckets of this stuff.  Fresh and warm, it was perfect for sopping up the spicy butter chicken curry sauce.

One thing that we both noticed was a lack of color.  Everything seemed to have a reddish brown hue, but since this was my first Indian experience, I don't know if it's typical.  While I don't know if I would go to Bombay Bistro again, it has opened my eyes to the world of Indian food and I will definitely try that again.