Bombay Bistro puts a new twist on curry
My experience with Indian food is limited.
OK, honestly, my experience with Indian food is nonexistent. The only real contact I’ve had with it was growing up in Dublin and eating “pub-curry,” which is actually traditional Irish stew with added curry spice from a jar.
My reservations were not immediately put at ease when I walked into an almost entirely empty restaurant. Thankfully, Bombay Bistro is far from a curry-out-of-a-jar Indian restaurant.
Owner and Executive Chef Paul Gill is on his fifth restaurant. After winning awards in Arizona, Denver and Boulder, Gill’s latest vision has attempted to bridge the gap between Indian and American gastronomy.
Most recently, he received “Best New Restaurant” from both Boulder Weekly and the Colorado Daily for the Bombay Bistro. Bombay Bistro is an eclectic fusion of Indian and American cuisine that also draws much of its influence from other regions of the world.
The appetizer plate of traditional Indian Naan bread and cilantro chutney is cool and inviting. The Naan bread, which is baked in a Tandoori-style oven, is served warm. The fresh chilled cilantro is thoughtfully combined with lemon juice and white wine, which adds the necessary acidity and structure to what could have been a bland herb puree.
The combination of the warm and cool sensations and the addition of a few simple flavors creates a pleasing experience on the palate.
The main dish, which will appear on its new menu set to roll out this coming week, was grilled beef ribeye served with mashed potatoes and finished with a Masala sauce. The relatively fatty cut of meat pairs excellently with the Masala sauce, which helps to balance the flavors of the entire dish by adding its highly acidic tomato base.
The garlic mashed potatoes are seasoned with turmeric and ginger, then finished with cream, making them a very good complement to the heat found in the small amounts of cayenne pepper in the Masala.
Although ribeye and mashed potatoes can be found at a number of restaurants around the Boulder and Denver area, it is the very careful pairing and thoughtful planning of these dishes and the well-placed touch of traditional Indian culinary that make it exceptional.
A good restaurant can not stand on the merit of its food alone. The Bombay Bistro also has a selection of cocktails, such as the “Belly Dancer” and the “Climber Cosmo,” that can be enjoyed in its softly lit lounge, which is lined with plush pillows and exotic couches.
To make the average consumer feel confident, the wine list can be easily read with big names such as BV and Kendall-Jackson and has selections that will accompany the food.
For those more aware of their wine choices, there are a few hidden gems such as La Crema, Pinot Noir and Caymus Vineyards’ cult sensation Conundrum. These moderately priced bottles can be even more tempting on Monday or Tuesday when the entire list is half off.
Bombay Bistro seems to fit into the Boulder paradigm of the culturally aware community with an open-mind and an experimental attitude.
Unfortunately, Gill’s restaurant may point to a more honest truth: A community that is not quite ready for such diversity and more interested in waiting in line at Old Chicago than discovering an expressive and enlightening meal at one of Boulder’s top restaurants.