| A common gripe expressed at the recently held Calgary food critics lunch is that Indian food in the city is often too expensive and there's not enough of it. Everyone recognizes that spices are expensive, but other ingredients generally aren't – so why do you still end up paying $13 for a very small dish containing six chunks of braised lamb? I've heard this complaint numerous times from other Calgarians who love Indian food as well.
Kudos then to the Calgary Sun's Louis Hobson for pointing me to the Bombay Sweet House in Castleridge (82 - 55 Castleridge Dr. N.E., phone 590-1393), which is fantastic value. To get there from downtown you have to point your car northeast and drive for 20 minutes, but it's worth the trek.
The restaurant isn't much to look at – the white walls are festooned with Indian movie star posters and the fluorescent light seems very bright (probably to show off the Indian sweets at the front). But don't be fooled – the food's good, the service is very pleasant and the bill is cheap cheap cheap.
We started with some excellent pakoras and some lassi (yogurt shakes). The fish pakoras had an intoxicating hot sauce, and the mutter paneer (spinach and cheese) pakoras were layered like a little napoleon. Both pakora dishes were $4, and the lassi was $2 to $3 for a large glass – so far so good.
The main dishes featured northern Indian food – and lots of it – made from quality ingredients, and each dish came with a little vegetable salad and naan bread. The dishes weren't super spicy (if you like it hot, I'd make sure you tell them in advance), but they had a nice depth of flavour and weren't oily at all – someone's a skillful, traditional cook.
The butter chicken ($9.99) was advertised by our server as the best in town, and while I'm not sure that I agree (I like the Skylark’s better, but it's a personal thing), it's extremely good. Squares of chicken breast are pan-braised in a creamy, spicy sauce, and Bombay Sweet House has achieved a balance between the heat and the richness, which is the key to this dish. The braised lamb curry ($8.99) was layered with flavour, and was intense and peppery. Yum.
The highlight, for me, though, was the vegetarian dishes – at $6 each, they are a great bargain. The spicy Bombay-style dal was perfectly cooked, and while it might have benefited from some more heat, it was nourishing and warm on a cold night. Similarly tasty was the spinach and cheese, which had a slightly bitter undertone and went beautifully with the butter chicken.
For dessert, the gulab jaman ($2) is so sweet that it made my teeth ache, but that's how gulab jaman is, and you can't do much better than the Bombay Sweet House version.
Don't expect beer with dinner because there's no liquor licence. But all in, with lassi, appetizers, main courses, dessert and chai for four people, it was $20 each including a healthy tip.
RANDOM NOTES
· Next door to the Bombay Sweet House is the A-1 Spice Centre, where they stock Indian yogurt. This slightly tangy stuff is perfect for taking the edge off hot curry. The store is also crammed with all sorts of interesting spices, rice, beans, cooking equipment – you could spend an hour in here at least.
· The Calgary Tower received the award for the Best Renovated Building of the Year from the Building Owners and Managers Association. Included in the renovation was an overhaul of the Panorama Room, which now looks super-swanky. |
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