Bollywood Indian Restaurant

The entrance to a very awesome gastronomical affair!

As my previous post stated, i had the best Indian food in Montreal. The name of the restaurant is Bollywood. Yes, I know ..we all know Bollywood to be the Hollywood of India but this restaurant is anything but song and dance. With a very simple and elegant decor, Abdul, it's owner invited us in with a warm smile and a ready service. I think we went in a little late after the movie at around 8.40pm, that's beyond supper time for many people here. There was only a couple left when we entered. At first, I did wonder if the good reviews I read was outdated because the restaurant was rather empty. But Abdul assured us that their busy time is usual Thurs, Fridays and Saturdays.

Anyway let's get to food part because I am just bursting with excitement about it.

As a Malaysian, I have had my fair share of good Indian food in my own country. I know what's good and I definitely know what's bad. Although the tandoori fish came highly recommended by Abdul that day, I wanted something thoroughly Indian and simple, hence I chose his set dinner which consisted of Chicken Curry and Vegetable Curry as the mains with rice and bread, onion bhaji and pakora as the appetizers and gulab jamun as dessert. Chicken curry is perhaps the most common thing in Indian cuisine and yet some Indian restaurants still can't get it right.

My chicken curry, as you can see the color is beautiful as is with an equally matched taste.

But at Bollywood Indian Restaurant, the chicken curry that came with my set dinner was absolutely scrumptious! It is beautifully spiced and flavors well balanced. Even though it is not as burning hot as I would like it to be, i was very, very contented. The basmati rice that came with the set was perfectly cooked. Every grain of rice was perfumed with cloves and other spices (I smelled a hint of cardomom) which complimented the chicken and vegetable curry very, very well.

Vegetable curry - flavorful and tasty that even meat eaters would contented just eating that. Like seriously.

Of course, the appetizers were the perfect amuse bouche because it did open our appetite up for the chicken curry and vegetable curry that was to come.

There are 3 vegetable pakoras and 2 onion bhajis, they may look similar but they certainly don't taste all that similar at all.

Our Roti - it's naan actually, and it's a delicious complement.

The Poori that got him hooked :)

P ordered the vegetarian dinner set and while our appetizers were the same, his mains were different. It came with a Turkha Dhal and Aloo Ghobi. He even ordered a Poori to go with his set to. P is an avid fan of Puri and will eat it whenever he goes to any Indian Restaurant that serves it. And boy was he impressed with the soft, inflated and crispy texture of the Puri. He was in heaven and vow to come back again and again because not many places around Montreal serve Pooris. I tasted the Aloo Gobi and Turkha Dhal...i'd give it a 5 out of 5 stars for it. It's as good as my chicken curry!

The very delicious dhal that we still have packed home with us. It smelled so good when i re-heated for a little afternoon snack earlier today!

I also order Mango Lassi to accompany my meal and... I think I have never tasted Lassi like that before, not even in Malaysia. The yoghurt is fresh and smooth and importantly, the mango puree was just in the right amount too and COLD! P wasn't a big fan of mangos but he thought the mango lassi was very good as well. That really says something because if you can convince a person to like something he doesn't, you have done very good.

Aloo Ghobi

The dessert Gulab Jamun was surprisingly good. I am not a big fan of Indian sweets because I have had some ungastronimical experience with them in Malaysia. BUT...i decided to give this one a try as it was part of the set dinner anyway and boy was I surprised at how good it was! The Gulab Jamun was drench is a very fragrant and sweet syrup that smelled of roses and cardamom. Chilled until ready to serve, every bite was a refreshing sweetness in your mouth. It's a great way to end the meal, in my opinion as the Gulab Jamun balances the spice level from the dinner very well. Unfortunately, i forgot to take pictures of the gulab and my mango lassi! :(

Portions were very generous for the price we paid as we had so much food we asked Abdul to help us pack some home. Our dinner came up to $38, which is a steal considering the impeccable quality of the food and top notch service. It makes you want to leave a generous tip as token of appreciation. The service in Bollywood leaves you thinking you're eating at a good friend's house because Abdul made sure that we were both well fed before we left. His amicable nature and willingness to serve only the best for his customers makes us want to return again and again. The great food was also a big factor of course! :)

Frankly, I never thought I would be able to find such a good Indian food in town. I was craving for Indian food ever since I left Malaysia and I am so happy to have found this little gem around the corner of Guy street, which incidentally is right next to Concordia University.

If you're ever dropping by Montreal, do go to:
BOLLYWOOD
1624, ave. Lincoln
corner Guy
Downtown - H3H 1G9
Montreal, Québec
Tel.: 514.313.6789
Metro: Guy Concordia

My own personal rating: 4.5/5

** sorry for the lousy pix, was trying to get it done asap and it looked fine on the camera when I took it :/