Review: Bombay Delight Tamil Nadu Food Festival
Review: Bombay Delight Tamil Nadu Food Festival
Dining at Bombay Delight is always…well, a delight. Those who are familiar with the popular Wimbledon restaurant’s well-loved repertoire of authentic Indian dishes will be pleased to know they currently have a new offering available: the Tamil Nadu Food Festival.
This limited edition special menu celebrates the vibrant gastronomic culture of South India, balancing bold spices and fragrant curries. With dishes of crispy dosa, Chettinad specialties, and tangy sambars, it’s the flavours of Tamil like you’ve never tasted them before.
I went along to try the menu for myself, starting with a choice from their special-edition drinks menu: a creamy coconut daiquiri rimmed in delicate coconut shavings. After having polished off some poppadoms, our first course arrived in the form of Gobi 65: delightfully spiced cauliflower florets, perfectly crisped alongside a slightly sweet dip that proved the perfect accompaniment. Each floret is ideally bite-sized and packed with flavour.
(Scroll to keep reading)
Next came a delicious mini masala dosa stuffed with spiced potato filling and served hot with chutneys and sambar. The dosa was excellent and we couldn’t get enough of the sambar; however the stand-out for this course had to be the Eral Varuval: spicy South Indian style prawns pan-fried with aromatic spices and fresh curry leaves. The prawns were succulent and spiced to perfection, a veritable explosion of flavour.
When it came to curry, it was recommended to us to try the Nandu Kulambu, fresh crab simmered in a tangy tamarind and tomato-based sauce with South Indian spices. While you need to work a bit to remove the meat from the shell, it is certainly worth it, the well-cooked seafood blending perfectly with the flavoursome sauce. We enjoyed this alongside the classic Tamil delicacy, Kathirikai Varuval: aubergine pieces dry-fried with aromatic spices, with rice and a traditional Madurai Tawa Paratha.
We were very full after such a feast, but managed to squeeze in room for a limited-edition dessert. The Gulab Jamun cake was the perfect sweet treat to end the night on: lightly crusted on top with a soft-syrup soaked centre, flavoured with saffron and cardamom.
The service was excellent, as is par for the course at Bombay Delight, and the staff were as friendly and accommodating as always. We left on a high and already excited for our next visit.
The Tamil Nadu Food Festival is available at Bombay Delight until 31st May.
