The Beard and I are food-and-wine people – there’s no denying it. So when we get the chance to try out new restaurants or food experiences, we usually jump at the chance.
Last week we were invited to Bombay Brasserie at the Taj Cape Town to experience their newly renovated restaurant. We’d eaten there before a few years earlier and we were looking forward to seeing what changes had been made, and if the food was as good as we remembered. Plus we really needed a date night – and Indian food has been one of my favourite cuisines since my trip there in 2007.
So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
The space is lovely. The restaurant is a mix of rich blues and gold, the wallpaper is gorgeous and the walls have beautiful mosaic details. But the bar! The bar is totally gorgeous and totally worth going there even if just for a drink.
For a fine dining restaurant the vibe was pretty chilled. It was a Thursday night and quite full, with a lot more casual diners than I was expecting, but presumably they were guests of the hotel. So while the decor might make you feel like you’re in a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere is not stuffy at all.
Image courtesy of Bombay Brasserie 
And the food? Quite simply, delicious.
I mean, just look at this palate cleanser:
They have a few different set menus, but we decided to go the small plates route.
For starters we shared the Karoo Lamb Shikhampuri (a lamb kebab “cake” stuffed with cream cheese), Charcoal Tikka Chicken Gatsby (yes, really) and the Malai Chicken.
I was interested to try the Gatsby and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a pretty big portion with three gatsbys for the two of us. The lamb cake was a much smaller portion but filling. But the highlight of our starters was definitely the Malai Chicken – soft and full of flavour.
For mains we shared the Paneer Sirkya Pyaaz, which is a cottage cheese curry, with a side of rice and a garlic naan – obviously; it’s not an Indian meal without a naan, is it? All great.
We were trying to be well-behaved (because, diet) but we were persuaded to try dessert. Ok, I didn’t need to be persuaded but the Beard ordered dessert for himself, which is unusual. He had the Nougat Kulfi Ice Cream while I had a Chai Creme Brulee.
To be honest, this was sadly the biggest disappointment of the night. The chai flavour of the creme brulee was a bit odd and it was a bit eggy (the horror!) and the nougat ice cream was just not very exciting.
The wine list is something else that could do with a bit of improvement. According to the Beard (who claims to know a thing or two about wine), the wine list was decent but not interesting. (It had Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc and Haute Cabriere Chardonnay Pinot Noir, if you know what I’m saying.)
So, would we recommend dining at Bombay Brasserie?
Absolutely.
The food was great, the service was awesome and, as I said, the space is lovely. It is a fine dining restaurant so you might want to save it for special occasions.
If you don’t want to go for dinner, on certain days in December the Taj will be having festive afternoon teas in the Lobby Lounge and Bar. At R295 a person, it includes a welcome drink, as well as a selection of teas and coffees and, of course, a range of sweet and savoury dishes, such as Bobotie Lamb Pie and Marshmallow Snowmen.
They also have some other festive specials that you should check out.
Disclaimer: We were hosted by Bombay Brasserie but all opinions are my own (except for the Beard’s – he has his own opinions).
Featured image: courtesy of Bombay Brasserie
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